Souvenir of Palestine - Victory on 1943
Date1943
Object number00019608
NameEmbroidery
MediumFelt, silk, cotton
DimensionsOverall: 640 x 800 x 10 mm, 0.15 kg
ClassificationsDecorative and folk art
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionRectangular silk work souvenir of WWII, believed to have been made in Palestine. Features the embroidered flags of Russia, Poland, Palestine, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Holland and the stitched wording 'Victory on 1943'. It features the emblem of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces. The emblem was originally created in 1902, modified in 1904 and was worn by Australian forces throughout both World Wars.HistoryPrior to and during the first years of World War II, Australian foreign policy and military strategy followed the direction of British Imperial policy. As a result Australian military forces were sent to the Mediterranean and Middle East during 1940 and 1941 and formed an integral part of the Commonwealth forces in that region. In 1922 Palestine came under direct British rule under the British Mandate of Palestine. During World War II several Palestinian brigades from The Palestine Regiment within the British Army fought alongside Australian, New Zealand and British forces in the battle of El Alamein, 1942, which led to the first Allied victory in the War and eventually German surrender in North Africa in May 1943. From 1943 to 1945 the United States led Allied forces in Western Europe, taking part in bombings of Axis-controlled Europe, landings in Italy in 1943 and Normandy, which culminated in the defeat of the European Axis powers in 1945.SignificanceThis is an unusual souvenir of the allied campaign in the Middle East during WWII.
