During the war Vaughan. served in the non-combatant corps. He and his fellow conscripts endured long periods of separation from family and friends. The only way they could maintain a much-needed contact with home was through the medium of the hand-written word. To receive a parcel with much-needed goods, or a letter with longed-for news, both lifted the spirits and boosted moral. The mail room therefor held a special significance for the servicemen. It should be remembered that during the war all personal letters were subject to censorship. It was not uncommon for letters to arrive with line after line obliterated by dense black ink, rendering them illegible. It was important, therefor, that letters were carefully worded and phrased with caution. Vaughan, being highly literate, was demand in his barracks and was called upon to compose letters for his comrades, phrasing them to get around censor. The importance of the written wartime word is what Vaughan is celebrating in the present work.
The central figure with his hands sunk despondently in his pockets, walks away from his luckier companions; unlike them, there is no post for him today. The sepia ink and wash conveys something of his cheerlessness. It also reminds us that Vaughan's picture-making materials were sparse and basic, due to rationing and army restrictions. (Note by Gerard Hastings).