Embroidered souvenir cushion cover : Miss Minnie Allen

Gold cotton sateen souvenir cushion cover with a 40 mm wide light blue cotton braid border. The cover is embroidered in machine chain stitch with the three pyramids in shades of brown and blue, and five date palms with brown trunks with green and pink fronds. Above, in purple, is 'Piramid [sic] of Egypt 1915'. Beneath is a spray of flowers and leaves in pink, blue and green' with 'To Minnie from Bob and Steve' in purple.

Souvenir of Egypt sent home to Miss Minnie Allen by her brothers, 3002 Private Stephen Charles and 3003 Private Robert Beattie Allen enlisted in the AIF on 18 July 1915.

They were allocated to the 10th Reinforcements to the 13th Battalion and embarked from Sydney on board A70 HMAT Ballarat on 6 September 1915. They joined their battalion in Egypt in February 1916 and later went to France. The brothers spent most of their service together until they were both killed on 14 August 1916, when the 13th Battalion was engaged in the heavy fighting for Mouquet Farm near Pozieres.

Stephen and Robert Allen were together on a fatigue party, carrying supplies to their battalion, when they were killed by the same artillery shell during a heavy German barrage. Stephen was 24 years old. Robert was 27.

As the family did not have a great deal of money, Stephen and Robert would pitch in together to by presents for their sisters and mother. The cotton sateen "Souvenir of Egypt" cushion covers were very popular as they could be personalised and easily sent home.