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Trench Art from WWI

26/2/2017

Trench art, so called because it was often made by soldiers during the muddy bloody trench warfare of WWI. Either in support trenches or in quiet trenches during breaks in the fighting, soldiers would carve objects out of materials available to them such as used shell and bullet casings. These were sometimes gifted to their mates or smaller items sent home to family and friends.

According to Wikipedia there were four main categories of trench art: soldier made items; prisoner or POW items; civilian items and commercial items. Around since the Napoleonic war items were also sometimes traded for food, money or privileges.

Wounded soldiers recuperating away from the battlefields were encouraged to do craftwork, creating simple artefacts using embroidery or woodwork. Civilians in France created millions of embroidered postcards during WWI and samples of these can be seen today in the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park.

The photo above shows an Australian florin from 1910 with the crest carved out into relief. Many of you born from 1966 onward won't recognise the coin but I remember learning to add up, subtract, multiply and divide in pounds shillings and pence at primary school before decimal currency replaced the "old" money in 1966. Two shillings or a florin became what we now call twenty cents.

I'm not sure if the coin qualifies as trench art but I like to think it was. It was found amongst other military memorabilia from WWI and the Boer War in a squat house in the 1980s. Its owner painstakingly carved it out and kept it all those years. Perhaps it was a memory from his battlefield experiences? Who knows? More about that and the finder of those belongings in next week's blog.

To find out more about trench art and it's significance to the soldiers who created it, you can see samples on the following website:

http://www.armymuseum.co.nz/whats-on/world-war-one-centenary/personal-treasures-wwi-trench-art/

And a simple google search will bring up many sites trading in trench art today.

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WWI Medals from Pat's Military Collection

19/2/2017

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Set of seven British miniature medals: L to R
OBE Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil);
BEM British Empire Medal (Military) denoted by the central pearl grey stripe;
China War Medal (1900) for the Boxer Rebellion;
British War Medal WWI;
Victory Medal WWI;
Indian General Service with clasp ‘North West Frontier 1935’;
George VI Coronation Medal.

Pat acquired these medals in Melbourne more than 30 years ago. While Pat has been unable to identify the individual to date, these miniatures were worn by a British soldier who first served in China in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion; then in WW1 and finally on the North West Frontier in 1935. The OBE being of the Civil grade and the BEM the Military grade, suggest that the soldier went on to higher things after he left the British Army, such as the Civil Service or Foreign Office. Pat also notes that this last medal is on the incorrect ribbon, which is for the Royal Victorian Order Medal. Of Australian connections, Pat indicated that the China War Medal 1900 was awarded to over 550 naval personnel from the colonies of NSW, VIC and SA.

Set of five French miniature medals: L to R
Legion of Honour;
WWI Croix de Guerre;
WWII Croix de Guerre;
Volunteer Combatants Cross WWI;
Voluntary Military Service Medal
Set of seven French miniature medals: L to R
Legion of honour;
WWI Croix de Guerre;
Combatant’s Cross;
WWI Victory Medal;
Medal of Honour for Physical Education;
Orient Campaign Medal;
Serbian WWI Commemorative Medal for Peter I

Both sets of French miniature medals were acquired in Australia and while identity of the individuals is nearly impossible, they do reflect service during WW1 and in the top set WW2 as well. These miniatures were most likely worn by officers with the range of awards and expensive mounting arrangements of each group. The lower group also highlights overseas service a, a foreign award and a nonmilitary award as well.

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Meet Pat Military Historian

12/2/2017

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Caption: Pat is pictured here with some WWI items from his extensive collection that include militaria artefacts going back to the 1850’s, from documents, through to badges and insignia, medals, uniforms and headdress

I first met Pat in 2007 when we both worked for a private company in the defence sector. We live on opposite sides of the country so there weren’t too many opportunities for our paths to cross. But he is such an engaging and interesting man that before long I discovered Pat’s hobby and interest in collecting military memorabilia. I’m not sure that hobby is the right word as Pat has one of the largest private collections in Australia. More like a passion!

Coming from a defence background himself with 23 years’ service in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) he associated with many ex WWI and WWII servicemen. Pat says it was a WWI 13th Australian Light Horse Trooper who handed him some buttons and badges from the WWI Western Front back in March 1972 that was the trigger to the start of his collecting.

How did he come to stay with military collecting? Pat’s father (RAF) and godfather (RAAF) served with No 15 Squadron RAF Bomber Command in the same crew during WWII. Also, his grandfathers served and survived the Western Front with the British Army in WWI. So a strong family history background of service to their respective countries, much like my own family’s background.

My father also served 20 years in the RAAF. Now that I think of it I probably told Pat about living in Malaya, as it was then called, during the Malayan emergency when I was a young child. This was whilst dad was serving there between 1958 & 1960, and that I started school at Butterworth, the RAAF school.

