'A Safe Place' German postcard from Fritz Lindshoeft to his daughter, 1917.

The text below the image reads: 'Dear Katchen (Katie), Your father sends you a loving 'hallo' from the trenches on this Saturday. And to Mummy and your brother and sister.' The sketch depicts Fritz taking a break from duty as a field telephonist in 1917. Entitled 'a safe place', Fritz attempts to reassure his young daughter about his well-being on the front line. Field telephones operated over wire lines, often using wires strung in combat conditions. Equipment for laying the wire ranged from reels on backpacks to trucks equipped with ploughs to bury lines.

Image Courtesy of Queen Mary University of London Archives.