Postal communications played a vital role in the war effort. The Post Office set up telecommunications between Headquarters and the front line. It also ran an internal-army postal system.

Telegraphs and telephones were the main means of communication between the front line and Headquarters during battle. Over 11,000 Post Office engineers worked to make this possible throughout the war, using the skills they had acquired as civilians.

Many soldiers had relatives and friends fighting in other units. From December 1914, the Post Office ran a postal service that carried mail between units.

Writing and receiving letters and parcels were a vital part of sustaining morale and overcoming the boredom, which was a feature of trench life.  Many were dedicated correspondents –infantryman Reg Sims, for example, wrote home: ‘in exactly twelve months I have received 167 letters besides paper and parcels and have written 242 letters.’

The army also ran a fast and reliable pigeon post service. By 1918 there were 22,000 pigeons carrying post at the front.

Illustrations

Telegraph lines in the trenches

A British officer writing a letter