Summary

Printed cloth Australian flag on wooden stick, inscribed 'CARRY ON'. Made around 1918 by (or for) the Sailors and Soldiers Fathers' Association of Victoria.

Physical Description

Printed cloth Australian flag (blue) with white inscription attached to a cylindrical wooden rod. The flag is glued to the rod. Cream print runs across the bottom of the flag.

Significance

As World War I drew to an end, support organisations were established for returning soldiers and their families, in recognition of the challenges faced in settling often wounded and disturbed soldiers back into society, supporting grieving families who had lost members, and returning a sense of normalcy to the social order.

The Sailors and Soldiers Fathers' Association was established during World War I and apparently had branches in most states. In Victoria, the Association was formed in May 1918. It aimed to promote the interests of all sailors and soldiers who had been on active service. By March 1921, it had 11,393 members and 84 branches across the state. It ran the journal 'Our Empire'. It worked for preference to returned men, better payments to war widows, attention to war graves, and forms of repatriation. Flags such as this were waved by members of the Association to welcome home returning men, in 1918-1920.

The Sailors and Soldiers Fathers' Association protested against foreign, particularly Southern European, immigration in the 1920s.

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