During World War One up to 12 million letters a week were delivered to soldiers, many on the front line. The wartime post was a remarkable operation, writes ex-postman and former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.<\/p>\n When a soldier on the Western Front wrote to a London newspaper in 1915 saying he was lonely and would appreciate receiving some mail the response was immediate.<\/p>\n The newspaper published his name and regiment and within weeks he’d received 3,000 letters, 98 large parcels and three mailbags full of smaller packages.<\/p>\n Had that soldier had the time to respond to every letter he could have done. Wherever he was fighting, his reply would have been delivered back to Britain within a day or two of posting.<\/p>\n How the General Post Office (GPO) maintained such an efficient postal service to soldiers and sailors during World War One is a story of remarkable ingenuity and amazing courage.<\/p>\n Click here <\/a>to continue reading.<\/p>\n Find out more from Alan Johnson on\u00a0<\/em>why the humble letter was one of the most powerful weapons of WW1<\/a>\u00a0and Frank Gardiner on\u00a0<\/em>why journalists were threatened with execution during WW1<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Article via BBC News Magazine During World War One up to 12 million letters a week were delivered to soldiers, many on the front line. The wartime post was a remarkable operation, writes ex-postman and former Home Secretary Alan Johnson. Continue reading BBC \/ World War One: How did 12 million letters a week reach soldiers?<\/span>![\"IMAGE:](\"https:\/\/letters1916.ie\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/72628190_post.jpg\")