No doubt the conversation sparked a bond with Pat that eventually led me to ask him to bring some of his WWI memorabilia over to Sydney during a work visit so he could take part in my WWI centenary project. That was in 2012 and the idea was still very much in its infancy, in fact Pat’s image is my first portrait in the series.

Pat has been a member of the Military Historical Society of Australia since 1972, and is now a life member and Fellow of the Society. He has also been a member of the Orders and Medals Research Society since 1985. His defence industry role meant that he worked with many current and ex-military personnel and so his collection just kept on growing. Items from his collection have often been exhibited and displayed at various events.

Many people ask for Pat’s help in finding out more about a relative’s war service and I am one of them. It was Pat who deciphered for me the mysterious WWI service words “Royal Scot. Regt. / R.A.S.C. M.T.” written on my Scottish grandfather’s WWII service record. It stands for Royal Scottish Regiment, Royal Army Service Corp, Motor Transport and gives some small clue as to what young Private John Mitchell was doing during his service in France.

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My Scottish grandfather emigrates to Australia

5/2/2017

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In my previous post I said I didn’t know much about my Scottish grandfather John Mitchell. Today I’m going to share what I do know and I hope to find out more about his war service throughout this year.
John was also known as Jack in Scotland or Jock in Australia. This was to avoid confusion with his own father in Scotland also called John, and his eldest son, my father in Melbourne christened John but always called Jack.
Since I caught the family history bug in 2004 I have found out a few things. Somehow in my earlier life I must have sensed the importance of keeping documents. Last night while going through all my papers looking for information about grandad I found the envelope from 1988 that my Auntie Margaret sent to me with copies of her father John’s birth certificate and marriage certificate.
That envelope has been through five household moves in both Brisbane and Sydney since I received it. At the time I was planning a trip to England and wanted to claim British citizenship as you could back then if you had a grandparent born in Britain. I didn’t end up going and then the rules changed. But I kept the paperwork through all those years and moves!
How valuable now in trying to piece together the life of my grandfather as a young man. This is a very personal journey for me and I want to try and knit the threads of his early life and WWI service together.
Through contact with dad’s cousin Wallace in Scotland, son of grandad’s sister Margaret, I have a few more very important snippets. So here goes. Let’s try and imagine my grandfather’s journey.
Born on 12 May 1898 in their home at 25 High Street, Perth, Scotland young John was the eldest of seven children – his siblings Archie, Arthur, Margaret, Grace, Isabell and Alexander. Wallace told me their mother died in 1914 when John was only 16.
John’s father was a platelayer according to his marriage certificate and the family were relatively poor. As he couldn’t look after his young family of seven when their mother died, the family was split up and he put some of his children into the care of an orphanage. John’s father eventually got remarried and my auntie said that times were very hard for them, she also said John didn’t get on with “Steppie” as his stepmother was called.
The war had started and young John joins the Royal Scottish Regiment as a Private. He served with the Royal Army Service Corp, Motor Transport in France. I don’t know when he enlisted or how long he served. With the destruction of 60% of WWI British records during WWII bombing I may never find out. What I do know is John was wounded during active service, losing his left middle finger and part of his thumb. When the war finished he was just twenty.
After returning to Scotland I don’t know whether it was because times were very tough with work being scarce, or maybe the estrangement from his father and stepmother, or perhaps because of his experiences in France, but young John takes an enormous step.
The British Government had offered ex-servicemen free passage to one of their dominions or colonies. After the war 17,000 arrived in Australia, source Wikipedia. One of those was my grandfather who arrived in Melbourne in 1922 aged 24. He didn’t bring his service medals with him, didn’t speak much of his service and never saw any of his family again!
He married my grandmother Elsie Holden Simmill in 1925. Auntie Margaret remembered that he had a couple of telephone calls with his brother Archie when she was very young. This was a really big event in the 1930s. You had to book a “trunk” call through the operator ahead of time.
In his spare time John coached third grade football for Oakleigh and players were sometimes recruited into the St Kilda first grade team. He never forgot his Scottish heritage. My dad and his siblings all wore kilts at various times in their youth and I still have my grandmother’s kilt pin. The Mitchell family are part of Clan Innes. I know that whenever I hear the bagpipes my Scottish blood starts stirring.
John went on to enlist in WWII in 1939 as a driver with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He died an invalid aged 59 in 1957 when I was two. I wish I’d known you grandad.
L to R: John's birth & marriage certificates, John with Elsie in Scottish dress, John back row far left with his footie team and John as a child in Scottish dress, the kilt pin Elsie is wearing in the photo and the envelope from 1988.

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WWI: Mementos of our Grandfathers

Trench Art from WWI

WWI Medals from Pat's Military Collection

Meet Pat Military Historian

My Scottish grandfather emigrates to Australia

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