Darwin’s Grandson killed in the WW1 trenches and WW1 centenary stamps

Cross-posting from another project blog, sadly 24th April 2015 marks the centenary of the death of Erasmus, one of Darwin’s grandsons, in the trenches of WW1. You can read more of his story on the blog post below:

Erasmus Darwin IV (Source: Wikipedia) died 24 April 1915, Ypres.

https://worldwarzoogardener1939.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/a-trench-dead-darwin-24-april-1915/

WW1 Remembered in stamps

Royal Mail WW1 stamp set.

The WW1 centenary has been widely marked by the issue of stamps and online exhibitions:

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/remembrance/ww1-centenary/ww1-commemorative-stamps

A fantastic and massive KS1 – KS3 teaching resource to download http://teacherspost.co.uk/the-last-post/

http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/explore/history/firstworldwar/

https://postalheritage.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/the-post-office-in-the-first-world-war/

A fact picked up from Horrible Histories is confirmed on the Postal Heritage website, that the Post Office installed one of the largest temporary wooden buildings in the world at the time. It was in Regent’s Park, next to the ZSL London Zoo where Drawin once strode,  to handle forces mail, within the sound of monkey whoops and wolf howls:

With the onset of trench warfare, all mails bound for troops on the Western Front were sorted at the London Home Depot by the end of 1914. Covering five acres of Regents Park, this was said to be the largest wooden structure in the world employing over 2,500 mostly female staff by 1918. During the war the Home Depot handled a staggering 2 billion letters and 114 million parcels (Postal Heritage website, First World War section)

The wartime postal service is mentioned in this BBC article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25934407

The Post Office even had its own regiment, The Post Office Rifles.  A 2015 Royal Mail pack of stamps pack commemorates the Post Office Rifles on the centenary of their arrival in France on 18th March 1915.

http://shop.royalmail.com/issue-by-issue/the-first-world-war-1914-souvenirs/icat/thegreatwar1914&view=&bklist=icat,7,cat110,con,cat111,stampslandingpage,cat158,thegreatwar1914

The 8th (City of London) Battalion, The London Regiment (Post Office Rifles)  lost 1,800 killed and 4,500 men wounded by the end of the War.

Remembered …