Three large embroidered silk panels personalised for 389 Private Richard Schenk of the 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train during the First World War
Three embroidered silk panels with coloured fabric onlays (approximately 545 × 540 mm, 470 × 530 mm, and 555 × 590 mm).
Light creases, otherwise in near-fine condition, still tacked to the original backing paper.
Dutch-born Richard Schenk enlisted on 27 July 1915 and was deployed to Suvla Bay just in time to participate in the evacuation of Allied troops from the Gallipoli Peninsula (the RANBT was the last unit to leave). The first of the silks has the text 'Victory for the Allies | R.S. 389 | Suvla Bay | 1st Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train'. The second silk has the text 'Victory of the Allied Army | 1916 | To Elsie, With Love, From Richard | Cairo, Egypt'. Schenk's service record gives as his next of kin his wife Elsie Nellie. The final silk has the text 'Souvenir of | The Great National War | August 4th | 1914'. All three would have been purchased in the Middle East, likely all in Cairo, where there was a flourishing industry for items such as this. As is often the case, all feature flags of allied nations (Britain, France, Belgium, Serbia, Italy, Japan, Russia, the Russian navy), and one has designs of a warship, aeroplane and artillery piece. Appropriately for a member of a naval unit, all three have a life preserver at the centre of the design, two with a window within which to mount a small photograph. They have never been used, which accounts for the retention of the original backing paper and the excellent state of preservation. After Gallipoli Schenk spent six months in the Middle East, before being discharged due to a finger contraction in July 1916. He reinlisted in 1917 (with the new service number 38610) and served as a gunner with the 8th Field Artillery Brigade on the Western Front. [3 items].
Item #146922
Price (AUD):
$2,000.00