A gift for Christmas
It’s a simple rectangular tin, bearing Christmas wishes from the Australian Comforts Funds. But to the family of Private Sidney Thomas Elliott, it was a heart-breaking reminder of the son and brother they had lost during the First World War.
A century later, the gift tin is part of the National Collection at the Australian War Memorial.
Memorial curator Dr Kerry Neale said gift parcels like these would have been a welcome treat for those who were serving away from home at Christmas.
“The Australian Comforts Funds coordinated the activities of the state-based patriotic funds, which were established earlier in the war, and its output was extraordinary,” she said.
Many of the items sent were homemade, including jumpers and highly sought-after socks.
In one sock a soldier found the note: “To one of our brave defenders – I suppose when you receive this note you will be somewhere in France, doing your bit. As I sit here I am wondering what you are like, where you lived before you enlisted, how long you have been over there, and particularly whether you will answer this note or not … Hoping these socks will be in time to keep your feet warm during the coming winter, and wishing you the best of luck and a safe and speedy return."
The fund also ran small canteens near the front lines that served food supplies and provided other items such as primus stoves, clothes, sporting equipment, games, newspapers and magazines.
“Its parcels gave those serving overseas a touch of home, which I expect was especially appreciated at Christmas time when they would be missing their loved ones,” Dr Neale said.
“One ACF parcel in the Memorial’s collection was donated in 1960, having being kept by the family all that time.
“It had been given to Private Sidney Thomas Elliott, of the 21st Battalion, by the Australian Comforts Funds in Christmas 1915.
“Decorated with an Australian flag and the message ‘Wishing you a happy Xmas from the Australian Comforts Funds’, the tin contained a tin of tobacco, two packets of cigarettes, two cigars, and a box of safety matches – perhaps not what we would think of as the best contents for a ‘care package’ these days.
“Interestingly, they are all unused, but I’m sure the thought was appreciated.”
British-born Elliott had been serving as a quartermaster in the P&O Company when he enlisted in the AIF in Melbourne on 9 July 1915.
He survived being wounded in France in June 1916, but was killed in action near Longuette on 20 March 1917, and was buried at Villers-Bretonneux.
His sister, who had remained in Wales with the rest of Elliott's family, forwarded the intact gift tin to Australia House in London in the 1960s, from where it was donated to the Australian War Memorial.
Today, the gift tin is on display in the First World War galleries, a powerful reminder of those who served and died during the Great War.