Winner of our Omas Art Deco Fountain Pen

We are very pleased to (belatedly) announce the winner of our Fountain Pen Day competition! A big congratulations (and soon the Omas) go to Bob Jenkins, who made us 'ooh', 'aww' and smile with his email entry reflecting on the importance of letter writing during the First World War - and his plans to celebrate both Fountain Pen Day and the removal of his plaster cast by visiting the fracture clinic of his local hospital. I've copied part of his entry below, to share with you all:

"It’s astonishing that by the start of the Great War in 1914, letter writing was already becoming a lost art, but oh, how important it suddenly became once more. In far more recent decades, I witnessed something similar for myself. Stationed in a remote garrison before the advent of the e mail or text message, men would find some pretence to drift into the unit lines whenever the afternoon mail was expected. They were strangely reluctant to admit their anticipation and would camouflage any disappointment with a shrug of indifference and the oft spoken lie, “I wasn’t expecting anything, anyway.” And then, the remarkable love and affection for comrades which the coarse and brutal soldiery keep well hidden, would suddenly be revealed in all of its glory as someone would casually respond “It’s alright, chum. You can have a read of mine when I’m finished.”  Just like that. No doubt or hesitation; Just as if sharing the intimacy of personal correspondence from a friend, family member or lover was a completely natural, rather than a completely wonderful act of selfless trust and generosity.

A letter can be the most priceless and humanizing of gifts. Unlike instant messaging, it requires a more delicate talent which guards against the use of hastily uttered or ill considered words. It is capable of delivering the most exquisite intellectual pleasure and providing both the writer and the reader with a delightful sojourn from the daily norm. It can be the messenger of sympathy or love. It can convey consolation, intimacy, opportunity or congratulations whilst creating subtle atmosphere and exchanging empathy like no other means of communication. It can possess the power and the poignancy to transcend time and leave its mark on history.

Let weighty tomes and lengthy transcripts tell of the misadventures and achievements of humankind, but in all probability, it will be the humble, handwritten letter that will reach out more truly, more thrillingly and more timelessly to readers past and present.

Oh, and by the way, I shall be celebrating international fountain pen day (and this is absolutely true) with a visit to the fracture clinic of the Princess Royal Hospital. I broke a bone in my right forearm a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to use my right hand since. Happily, it’s much easier to type left handed than to write, but with luck, from Friday the 1^st of November, I shall once again be able to use my trusty fountain pen properly. Perhaps, I’ll write a letter to someone for no especial reason, other than that I can. It would seem the appropriate manner in which to celebrate international fountain pen day."

Congratulations again to Bob - well done!