Portable religious shrine : Private B T McGreal, 2/17 Battalion

Portable religious shrine or scapular. A small canvas pouch painted in a teale colour with gold coloured blanket-embroidered edge. The shrine contains a metal cross with corpus, three religious medallions of Mary and Teresa, a painted flaming sacred heart encircled by a crown of thorns surmounted by a cross. The top flap of the tri-fold pouch has ballpoint pen writing with the name and regimental number, 'Bernard Thomas McGreal NX55020 2/17 Battalion'.

Bernard Thomas McGreal was born in Sydney on 10 March 1913. He enlisted in the army on 29 June 1940 as part of the 6 Reinforcements to the 2/17 Battalion. In October 1940, the unit embarked on the 'Queen Mary', bound for the Middle East, where they became part of the newly formed 9th Australian Division. Private McGreal served throughout the siege of Tobruk, and in the fighting around El Alamein. He was Court Martialled in March 1942 for conduct to the prejudice of good order, but went on to serve in New Guinea in 1943. Bernard McGreal was discharged from the army on 19 July 1944. He worked a salesman in the Sutherland Shire, and died in 1966.