Summary

Alternative Name(s): Sweetheart Brooch, Sweetheart Badge

Nine carat gold and enamel brooch, made by Willis of Melbourne. The red and purple horizontal stripes represent the colours of the 6th Battalion. The brooch is a memento of Pte Albert Edward Kemp, who served in France and Belgium in World War I and was killed in service in 1917. He may have given it to his wife, Annie, since it was found with a collection of items she appears to have preserved.

Albert Edward Kemp was a 32-year-old butcher living in Caulfield and married to Annie Josephine, when he enlisted. He and Annie had a daughter, Ethel Mavis, and a baby son, George Percival. Albert enlisted at Royal Park on 4 October 1916, and was assigned to the 22nd Reinforcements, 6th Battalion - regimental number 6800. His battalion left Melbourne 25 October 1916 - just 21 days after he enlisted. He was shipped to France on 27 March and was taken on strength on 4 April. On 21 September 1917, Albert died in the trenches in Glencorse Wood, Belgium. His body was never found. He is commemorated at 29 The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

Physical Description

9ct gold and enamel. Consists of boomerang, positioned horizontally with bend at top. One end of boomerang is indented; other is roughly finished. Beneath is attached a rectangular bar with red and purple horizontal stripes.

More Information