Historical information

Postcards were a common form of souvenirs for soldiers who were travelling either during World War 1, or just after, or while returning to Australia.
This postcard with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving in Portsea in 1920.

Significance

Postcards were a very common form of communication during the first World War. Postcards as souvenirs or as correspondence would have been familiar to the first Legatees as they had served in World War 1.

Physical description

Standard size postcard with image depicting Lac Leman (or Lake Geneva). The image in its current condition shows a pastel coloured sky and a small island within the lake.

Inscriptions & markings

Front - “Lac Leman/ 6211/CHARNAUX FRERES & CO., GENEVH”
Back - “CARTE POSTALE/ Mrs Mercer? / The Nook / Combe Down / Somerset”