Back in early December 2014, I posted a video of Post Haste, a quirky little short film made for distribution to cinemas during World War Two, in order to encourage people to post early for Christmas – so when I found this wonderful image*, I had to revisit the subject. Anyway, you can look at it as a useful reminder if you’re as disorganised about Christmas as I am!

From the same era as Post Haste, this eye-catching illustration of an efficient-looking dog busily taking his festive parcels to the Post Office (in plenty of time, of course) sends a message that still has a resonance today, especially if you have friends and family who live abroad. Such festive reminders were commonplace during World War Two (you can see more examples of similar Christmas post-related home front propaganda here, here and here) when many people were separated from their loved ones for long periods by the effects of the conflict.

During the war, the Postal service was quite literally a lifeline for many people on the home front and for those serving abroad. A letter or parcel from home was a great morale boost for weary servicemen and women or homesick evacuees; the contents to be treasured and often shared with friends, colleagues and comrades. And a hastily scrawled letter from a family member or friend at the front could bring relief to the recipient and set worried minds at ease.

At no time of the year was this more important than at Christmas, when the postal service is traditionally at its most stretched anyway. This became somewhat of a problem during the war as a result of many postal workers being called up to the armed forces and the railways being utilised for war work instead of carrying the mail – hence the increased necessity for reminders like this one.

Now, where did I put that wrapping paper?

UK readers (human and canine) can, of course, find details of the last posting dates for 2017 at the Post Office’s website.

*Click on the image for a larger version, source details and more information.

Filed under: Christmas, History Tagged: Christmas, GPO, History, Home Front, Parcels, Post, Second World War, World War Two, WW2