There was a surprise in store for British troops who spent Christmas in action during the First World War.

In December 1914, they all received a brass tin of gifts from Princess Mary, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.

Then 17, she was described as a “right royal pin-up” and many of the soldiers were said to have valued what she gave them more than the medals they later received.

Memories of her festive kindness were revived in 1976 when Walt Bradbury, of Weyland Road, Headington, wrote to the Oxford Mail about the tin and contents he had collected.

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He was staggered by the response from readers – he was constantly answering calls on his own phone and the Oxford Mail switchboard became jammed.

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Princess Mary

The paper’s columnist, Anthony Wood, concluded that not every box contained the same.

He wrote: “When you think about it, the operation was on such a scale there was bound to be some variation.

“Sending off seasonal gifts to every man and woman on active service must have been a colossal undertaking and involved more than one manufacturer.

“It wasn’t a matter of placing an order with the shop round the corner. It involved hundreds of thousands of tins.”

One reader who responded to the article was 16-year-old Frances Drake, of Banbury Road, Kidlington.

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Her father had made a display cabinet for items from his father’s tin. They included a collapsible pipe, an ounce of tobacco and 20 cigarettes. He had added pictures of the King, Queen and Princess.

Two other readers, Vera Watts, of Wytham Street, Oxford, and Vic Couling, of Bartlemas Close, Oxford, also had tins with tobacco and cigarettes.

John Hirons, of Hailey Road, Witney, revealed that all the tins included a message – “With best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a Victorious New Year from the Princess Mary and friends at home.”

Other readers suggested that some of the tins contained chocolate, maybe for any serviceman or woman who didn’t smoke.

Other gifts in the tins apparently included packs of needles, pins and darning wool for repairs and patriotic handkerchiefs.

One reader pointed out that the tin lid contained the names of countries that had joined Britain in the fight against Germany – France, Belgium, Japan, Russia, Montenegro and Serbia.

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Another pointed out that anyone with a box who was short of money could sell it for a very profitable £5.

Princess Mary died in 1965. She was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, and was also the Queen’s aunt. In the First World War she completed charity work in support of servicemen and their families.