27/4/15
Got your cheery wire for which many thanks. I believe it is now in the hands of Mrs Welsh as a souvenir. Hope you call at Clifford St when on leave. Goodbye, with the best of luck. Your "old" pal Hip.
Next year sees the starts of a four year commemoration of the First World War, which will be marked by hundreds of events all across the country, up to 2018. I'm planning on digging out some postcards from the era too and I'm hoping to mark next year's anniversary with a particular bit of research I've been undertaking over the past few months.
For now, I chose this postcard at random for the latest post and it turns out to be the first I have that relates to the war. The view shows the Castle, itself a place not immune to conflict, one of the city's most popular and prominent tourist attractions. It was sent in April 1915 to 2nd Lieutenant W. S. Macdonald who was a patient (I presume) at Worsley Hall in Manchester. The hall, a Victorian stately home built for the 1st Earl of Ellesmere, was taken over for use a hospital during the war. Sadly, I have no further information on the fate of Mr. Macdonald, but if you do please leave a comment below.
The message is upbeat, despite the context, but I always feel a certain pathos when I read 'good luck' messages on cards from this era. The writer surely knows that he may not see his "old" pal again.
Lochinvar Series
Postmarked: 28th April 1915
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