“Seasons Greetings to Ships at Sea” GPO leaflet

A leaflet advertising the Post Office’s radiotelegram and radiotelephone services that allowed you to send seasonsal greetings to family members or friends who were serving in the Merchant Navy or Royal Navy. By handing in your form at the Post Office or dictating it by phone before 22nd December (28 December for New Year) the message would be passed through one of the PO’s UK Radio Stations in the form of a telegram message.

Charges varied – any passenger or cargo vessel was 1/8d a word with those to RN vessels reduced to 1/1d a word, although in the case of the “Home Fleet” it was 8½d. Trawlers, drifters, coasters, cross-Channel and short voyage ships was a 1/– a word. The radiotelephone service using the PO’s Ship’s Telephone Service was quite involved as can be imagined and charges varied “according to the position of the ship” above 300 miles. Within 300 miles the charge was not cheap at 12/6d for 3 minutes.

The leaflet has no date but does have a designer shown – Roger Harris – with quite a stylish seascape and vessel on the cover and a dove of peace on the reverse side, carrying the olive branch. I suspect, given the design, this is a mid-60s version of the annual leaflet.