A Fortnum & Mason Jubilee gift tin containing tea and biscuits for the troops is the latest addition to the National Army Museum’s Collection.
Gifts for the troops
This Jubilee gift tin continues a long tradition of sending parcels of home comforts to support British soldiers fighting around the globe.
Queen Victoria was the first member of the Royal Family to send a gift to all ranks of the Army serving abroad. Since then other Royals, and lately the Ministry of Defence (MoD), have followed this example to help boost the morale of troops on overseas service.
In 1914 a gift tin from Queen Alexandra contained cigarettes printed with her name. Princess Mary ordered nearly 500,000 gift tins for the troops. These came in three variants, catering for smokers, non-smokers and Indian soldiers.
Find out more about royal support for the Army in our Jubilee: 60 Years of the Sovereign and Her Soldiers online exhibition.
These gift tins have a personal feel to them. The Fortnum & Mason Jubilee tin, containing tea and biscuits, is the latest addition to this wonderful tradition of gift tins, troops and the Royal Family.
Sophie Stathi, National Army Museum curator
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