AT the recent meeting of Ross Vaga Probus Club, Dorian Osborne showed postcards from his extensive personal collection.

The success of postcards followed the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post on January 10, 1840 along with the development of the railway network both here and abroad.

The international agreement of 1874 enabled the delivery of post from between countries without incurring further postage charges at border crossings.

By 1900 the country had a literate population that was used to travelling and they used this quick and cheap method of communication to send messages, be it well wishes, appointments, holiday cards, both humorous and picturesque, or exciting news. The Post Office was delivering 500 million cards a year.

The cards illustrated by Dorian during his talk, showed early pin-ups and stars of the day, First World War patriotic cards, photographers-issued cards of disasters, satirical and political cards, as well as embroidered cards that were both decorative and a source of income for needle workers.

Members also saw cards that would be considered politically incorrect today - remember that the front and back of the card was visible to all who handled it including your local postman!

Vaga Probus is a men only group that meets twice monthly in Ross. Visitors are very welcome, please contact the secretary on 01989 218295 for details.