Princess Mary Brass Gift Tin

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Overview

Small embossed rectangular brass tin that was sent to soldiers on Christmas Day 1914. There is a profile of Princess Mary encircled by a wreath of laurels joined by English roses embossed in the centre of the lid and an embossed border on the edge of the lid

Historical information

Princess Royal Mary, born Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary on 25 April 1897, was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, and the sister of kings Edward VIII and George VI. During WWI she was active with charity work which included visits to hospitals and welfare organisations with her mother and assisting with projects to give comfort to British servicemen and assistance to their families. This brass tin was one such project.

Princess Mary was extremely close to her brother ‘David’, who became Edward VIII, and after the abdication crisis it is said that she refused to attend the wedding of her niece Elizabeth (who became Queen Elizabeth II) in support of her brother. She was one of the few royals who visited the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in their exile.

During her life she took an active role in promoting women’s organisations like the Girl Guide movement, the Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs), and the Land Girls. She even once began a nursing course at Great Ormond Street Hospital, working two days a week in the Alexandra Ward.

After a lifetime of public service Princess Mary died of a fatal heart attack on 28 March 1965.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2024.87

Item type

Souvenirs

Themes

Social History

Material

Brass

Width

8.5000 cm

Height or length

13 cm

Depth

3 cm

Inscriptions and markings

Above the profile of Princess Mary is embossed

IMPERIUM
BRITANNICUM

The image of Princess Mary is flanked by 2 M

Below the profile of Princess Mary is embossed

CHRISTMAS 1914

In the far NW corner is embossed
BELGIUM

In the middle of the west edge is embossed
FRANCE

In the far SW corner is embossed
SERVIA

In the far NE corner is embossed
JAPAN

In the middle of the east edge is embossed
RUSSIA

In the far SE corner is embossed
MONTENEGRO

Contextual Information

During WWI the Princess Mary's Christmas Gift Fund sent £100,000 worth of gifts to serving British soldiers and sailors for Christmas in 1914. This brass tin was one of those gifts and it would have contained tobacco (or chocolates for non-smokers) , sweets, pencils, postcards and a picture of the Princess.

Keywords

Princess Royal Mary

British Royal Family

Royal Souvenirs

Links to additional resources

Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (Wikipedia)

Busselton Historical Society

Organisation Details
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