Embroidered cushion cover : Lieutenant E E Gawthorn, Royal Engineers

Dark blue cotton sateen cushion cover edged with lace. The centre of the cover is embroidered with the rising sun badge in red, yellow and green thread. Below the badge, in a scroll, are the words 'AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES'. Above the badge is a boomerang embroidered in brown thread and five stars stitched in white. Around the badge are the flags of the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium and France. Each flag is edged with yellow and depicted with a brown flag pole and yellow halyard.

This cushion cover was presented to Lieutenant (later Lieutenant-Colonel, MBE OBE) Ernest Edward Gawthorn of the Royal Engineers on 24 October 1917. The presentation came at the end of Gawthorn's attachment to the headquarters of II ANZAC Corps. The cover was accompanied by a letter of thanks from Lieutenant A J Waters, Assistant Director of Personal Services, and Sergeant G Ireland. According to the letter the gift represented the 'Freedom of the country of Australia together with the Order of the Rising Sun and Boomerang (with 5 Stars)'. Lt Gawthorn continued to serve in France with the Royal Engineers and was the last British officer to leave the Rhineland at the end of the British Army of Occupation in December 1929.