Over 500 people sent messages of support to troops on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during the Stampex Military Messengers exhibition, which took place at the Business Design Centre in Islington.
On hand to demonstrate the system was actress Joanna Lumley who was amongst the first to use the award-winning 'e-bluey' technology which has taken over from the old blue paper forms or 'blueys'.
Service personnel and their families and friends type their messages into a dedicated 'e-bluey' terminal, or via the internet. The messages are then e-mailed to the UK, or wherever the Service person is deployed, printed off, and delivered in the post as standard letters. The expected delivery time is within 24 hours.
Visitors to the BFPO stand at the exhibition were able to use the latest satellite technology to send an 'e-bluey' to frontline troops for the first time at a public event:
"Never before has this unique service been provided at a public event," explained BFPO's Major Chris Holmes. "Everyone who has visited us here has been amazed at its ease of use for all ages."
The first army post office was established 200 years ago, when letters to troops could take months to arrive. The first scheduled airmail service was introduced by the Army in 1918. Today letters are just as important to front line troops but nowadays they can receive electronic letters, including photographs, within hours.
Over the last two years the number of e-blueys being sent has grown from 30,000 per month to around 100,000 per month with most users of the system to be found in the UK and Germany.