Name: 舞臺上的歷史｜回家的信：第一次世界大戰中的郵局 (History on Stage | Letters Home: The Post Office in the First World War)
Uploaded: 2020-11-10T19:40:50.000Z
Duration: 18 min

基礎被動語態

Letters Home was commissioned by English Heritage  in 2014, as part of their commemorations of the  

2014年，英國遺產局委託我公司製作了《家書》，作為他們紀念《家書》的一部分。

100th anniversary of the start of The Great  War. It tells a story of “ordinary people in  

大戰開始100週年。它講述了一個 "普通人在

extraordinary times”, the work of the Post Office  in ensuring that people separated by the war  

非常時期"，郵政局在確保因戰爭而失散的人們的工作。

were still able to communicate and  share their experiences by letter.  

仍能通過書信交流和分享經驗。

We were inspired by the way that something so  simple could be of such enormous importance,  

我們受到啟發，如此簡單的東西竟然有如此巨大的意義。

how it touched every family, and provided a  lasting testimony to those who lived, and died.

它是如何觸動每一個家庭，併為那些活著的人和死去的人提供了一個持久的見證。

(FX: typewriter, morse code, radio static...)

(特效：打字機，摩斯電碼，無線電靜電...)

Imagine a world where the letter is king There's no Facebook,  

想象一個字母為王的世界，沒有Facebook。

no Twitter, no WhatsApp, no Bing... No laptops, no tablets, no mobile phones,  

沒有Twitter，沒有WhatsApp，沒有Bing... ...沒有筆記本電腦，沒有平板電腦，沒有手機。

No answering machines, no faxes, no  pagers. A home phone is for those 

沒有答錄機，沒有傳真，沒有傳呼機。家庭電話是為那些

born to wealth or high wages... Now you may think this  

生於富貴或高薪...現在你可能會認為

world sounds like utter bliss! Go back one hundred years and that's how it is. 

這個世界聽起來像極了幸福!回到一百年前，就是這樣的。

If you want to share news with a friend  out of sight then you walk, meet and talk. 

如果你想在視線之外和朋友分享消息，那麼你就走走，見見，聊聊。

Or you stop, sit and write! If you want to share news with a distant relation,  

或者你停下來，坐下來寫!如果你想和遠方的親戚分享消息。

a letter's the best means of communication! 

That means you need paper, a pen and some ink.  You need to make time to record what you think. 

這意味著你需要紙、筆和一些墨水。  你需要抽出時間來記錄你的想法。

And once you have written what you want to say –  Buy a stamp, find a post box, and it's on its way. 

而一旦你寫好了你想說的話--買一張郵票，找一個郵筒，它就在路上了。

And if you think this sounds  like a terrible chore. 

如果你認為這聽起來像一個可怕的家務活，

Now imagine you're doing this and  fighting a war! In a trench, in the dirt  

現在想象一下，你這樣做是在打仗!在戰壕裡，在泥土裡

and the smoke and the stink. You want to write home to say  

和煙霧和臭味。你想寫信回家說

you're in the pink. With shells whistling  round, you might write to your folks. 

你在粉紅色的。炮彈呼嘯而來，你可以給你的家人寫信。

To send you some comforts; a cake or some smokes. Some hand knitted mittens or socks would be nice. 

要送你一些安慰；一個蛋糕或一些煙。一些手工編織的手套或襪子會很好。

Or that powder you put in  your clothes to kill lice! 

或者是你放在衣服裡的殺蝨子的粉末！

Because when you're in danger  and far from your home,  

因為當你遇到危險，遠離家鄉的時候。

a letter reminds you, you're not on your own. 

一封信提醒你，你不是一個人。

On land or at sea, in khaki or blue, a  letter says someone is thinking of you. 

無論是在陸地還是在海上，無論是卡其色還是藍色，一封信都說明有人在想你。

And it's more than just words  scratched on paper with pen.  

而這不僅僅是用筆在紙上劃出的文字。

You can read it for comfort again and again. When your rations are gone and you're  

你可以反覆讀它來安慰自己。當你的口糧用完了，而你又

shivering with cold. For the man in  the front line, a letter's like gold. 

冷得發抖。對於身處前線的人來說，一信如金。

Because knowing that  everything at home is alright,  

is good for morale and keeps men in this fight. A letter from home when conditions are chronic,  

是有利於提高士氣，讓男人在這場戰鬥中。狀況長期存在時，一封家書。

lifts the spirits of men in sore need of a tonic. So, imagine this world of carnage and mud. 

提起男人的精神 在痛需要補品。所以，想象一下這個充滿血腥和泥濘的世界。

Where a few yards of land  gained is paid for in blood. 

