Outline:
Circulating message claims that people can send Christmas cards to recovering soldiers in the UK via the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Brief Analysis:
The information in the message is incorrect and counterproductive. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital does not have such a program operating and has asked that people show their support in alternative ways. In fact, the message is a UK version of another incorrect “Cards for Recovering Soldiers” message that has circulated in the United States for several years. Please review the Detailed Analysis below for more information.
Example:
When filling out your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address:
A Recovering Soldier,
c/o Queen Elizabeth Hospital,
[Address removed]
Detailed Analysis:
This message, which is circulating via social media websites and email, claims that people can show their support for recovering soldiers in the UK by sending them Christmas cards via the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The message claims that the cards should be sent to “A Recovering Soldier” and includes a mailing address for the hospital. New versions of the message begin circulating anew every year as Christmas approaches.
The person who originally created the message was probably well-intentioned. However, the message contains incorrect information and is counterproductive. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is not operating such a program and has asked that people do not send cards to the specified address. The hospital has issued the following statement about the message on its website
Please don’t send cards and gifts to anonymous military patients at QEHB this Christmas.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are encouraging those wishing to send gifts and cards to injured soldiers to visit the official hospital charity website for alternative ways of showing support this Christmas.
The sheer volume of Christmas cards which the hospital receives shows just how much goodwill exists for our injured troops, but the mountain of cards we receive also overwhelms our facilities team and can cause backlogs in processing mail from GPs and patients.
The hospital’s statement includes current links to the relevant charity websites.
This message is apparently a UK based version of a long-running US Recovering Soldier email forward. The US version also contains incorrect address information.
Last updated: November 30, 2016
First published: 17th November 2011
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
How you can support our military patients this Christmas
Christmas Cards for Recovering American Soldiers
