Nowadays it can be hard to relieve but this is a real
story from World War One…
The National Egg Collection
was launched in November 1914 following proposals put forward by Frederick
Carl, the editor of Poultry World (a magazine for farmers that
is still online published!). The aim initially was to provide 20.000 eggs a week to the
wounded British soldiers in hospital in Boulogne, improving their diet and helping
them to recover. However, very soon the organisation became so popular that... 1.030.380 eggs were received during the
week 16-23 August 1915, not including those sent directly to local
hospitals!.
Special
boxes and labels were supplied and free transport was provided by the railways.
A central collection
point was established in London in a warehouse provided by Harrods.
Postcards were
specially produced for children: ‘Ma! Teach me how to lay an Egg – I want to
do my bit for the wounded!’ The famous graphic artist, Donald McGill, produced a card aimed at a more
mature audience.
Even more! Female donors
were encouraged to write their name and address on the eggs with a message for
the wounded (Poultry World called them ‘eggograms’); many of them received
back letters from the soldiers, expressing their gratitude for the gift. Eg.:
Florence Hole
(from Holwell, Dorset) received dozens of letters back and nowadays there is an
online community which purpose is to attempt to locate those that responded.
Finally,
you can read a later description (secondary source) about it: “My mother, Nancy Steele, was born in
Woodstock near Oxford and was aged 12 when the war started. She and her sisters collected eggs for the National Egg Collection
scheme throughout the war; the eggs were sent to sick and injured soldiers in
hospital. I believe the girls would put their names and addresses on the eggs
and mother received two letters from one of the recipients, a gunner in the
Royal Field Artillery called Arthur William Dixey. At the end of the war, my
mother received a certificate for collecting the eggs. I am still amazed that
at that time, the eggs travelled to France and arrived unbroken!”
Unbelievable, isn’t it? J
