Embroidered place mat : Private C E Adamson, 5 Battalion, AIF

Square embroidered cross stitch table mat. The mat has a white canvas backing with light blue and light pink embroidery. Evenly spaced light blue and light pink squares placed between two light blue lines form a border. Within this there are five patterned clusters of light blue and light pink squares.

Made by 3678 Private Charles Edward Adamson who served in 5 Battalion, AIF, during the First World War. Adamson was born in Victoria on 21 May, 1890 and he enlisted with the AIF on 20 July, 1915. He sailed for Egypt on the troopship 'Ceramic' shortly after enlisting. Adamson served in Egypt then in France, participating in the battle of the Somme. His diaries (held in the Private Records collection) detail his fighting experiences in both Egypt and France but the writing ends abruptly due to a war injury. Adamson was buried alive in the trenches and spent many months in a London hospital recuperating. It is assumed that the pieces of embroidery were produced by Adamson during this period of recuperation. He embarked for return to Australia on 20 March 1919.