And a rather shapely foot we have here, quite unlike the other foot card in Wills` "First Aid", which is sporting a triangular bandage, and looks like someone has simply covered it in a duvet , gathered it together, and put an elastic band round the top!
The bandage here also looks very elegant, but I am certain that it was only ever done to this exactness in a quiet hospital, carefully following the numbers which are so helpfully drawn in. It is definitely not a bandage to be done on a hectic battleground, where men are coming in at regular intervals and there is simply not the time to waste to do this sort of thing.
Oddly, the numbers are not mentioned at all on the text, which does suggest the original drawing might have come from some kind of manual or chart, so I will try and track that down.
I have found out that in July 1913 the Field Service Manual for the Army Medical Service was reprinted and updated but I have not found any that I can have a look inside.
There are two versions of this card, which is noted in our original reference book to the issues of W.D. & H.O. Wills. Both are now in our gallery, so click the bold link below to compare them. The text in this reference book reads :
61. FIRST AID. Fronts lithographed in colour; backs in grey, with descriptive text. Home issues :-
A. Without Album Clause. Issued, 1913
B. With Album Clause. Issued, 1915.
The Album Clause means the wording which appears down both sides of the reverse text, and on our card it is missing.
We also know the months of issue, April 1913 for "without" and January 1915 for the "with". That seems to be at odds with our World Tobacco Issues Indexes though, as both the original and the updated version gives the "A" suffix to the cards with the album clause and the “B” to the cards without.