Summary

Embroidered postcard depicting a house amongst trees. The postcard is written by serving soldier Lyle Hinds to his sister Miss L (Lenora) Hinds in Launceston, Tasmania, wishing her a merry 'Xmas' and happy new year. It includes a small envelope in which a special message could be placed - some examples have a small, commercially-printed card with a message on them.

Part of a collection of postcards and other documents gathered by the donor's grandfather. The collection relates to the Hinds family of Beaconsfield, Tasmania, during World War I: Sapper David James Hinds, service # 4760; his brother Lyle Gordon Hinds, service #4764 (both served in tunnelling companies); their sisters Madge and Lenora (the latter lived in Launceston); their mother Jessie Hinds; and Walter (last name unknown). David and Lyle survived the war, although Lyle became a prisoner-of-war in Germany. He died in 1953 'due to war service', leaving a wife and two small children. (Ref: letter from spouse in his war service file.)

According to the Australian War Memorial, the popularity of embroidered postcards (first made for the Paris Exposition in 1900) peaked during World War I. Many were 'embroidered by French women in their homes and then sent to the factories for cutting and mounting on postcards'. Common themes included family, remembrance, liberty, unity and war souvenirs.

Physical Description

Embroidered postcard featuring a red-roofed house set amongst trees, with two forget-me-not flowers below and inscription 'Home sweet Home'. The embroidery is made in two sections, with the upper section on which the house appears hinging at the top to reveal a pocket in which a card or treasure could be placed (empty in this case). The embroidery is set within an off-white card frame embossed with parallel lines. The card is printed and hand-written on the back.

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