Corsets for the Front?

Tuesday 23rd February 1915: A week or so ago Messrs Pollard and Holton, Bromham Road, Bedford, had occasion to order from a London house a pair of corsets of an outside size. By some means a postcard referring to the order and asking for the corsets, size 34, to be sent by return, found its way into a mail bag bound for the front. It might be said that an order for corsets ought not to go into a mail bag at all, but the strange part of the story is that this particular postcard went over to France in the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment’s mail bag. Let Arthur W Joyce of the 2nd Bedfords finish the narrative

“To Messrs Pollard and Holton. Dear Sirs. The enclosed was found in the Headquarters mail of the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfords. As it falls to my lot to sort out this mail I naturally came across the postcard and take the first opportunity of returning the same. It was delivered to the trenches, which are within 160 yards of the Germans. Re your order, I am deeply sorry we cannot oblige as we have no use for corsets, having nothing to place in them and we do not keep that size. But could you send in return size 34 of chocolates as they would fit any one of us out here and be very acceptable, or cough sweets, size 32. Thanking you etc. P. S. – How proud you must be in Bedford of all the Beds, especially of the 7th Division”.

It is perhaps hardly necessary to say that Joyce will re-joice when he hears from Messrs Pollard and Holton.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 26th February 1915