| Brief Description |
This pink cotton needlework souvenir table runner was made in Sling Camp during World War I.
The camp was occupied by New Zealand soldiers from 1916 to 1918. Situated by Bulford, a town on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, it became informally known as Anzac Camp. Officially called the 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade Reserve Camp, its purpose was to train reinforcements and casualties who were on the mend.
The boredom of the camp was such that the men took to making handicrafts, either for sale or to send home as presents. To further occupy them, the Kiwi soldiers were set to work carving a large kiwi in the chalky hill that overlooked the camp. The Bulford Kiwi is visible to this day.
The runner was intended for use on a dressing table, probably the centrepiece of a three-piece set. It has a pink fringe around the outer edge and is hand embroidered with the New Zealand crest at centre and "Greetings From Sling Camp" embroidered in chain stitch above and below the crest. Yellow daisies with green intertwined tendrils are embroidered on both sides.
|
