Hands Across the Sea Christmas Postcard

For many, Christmas is a time of joy, a time spent with families and loved ones, full of celebration, plenty of good food and in the warmth and comfort of their homes. For seafarers however, it can be a distant memory, a time spent thinking about their loved ones while confronting the cold and rough weather.

Life at sea is never easy. Seamen spend most of their lives out of sight and reach of land, continuously facing dangerous sea conditions and social isolation. Most people are unaware of how populated our seas are during the holidays, full of men and women wishing they could be home for Christmas, feeling lonely and for some of them, facing extremely cold weather. The leading cause of mariners leaving the industry is their longing to be with their families and loved ones.

However isolated mariners may feel during the holidays they should never feel forgotten, due to charitable organisations which work towards making the seamen’s time away from their families in the cold weather as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. An American association charity called Christmas at Sea has been sending out knitted hats, gloves and scarves to sailors since 1898. The charity also sends out items which are usually difficult to get when working at sea, such as toothbrush, lotions and lip balms.

The festive postcard above was sent as a Christmas card from Jamie Davis to Mrs Hooper in St. Mary’s, on the Isles of Scilly in 1908, extending Christmas wishes and friendship to those across the sea. This postcard is part of the Museum’s archive collection and can be viewed by appointment.