The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
White linen handkerchief printed in black within a square black border. The centre shows a representation of the Relief of Ladysmith, which took place on 1 March 1900, with Major Hubert Gough, from the relief column, shaking the hand of Lieutenant General Sir George White, who commanded the besieged garrison. Both men are on horseback, in front of assembled troops, with tents and the town of Ladysmith in the background. Above are the words, 'Relief of Ladysmith.'. There are five portraits of British military leaders, one in each corner of the scene and a larger one in the lower centre, each set within an oval. They are labelled, clockwise from the top left corner: 'SIR. G.S. WHITE, V.C., G.C.I.E., K.C.B. (commander of the Ladysmith garrison); 'MAJOR GENERAL FRENCH'; 'GENERAL SIR REDVERS BULLER'; 'LORD ROBERTS OF CANDAHAR' [Sic]; and 'LORD KITCHENER. CHIEF OF STAFF'.
The history of this handkerchief is unknown. Patriotic souvenirs of this type were popular during the Boer War and ranged from cheap cotton handkerchiefs with monochrome printing, often produced by local newspaper presses, to better quality cotton with more elaborate designs and multi-colours, and, at the upper range of the market, silk handkerchiefs, with a coloured design.
The handkerchiefs were produced in England, South Africa and in countries who sent troops to the war. Some were tailored specifically to appeal to the families of troops from a particular country; others commemorated the military and political leaders during the war, specific events in the war, or were designed as more general expressions of support for the troops of the British Empire as a whole.
White silk handkerchief printed in black, with a portrait of Lord Roberts in the centre. Around the image is a ribbon scroll inscribed, 'JACOBSDAL, SMALDEEL, PAARDEBERG, BLOEMFONTEIN, KIMBERLEY, MAFEK
Man's white silk souvenir handkerchief with drawn threadwork border, printed in black, red and blue. In the centre a Bushman and his horse are silhouetted against a South African landscape set in a ci
White silk chiffon souvenir handkerchief with a double sided, colour printed chiffon border 30mm wide, applied with drawn threadwork. The border shows repeat scenes of soldiers fighting on foot, horse
Printed cotton 'fighting' intructional handkerchief intended for use by a sailor in the Royal Navy. The white cotton handkerchief is printed in black with a dark blue border, within which is an addit
White linen handkerchief. Printed in blue is the text of the poem 'The Absent-Minded Beggar' by Rudyard Kipling and the music from the score written by Sir Arthur Sullivan. On the top left corner is a
Square white woven cotton handkerchief with a narrow hem. Each corner features a national flag against a sky blue background with a name plate above and are identified as Russia, France, Britain and B
