A CHRISTMAS present of cigarettes and tobacco given to soldiers on the front line in France in 1914 will go on sale at the Antiques & Fine Art Fair, held at The Pavilions of Harrogate, at the Great Yorkshire Showground from March 21-23.
Auction organisers say the gift was the initiative of Princess Mary, the 17-year-old daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.
“The princess organised a public appeal which raised funds to ensure that ‘every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front’ received a Christmas present,” said a spokesman.
“Due to the strong public support, which saw £162,591 12s 5d raised, the eligibility for the gift was widened to include every person ‘wearing the King’s uniform on Christmas Day 1914’, about 2,620,019 servicemen and women.
“It came in the form of a highly decorated tin box containing cigarettes and tobacco and a Christmas card from the princess. The lid is embossed with profile portrait of Princess Mary surrounded by a wreath.”
The tin and its tobacco and Christmas card has a ticket price of £110.
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