The Princess Mary Christmas gift box was a brass or silver tin containing a number of gifts intended to be distributed to all members of the armed forces of the British Empire on Christmas day 1914, during World War I. The success of the campaign led to almost 3 million of these little brass tins being sent to "every solider and sailor wearing the King's uniform on Christmas 1914".

We take a look at a particularly scruffy example of these tins and see if we can return some shine to this interesting piece of World War One history.

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Sources used:

Tommy at War: 1914-1918 The Soldiers' Own Stories

Memorializing the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902

Christmas 1914: The First World War at Home and Abroad

LOOK INSIDE THE PRINCESS MARY GIFT FUND 1914 BOX
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/look-i...

Princess Mary Gift Fund Box – a royal gift for all
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/...

The final number of tins distributed by 1920 is as follows (source: Force War Record):

Navy: 255,271

Army:
France & Belgium 355,716
Wounded given in France and at home 89,165
Next of kin 5,000
French mission 4,600
Troops at home including Commonwealth 1,337,889
Empire:

India 294,000
Canada 70,000
Australia 53,3000
South Africa 42,647
New Zealand 19,915
Colonies 72,086
Nurses 1,500