Historical information

This is a standard British Army Pigeon Service Message Book which was issued to Australian Army units during World War One.

Significance

This Pigeon Service Message Book has no known local provenance but it is a very interesting memento of World War One.

Physical description

This is a British Army Pigeon Service Message Book which consists of a number of sheets of paper stapled into a cardboard cover protected with black leatherette. The writing on the front cover is stencilled in white. The ends of the cover are held together by a black elastic strap. The strap has now lost its elasticity. Inside the front cover is a printed sheet indicating the use of the book and the care of the pigeons. There are two leatherette tubes attached to the back cover which would have held writing implements. The book material consists of a top sheet printed with space for the message details, and sheets of carbon paper for two copies of the message. There is a piece of cardboard backing the carbon paper. None of the message pages has been used. The staples have rusted and the sides of the paper material are stained. The cover is a little crumpled and dirty.

Inscriptions & markings

‘Army Book 418’
‘Pigeon Service Message Book’