Biscuit messages

04 Dec 2025

Curator Kitty Ross with Private Maxwell's festive message at Leeds Discovery Centre. The fragile vintage snacks, more than a century old, were originally issued to servicemen as a durable emergency ration but were reputedly so unpalatable, they were instead repurposed as a humorous way of staying in touch with loved ones over Christmas. Dating from 1914, one of the biscuits currently stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre may have been the final contact Private William Maxwell had with his family before his tragic death.

Biscuit messages: Curator Kitty Ross with Private Maxwell's festive message at Leeds Discovery Centre.
The fragile vintage snacks, more than a century old, were originally issued to servicemen as a durable emergency ration but were reputedly so unpalatable, they were instead repurposed as a humorous way of staying in touch with loved ones over Christmas.
Dating from 1914, one of the biscuits currently stored at the Leeds Discovery Centre may have been the final contact Private William Maxwell had with his family before his tragic death.

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