A Basket of Flowers in 1916. And Grizzly Bears.

            The Postcard

A postcard bearing no publisher's name that features an awful but fortunately barely legible poem:

'A basket of flowers
my wishes shall bear,
May good fortune ever
smile on your welfare'.

The card was posted in Birmingham on Monday the 14th. August 1916 to:

Miss J. M. King,
50, Conduit Street,
London Road,
Leicester.

The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:

"Dear Sister,
Arrived quite safe and
feeling better for it and
found Mother & Dad
quite well.
Have been to work today
and they say I look well.
Will write letter soon.
Hoping both are OK.
Your loving brother
Jack."

Grizzly Bears

So what else happened on the day that Jack posted the card?

Well, the 14th. August 1916 marked the birth in Washington D.C. of the twins Frank and John Craighead. They became American conversationalists, best known for protecting grizzly bears living within the National Park Service system. 

The outdoor life obviously suited them, because Frank died in 2001 aged 85, and John died in 2016 aged 100.

Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

The day also marked the birth in Copenhagen of Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. He became a Danish-German fighter pilot and a night fighter ace for the Luftwaffe during World War II. 

He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Heinrich was killed in action in 1944 when his aircraft was shot down.

He was 27 years of age when he died. Or, to put it another way, he lived for 10,021 days.

Charlie Pritchard

The 14th. August 1916 also marked the death of the Welsh rugby player Charlie Pritchard.  He played back row for the Newport and Monmouthshire rugby clubs from 1901 to 1911, and for the Wales national rugby union team from 1904 to 1910.

Charlie, who was born in 1882, was killed in action at Loos, France.  On the night of the 12th. August 1916 he led a trench raid in order to capture a German prisoner. Although the raid was successful in its objective, Pritchard was seriously wounded.

He was carried to No. 1 Casualty Clearing Station a few miles behind the front at Chocques. His last reported words were to ask if they had got the "Hun", and when told they had, he replied:

"Well, I have done my bit." 

Pritchard died of his wounds two days later at the clearing station, and was laid to rest in Chocques Military Cemetery.
   

Taken on: December 15, 2021

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Sets appears in: • Biographies • Greetings Cards - Good Luck

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