Blank Vmail sheet, used by American servicemen and their families for correspondence whilst posted overseas, 1940s, front, [image 1 of 2]
Item Reference : cny02706

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Blank Vmail sheet, used by American servicemen and their families for correspondence whilst posted overseas, 1940s, reverse [image 2 of 2]

Description

During the Second World War, there were many problems associated with mail to and from soldiers posted overseas. There was a huge quantity of mail to deal with, and intercontinental transport was difficult. The allied countries developed a service to reduce the mail volume. The British versions were called Airgraphs, while the US system was known as V-mail. Printed sheets were allocated to servicemen and their relatives, with spaces for correspondence and names and addresses of sender and recipient.The forms were sent to dedicated Airgraph, or photo stations, where they were photographed on 16 mm film. The film was then forwarded to a similar facility on the same continent as the addressee. There the pictures were processed and enlarged, and printed onto small sheets of photographic paper. The original forms were 21 cm by 28 cm, while the processed forms measured 10.5 by 13 cm. These were then sent by post to the recipient. Servicemen and women were able to send their Airgraphs postage free, whilst civilians had to pay normal postage. Elizabeth Richards lived with her parents in Trellech, Monmouthshire, throughout the Second World War. In the summer of 1940, a bomb landed in their garden, blowing in the windows and doors of the house, but leaving the family otherwise unharmed.

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