A Valentine from Woolwich ……….. and the promise of a bit more

So, I know we are in September, but the card was sent in February and it has much to offer.

Greetings from Woolwich, 1918

Muriel posted it on February 13th 1918 and will have been confident that “Master J Harding” would have picked it up off the door mat the following morning.

From Muriel, 1918

But just what that relationship was between the two is a mystery.  

I thought Muriel and “J” might be sister and brother but the census return for 1911 proved a dead end.

And that is when I drift into speculation.

Given that we are in the closing stages of the Great War, she may have worked at the Royal Arsenal or equally possibly was a servant.

The reverse offers up more clues that this was sent during the war, with the imprint “Budget Card" and “Buy National War Bonds”.

Church Street, 2016

I went looking for 1 Church Street, Cirencester, only to find the house has gone and been replaced by new build, but back in 2016 there was a building which looks to have been a hall, and it may be old enough to have been familiar to “J” and possibly Muriel.

And that is almost the end of the story of Muriel and Woolwich, but the card has one last little offering which is that the postman’s satchel opens to deliver a small series of pictures of the surrounding area including Plumstead.

Location; Woolwich

Hidden surprises, 1918

Picture; Greetings from Woolwich, 1918, from the collection of David Harrop and I Church Street, 2016 courtesy of Google Maps.