凡是得到的幾碼地，都是用血來換的。

And you haven't the first idea when it will end. And the next whizz-bang might land on you  

而你根本不知道什麼時候會結束。而下一個爆炸可能會落在你身上

or your friend. Where a simple thing,  somehow, can make you feel better. Like  

或你的朋友。凡是一件簡單的事情，某種程度上，可以讓你感覺更好。就像...

receiving a parcel, or opening a letter. 

Letters from home were recognised as a vital part  of keeping up the morale of the men at the front.  

家信被認為是保持前線人員士氣的重要一環。

Along with rations and ammunition,  letters and parcels had to get through! 

除了口糧和彈藥，信件和包裹也要通過!

The Army had its own postal service - the Royal  Engineers Postal Section, or REPS for short. 

軍隊有自己的郵政服務--皇家工程師郵政科，簡稱REPS。

Here's how it works! From Tommy in the  

trench..... To sweetheart at home! So Tommy writes his letter or postcard.  

壕.....給家裡的甜心!所以湯米寫了他的信或明信片。

He's going to use a pencil: easier to use in a trench than pen and ink. He writes...

他要用鉛筆：在戰壕裡比筆墨更容易使用。他寫道...

"On Active Service” on it and it doesn't need a stamp. The letters are collected at Field Post Offices,  

"現役 "字樣，不需要蓋章。這些信件在外地郵局領取。

in barns, tents or dugouts. FPOs offer the  same services as a normal Post Office. 

在倉庫、帳篷或帳篷裡。FPO提供與普通郵局相同的服務。

You can find a Field Post Office easily  enough, they have a white and red flag. 

你很容易就能找到外地郵局，他們有白旗和紅旗。

The letters are postmarked, put into sacks, and  taken by lorry to the large Army Post Offices,  

信件被蓋上郵戳，裝進麻袋，用卡車運到大型的軍隊郵局。

usually at each Divisional railhead,  where they are loaded onto trains. 

通常是在每個分部的軌口，在那裡將它們裝上火車。

Trains then transport them  to Boulogne, Calais or Le Havre, where  

然後，火車將他們運送到布洛涅、加來或勒阿弗爾，在那裡

they are loaded onto steamships. Then it's  the short journey across the channel!

他們被裝上汽船。然後就開始了穿越海峽的短途旅行!

And into the care of the Post Office. The letters are then taken by rail or road

並交由郵局保管。然後，這些信件會通過鐵路或公路

to London. Where they are sorted again and  sent on to the families waiting for news.  

到倫敦。在那裡，他們被再次分類，並送往等待消息的家庭。

Sometimes the letters offer  a real insight into the war. 

有時，這些信能讓人真正瞭解戰爭。

From an officer of the Argyll  and Sutherland Highlanders. 

阿蓋爾和薩瑟蘭高地軍的一名軍官。

“It's a war with no glamour or glory such as  one expects in a world wide show like this.  

"這是一場沒有任何魅力和榮耀的戰爭，如人們所期待的這樣一場世界性的演出。

Modern weapons are too deadly  and the whole art of war,  

現代武器的殺傷力太大，整個戰爭藝術。

and all tactics as laid down in  our books have been quite altered.  

而我們書中所規定的所有戰術都有了很大的改變。

No advancing across the open by short rushes. Now  it's all digging new lines of trenches by night.” 

不能通過短兵相接的方式在空地上推進。現在都是在晚上挖新的戰壕線。"

Sometimes they are slightly briefer.  From a private of the Royal Fusiliers. 

有時他們會稍微簡短一些。  來自皇家燧發槍隊的一名阿兵哥。

“I hope this letter finds you as it leaves  me. I've got a bit of shrapnel in my bottom” 

"我希望這封信能找到你，就像它離開我一樣，我的屁股上有一點彈片"我的屁股上有一點彈片"

Some are even more to the point!  From a gunner of the Royal Artillery. 

有的更是一針見血!  來自一個皇家炮兵的炮手。

“You can send me another tin of Boracic  ointment. It's very useful!” Some  

"你可以再給我送一罐硼砂膏。它非常有用！"一些

are just downright strange! From Dick to Molly. 

只是徹頭徹尾的奇怪！從Dick到Molly.

“A Happy Christmas. I am sending this to my aunt  to forward to you as I do not know the address.  

"聖誕快樂。因為我不知道地址，所以我把這個寄給我姑姑轉交給你。

Please tell me your name as I have forgotten it.” But they ALL get through! 

請告訴我你的名字，因為我已經忘記了。"但他們都能通過！

From an Officer, somewhere in France. “30th December 1914. I got 3 letters,  

來自法國某地的一名軍官"1914年12月30日我收到了3封信。

posted in Ireland on the 26th, and in England  on the 28th this afternoon. So letters are  

26日貼在愛爾蘭，28日下午貼在英國。所以信件是

reaching us as quickly as if there were  no war! It's really rather wonderful!” 

