[Eleanor Roosevelt: the wife of the President's wartime visit to Britain.] Post Office Telegram from Mrs Roosevelt, thanking Vice-Chancellor Sir David Ross for hospitality of Oxford University.

Towards the end of 1942, with America having been at war with the Axis powers for a year to Britain’s three, Eleanor Roosevelt accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth to travel to Britain in order to ‘study the British home front effort and visit US troops stationed there. [...] she spent almost a month inspecting factories, shipyards, hospitals, schools, bomb shelters, distribution centers, Red Cross clubs, evacuee centers and military installations in England, Scotland and Ireland’ (Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project, Columbian College). The present item is from the papers of Sir David Ross (for whom see the Oxford DNB). It is a customary printed Post Office Telegram (1p, landscape 12mo), with Oxford office stamp numbered 826 and dated 9 November 1942, and the message typed onto a total of five pasted strips: ‘+ 439 4.55 MANCHESTER Q 24 | = PRIORITY THE VICE CHANCELLOR ORIEL OXFORD = | MOST GRATEFUL THANKS TO YOU FOR YOU | HOSPITALITY ON MY ALL TOO SHORT VISIT TO OXFORD | ELEANOR ROOSEVELT + +’. In good condition, on aged woodpulp paper, with a central vertical fold and a blue label with ‘PRIORITY’ in white stuck at the head. See image.