Brown chiffon souvenir handkerchief : Private J Booth, 20 Battalion AIF

Square brown chiffon handkerchief edged with a one inch (25 mm) double sided white chiffon border decorated with printed alliued flags. Each diagonal corner features a pair of crossed Union Jacks. The lower right hand corner is decorated in machine chainstitch 'To Dear Charlie From Jack'.

Related to the service of 164 Private John (Jack) Booth, A Company, 20th Battalion. A shipwright of Balmain, NSW, he enlisted in March 1915 and embarked on HMAT Berrima in June of that year. This souvenir handkerchief was purchased by Private Booth and sent home as a present to his cousin, Charles Bennett. He was transferred to the 20 Battalion ten days before it went into the lines at Broodseide Ridge, Passchendaele. He was noted as missing in action on 9 October 1917, but it was later changed to killed in action after his pay book was handed in, that had been removed from his body. He was buried near where he fell. His body was not recovered, or recovered but not identified after the war and his name is listed on the Ypres Menin Gate Memorial.