Great journeys were told, declarations of love crafted and tales from the horrors of war scribbled down on them.

The art of letter writing embraced by generations gone by can offer a glimpse into history and the thoughts of those writing them.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the postal service, a Royal Mail campaign called Letters of Our Lives hopes to uncover some of the stories behind the authors penning them.

Over 300 letters which have survived the test of time have been already been shared, and the company is on the lookout for more this month as they begin to piece together moments of history through the people who lived it.

A letter with the final thoughts of a soldier from the battlefield

A letter passed down the family to Grant Anderson from Edinburgh was sent from the battlefields of the First World War by his great uncle John Anderson to his younger sister Williamina - Grant's grandmother.

On July 31, 1917, 54 days after he wrote this letter, 30-year-old John was killed in action in Belgium alongside his 25-year-old brother Alexandra.

This added to the family of eight's tragedy with parents John and Mary Anderson having also lost their son James in action the year before, aged 23.

Writing to his sister from France for what was to be the last time, John speaks of the devastation war is having on his comrades, having just visited a friend in hospital.

"I was in the hospital here seeing Jimmie Noble but I did not see Jean's Boy," the letter reads.

"Jimmie has his arm off from the elbow poor chap but I suppose he is blighty by this time."

He sends on his love to his parents and siblings, adding that he hoped the war would soon be over.

"Tell all the girls I am asking for them and hope they are getting plenty of work as I am getting too much," he wrote.

"Tell mother when you write I send my best love to her and hope this will soon be over. Hugh sent a bit of tobacco but I never got it and I think it is hard lines.

"Good night sister from your loving brother John."

A letter between sisters

Willam Martin from Lanarkshire has kept hold of a letter sent to his great grandmother Mary Millar in 1923.

Mary had embarked on a journey from Glasgow to Connecticut to visit her son William. Sailing on the T.T.S.S. Cameronia, she had sent a postcard from Londonderry while en route, telling her sister Janet that she was having a "lovely sailing" and was sharing a room with a nice young girl.

Mary made the sailing but became unwell in Connecticut, with her sister Janet keeping in touch during this time.

She wished her a speedy recovery in her letter saying she would soon be out of hospital, but sadly Mary died.

A letter from father to son during times of war

Ann Davies from Cromarty has shared a letter from her great grandfather who was writing to his son in 1917 from his station base in Newport Pagnell.

In his 12-page letter which he titles 'history of war by N. Somerville', he writes that he will - on his son's request - offer an account of how the First World War began.

"Well I suppose you will want to know the cause of this war, and what it is all about," he wrote.

"It is not easy to understand all these matters, as even yet the ordinary person does not know all the causes at work, and I do not claim to know all of them, but I shall try to give some of the events which happened and how they came to pass."

He tells his son he should feel "very proud of the country you belong to", adding that he is sure his son will have seen the expense of war at home in Galashiels, with wounded soldiers and sailors and news of the many lives lost.

He goes on to explain to his son why he had to "go away from home and become a soldier" saying he was enlisted under the Derby Scheme at the age of 37 and was currently on draft for active service as he awaited orders for his deployment.

He ends the letter by saying he may not have any more opportunities to write to his son about and the war and so suggests he "follows the war in the newspapers daily".

Military correspondence from the frontline

Norman Watson from Perth has shared a letter he ha, written by senior British Army officer Colonel John Vaughan Campbell in 1916, just hours after he carried out an act of bravery on the Somme Battlefield which later earned him the Victoria Cross.

The day before he wrote the letter, Colonel Campbell took command of the third line of his battalion after the first two were attacked by German machine-gun fire.

Faced with this difficulty, he rallied his men away from the enemy machine guns, capturing the guns and killing the personnel. He then later led the survivors through hostile fire.

One day on, he placed a short letter inside an aluminium cylinder and attached it to a carrier pigeon which flew to the two mobile lofts at Brigade Headquarters to pass on his message from the battlefield.

In the letter, he says that "Infantry in attack made against Gueudecourt on our left have apparently been checked" and then adds that "some have withdrawn".

The Colonel also asks for information about the position of the 1st Guards Brigade before asking for "wire material for consolidating" to restore their defences.

People can take part in Letters of our Lives until August 15 by submitting them online or by freepost.