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The egg, in the tabacco tin with the writings evident.


The miraculous story of an egg which was sent by a schoolgirl to troops fighting in World War One and then returned in one piece has emerged 100 years after the outbreak of the conflict.

Vida Sheppard was 13 when in 1915, as part of a school project, she posted a hen's egg as a present for squaddies toiling in the trenches of the Western Front.

Before the delicate gift was sent the youngster scrawled her name and school a message in pen which read: "Health and luck to dear Tommy Atkins, God bless him".

Several months later she received a package in the post containing a tobacco tin - and inside was her egg, minus the yolk but with extra writing on the shell reading "Returned with thanks".

The egg was signed by Private E Devall, who had written his address as "somewhere in France".

The egg, which had been stuffed with cotton wool to prevent it breaking, has remained in Vida's family ever since.

The amazing tale has been told for the first time in a new book called Antiques Roadshow: World War One in 100 Family Treasuresby Paul Atterbury, an expert on the BBC 1 programme.