Writing along on the crest of a royal wave in winter

Those long, dark nights were the time to fill albums and scrapbooks with items such as stamps, postcards, photographs, stickers and newspaper cuttings.

Simon, a regular Remember When contributor, says: ‘I remember being pleased when The News published a colour picture of a member of the royal family or HMS Warrior as this was a treat. Most pictures in newspapers were black and white unless it was a really special event.

His scrapbooks also included a collection of crests.

Simon adds: ‘This interest was an echo from the late Victorian period when noble families embossed their writing paper and envelopes with their crests. The crest would be cut out from the flap of the envelope and then placed into an album under the correct category, for example, duke or earl.’

Simon’s boyhood love of letter-writing allowed him to collect crests.

‘I had a favourite rectangular post box on Portsdown Hill where I would post my letters to members of our royal family, or members of the peerage, and then I would dream about a good response.

‘The replies came on good quality stationery with a crest, although I never received a personal response. I was not as organised as the Victorians in my collection of them but my appreciation was probably as great.’

He continues: ‘Children could still do this hobby if they wished just by writing a few letters.’

And here I’ve featured a few which Simon collected and some more up-to-date ones for interest.

Can you guess to whom they belong? Scroll down for the answers wihc match the order in which the pictures appear.

Crest quiz answers: 1, The Duke of Cambridge; 2, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002); 3, The Duke of Gloucester; 4, Princess Margaret (1930-2002); 5, Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester (1901-2004); 6, The Princess Royal; 7, The Queen; 8, The Prince of Wales; 
9, Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales