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World War I saw the rise of picture postcards as a means of communication, with mass production and censorship controlling the images and messages. Canadian military postcards, like those sent by Pte. Albert Frankland Brown, had pre-printed messages and threatened destruction if excess information was added. Brown's postcards, sent from various locations, including Halifax and Liverpool, demonstrate the erasure of freedom to write about his experiences, with messages like "none the worse for the train journey" and "a pleasurable sea voyage" being misleading. The cards also show evidence of censorship, with some messages scratched out or overlaid with paste. Brown's actions, such as copying an anonymous poem about absence and erasure onto a postcard, can be seen as a form of resistance to the censorship and control. The postcards, with their pre-printed messages and threats of destruction, highlight the tension between the need for communication and the need for control during wartime.