Senator E. D. Millen, Mr P. W. Tewksbury, and the Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes at Parliament House, ...

Senator E. D. Millen, Mr P. W. Tewksbury, and the Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes at Parliament House, Melbourne with the 'Kitchener Flag' (an Australian Red Ensign) before it set out on its first journey. William Pearson Tewksbury, a successful Melbourne businessman, conceived the idea of raising funds for wounded Australian soldiers by raffling a flag autographed by the world's most famous men, including national and war leaders, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, Prime Minister W M Hughes and General Monash. The flag was sent around the world to obtain the signatures and 20,000 pounds was raised from the raffle. The flag was advertised as the 'Kitchener Flag'. It was won by a retired seaman who sold it to Edward Solomon, a Melbourne philanthropist and collector, who had already purchased other autographed flags at fund raising auctions for the war effort. Solomon later presented his entire autographed flag collection, which he had acquired during the First World War, to the Australian War Memorial. During the Second World War William Tewkesbury again raised funds for wounded soldiers by raffling an autographed flag known as the 'Churchill Flag', this time raising 28,000 pounds.