While recovering from wounds at hospitals back in Blighty many soldiers were encouraged to produce items as part of their recuperation. The items were usually needlework-based, embroideries and patchwork, as such ‘nice, quiet’ activities were thought to have therapeutic, calming effects, as well as restoring a patient’s co-ordination and visual ability.

Items tend to be either flat embroideries, often of the soldier’s regimental crest, or simply the flags of the Entente powers, or the ‘sweetheart cushions’, heart-shaped padded cushions with items and messages sewn on. These usually are centred around a cigarette silk of the soldier’s regimental crest, but can also have foreign coins representing theatres of battle he may have been involved in, good luck charms picked on on travels or anything else he felt was appropriate.

In his book “With a Machine Gun to Cambrai”, published by Cassell, George Coppard recalls that, while recuperating from wounds at a private house in Birkenhead, “one kind old lady brought a supply of coloured silks and canvas and instructed us in the art of embroidery. A sampler which I produced under her guidance so pleased her that she had it framed for me.”. Again, examples of this sort of work can be found in the Catalogue.