| Place | Europe: France, Picardie, Somme, Amiens Harbonnieres Area, Allonville |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | REL36055 |
| Collection type | Heraldry |
| Object type | Heraldry |
| Physical description | Silk |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Belgium |
| Date made | c 1914-1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
Souvenir cushion cover : Private R Delaney, 14 Battalion, AIF
Description
Souvenir silk cushion cover featuring a pink and cream coloured damask weave floral pattern with a valencienne lace edge.
History / Summary
This souvenir cushion cover was sent by 2240 Private Robert Delaney to his sister, Florence in 1918. Delaney enlisted with 4 Light Horse Regiment on 24 July 1915, aged 18 years. He embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Anchises on 14 March 1916 and joined his unit in France in July. In August, Delaney was evacuated to England suffering from pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the lungs. In May 1917 he transferred to 14 Battalion and returned to France where he served on the Western Front. Delaney was killed on 31 May 1918 when a German bomb exploded in the barn in which he was sleeping. The barn collapsed, killing and wounding many members of 14 Battalion who were billeted there. Delaney is buried at the Allonville Communal Cemetery near Amiens, France.