Crochet bedspread with patriotic motifs : Mrs M Griffiths Accession Number: REL/01846

Description

Cotton filet crochet bedspread featuring patriotic motifs, some of which are repeated or adapted and merged with other motifs. At the centre are several patterns including: 'IN MEMORY OF EARL KITCHENER HIS DUTY DONE' with the image of a cross, a dove and a battleship; 'EDITH CAVELL' with the image of a crown above her name, with a cross and a Union Jack on either side; 'ABSENT FROM THE BODY PRESENT WITH THE LORD RESURGAM [meaning 'I shall rise again']; image of an heraldic lion with a Victoria Cross, Kangaroo and larger lion; image of a variant of the 1908 Australian coat of arms with grapes and a bow above it; image of the British coat of arms, featuring a lion and a unicorn rampant; image of two fleur-de-lis. All these images are surrounded by a design of vine leaves and grapes.

Around the vine leaves and grapes are more patriotic designs (moving anti-clockwise from the top left corner): 'LONE PINE' with the image of a pine tree, 'GREATER LOVE' with an image of two flags, 'REST IN PEACE' with the image of a shield, each section of text is separated by a row of small flags; 'ANZAC FOR VALOUR'; THE LAND OF THE FREE', surrounded by an image of the map of England with a star above the text and a crown beneath; 'NO [cross] NO [Crown]', with the cross and crown being represented by images; 'ANZAC DAY APL 25 1915 LEST WE FORGET'; 'SUCCESS TO THE ALLIES'; 'GOD BLESS OUR BRAVE BOYS' with the image of a crown on either side of 'GOD' at the top and two Victoria Crosses, without ribbons, at the bottom; 'DARDANELLES 1915 OUR HEROES' with the image of a battleship and two Union Jacks; ANZAC DAY APL 25 1915 LEST WE FORGET'; 'SAFE RETURN' with images of a star, a cross [possibly meant to represent the Military Cross], a Victoria Cross and a crown; 'ALLIES DAY NOV 19 1915 UNITY IS STRENGTH'; 'LONE PINE' with the image of a pine tree, 'GREATER LOVE' with an image of two flags, 'REST IN PEACE' with the image of a shield, each section of text separated by a row of small flags; 'BRAVO AUSTRALIA'; 'ANZAC FOR VALOR' with the images of a Kangaroo, a Victoria Cross and a cross [possibly meant to represent the Military Cross; 'SAFE RETURN' with images of a star and a Victoria Cross; 'GOD BLESS OUR BRAVE BOYS' (the text is in reverse) with the image of a crown on either side of 'GOD'; 'ALLIES DAY NOV 19 1915 UNITY IS STRENGTH'; 'ANZAC FOR VALOR BRAVO AUSTRALIA'; 'DARDANELLES 1915 OUR HEROES' with the image of a battleship and two Union Jacks; 'ANZAC DAY APL 25 1915 LEST WE FORGET'; 'SAFE RETURN' with images of a star and a Victoria Cross; 'ALLIES DAY NOV 19 1915 UNITY IS STRENGTH'.

The bedspread has a scalloped edging with a repeating Victoria Cross design.

Contextual Description

This bedspread was made by Mrs Mary Griffiths during, and directly after, the First World War. Mrs Griffiths was born in about 1851 in England to James and Eliza Arbuthnot. The family emigrated to Australia, settling near Cathcart in southern New South Wales. In 1869 Mary married George Goddard and they had at least four children. After his death in 1877 she remarried in 1878 to George Griffiths and they had six children.

Mrs Griffiths was renowned for her skill at crochet work, and during the First World War she collected patriotic crochet designs that were published in Australian women's magazines.

With the help of one of her daughters she drafted the patterns into a seamless design for a bedspread, sometimes using the full patterns and other times extracting elements of them and intermixing them for her design. She adapted a Victoria Cross pattern to create a scalloped edging and created the vine leaves and grapes design to represent the French, as she did not have any patterns to represent them.

Two identical bedspreads were crocheted by Mrs Griffiths. The whereabouts of the second is unknown. She died in 1923, at the age of 72.