Postcards to the Front

Overview

While Anzac Day stamp issues typically reflects themes of military participation and commemoration, this year the focus is on ephemera, specifically postcards.

World War I (1914–18) coincided with the last years of what was known as the “golden era” of postcards, and the outbreak of war immensely expanded the postcard market. Postcards facilitated a connection between family and those serving on the front. The visuals and written phrases on the cards were often patriotic and nationalistic in nature, though many were also sentimental, which, when combined with the words of the writer, sent much-needed messages of love, longing and encouragement during times of painful separation.

The postcards shown on this year’s stamps represent the military divisions through naval, infantry and air service hats worn by the iconic Laughing Kookaburra. The cards, produced by Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. in Australia, are held in the Shirley Jones Collection of Military Postcards, State Library Victoria. While these postcard designs can be seen as patriotic and good humoured, they also conveyed the sadness and uncertainty felt by those whose loved ones were serving their country half way across the world and in perilous circumstances.

Technical specifications