就像沒有戰爭一樣迅速地到達我們這裡!真的是相當的精彩！"

It's amazing to imagine that a system that  relied on handwritten instructions, typed orders,

想象一下，一個依靠手寫指令、打字命令的系統，真是不可思議。

and manpower could be so incredibly efficient! 

And as the war went on the post office came to  rely less on manpower and more on woman power. 

而隨著戰爭的進行，郵局開始減少對人力的依賴，更多的是依靠女性的力量。

Men to the trenches! Women to the benches! Jobs that had previously been thought of as  

男人去戰壕！女人去坐板凳！以前被認為是...

a male only preserve had to be  done by whoever was available  

只有男性才能保存，必須由誰來做。

and that meant Woman porters, sorters, drivers.  

這意味著女搬運工、分揀工、司機。

Women were even delivering the post! Christmas, 1914, Princess Mary began a  

女人甚至還在送信!1914年聖誕節，瑪麗公主開始了

fund to provide a brass tin of sweets, tobacco,  pencils, writing paper, and pictures of the royal  

基金提供糖果、菸草、鉛筆、書寫紙和皇家圖片的銅罐。

family to every member of the armed services. That's soldiers AND sailors. 

家庭對每一個武裝部隊的成員。那就是阿兵哥和水兵。

The idea caught on, the public raised money,

這個想法被抓住了，公眾籌集了資金。

the tins were manufactured and sent out! It was a triumph for morale boosting!

罐頭被製造出來了!這是一次鼓舞士氣的勝利!

但對於物流來說，這簡直就是一場噩夢!

The post office and REPS were just about able to  cope, although not everyone got their gift on

雖然不是每個人都能收到禮物，但郵局和REPS還能勉強應付。

Christmas day. Happy New Year! Letters home that Christmas of 1914 talked about strange events at the front. 

聖誕節新年快樂！1914年聖誕節回家的信中談到了前線的奇怪事件。

From a private of the Queen's Westminster Rifles “Friday 25th. Christmas Day. Freezing and a bit  

從女王西敏寺步槍隊的一個私人 "25日星期五。聖誕節。凍結和有點

misty. We started walking about behind the  trench and after a bit we got out the front  

霧濛濛的。我們開始在戰壕後面走來走去，過了一會兒，我們從前面的

and then we saw Germans doing the same, we  waived and they did until at last we got so close  

然後我們看到德國人也在做同樣的事, 我們放棄了,他們也放棄了 直到最後我們離得如此之近...

that five of us went over to meet five of them and  started exchanging keepsakes, buttons and the like.

我們五個人過去見了他們五個人，開始交換紀念品、鈕釦等。

It seemed the weirdest thing in the world  that we were talking to the men

我們和男人說話似乎是世界上最奇怪的事情了

that we were trying to shoot the day before."

Families were getting news of the war that  wasn't in the newspaper. The Christmas Truce of 1914  

家家戶戶都能得到報紙上沒有的戰爭消息。1914年的聖誕休戰

was a moment of respite that would not  be repeated. The High Command didn't approve. 

是一個不會再出現的喘息時刻。高層指揮部並沒有準許。

Luckily the army had a way of piching the flow of information. Censorship! 

幸運的是，軍隊有一個方法來控制資訊的流動。審查制度！

Every letter from a private soldier had  to be read by their officer, who could put  

阿兵哥的每一封信都必須由他們的軍官來讀，他可以把他們的信寫下來

a “blue pencil” and scratch out anything  he thought was unsuitable. 

一支 "藍鉛筆"，把他認為不合適的東西劃掉。

It made many officers feel uncomfortable.  From an officer of the Royal Field Artillery: 

這讓很多軍官感到不舒服。  從皇家野戰炮兵的一名軍官口中得知。

“It is always with mixed feelings that I  personally view the arrival of fresh paper,  

"我個人總是懷著複雜的心情來看待新紙的到來。

because the soldiers write such  awful things in their letters,  

因為阿兵哥們在信中寫下了如此可怕的事情。

mostly rot, or else a repetition of a few remarks  which they could quite easily put on a postcard,  

大多是腐爛的，否則就是重複一些他們很容易放在明信片上的言論。

and I have to read them all through!  But it certainly makes them happy  

我必須把它們全部讀完!  但這肯定會讓他們高興

and that is the great thing” For young officers, public school educated,  

而這就是偉大的事情 "對於年輕官員來說，公辦學校教育。

with little experience of the working class man, their men's  letters gave a window into Tommy's world. 

他們對工人階級的經驗很少，他們的信件為湯米的世界提供了一個窗口。