Sweetheart brooch with the name 'BOIS GRENIER'

Silver sweetheart brooch in the form of a sprays of lily of the valley surrounding a crowned square heraldic shield which contains three Fleur de Lys. A banner beneath the shield contains the name 'BOIS GRENIER' in rose gold, and there is a pin clasp on the reverse.

The history of this item is unknown, but it is probable that it dates from the arrival of the AIF in France in early 1916. Bois Grenier, part of the Armentieres region, in the north of the country, was one of the 'nursery' sectors to which fresh troops were usually sent to gain experience of conditions on the Western Front. 1, 2, 4 and 5 Australian Infantry Divisions all served in the area at various times between April and July 1916, and it was from this part of the front that 5 Division's ill-fated attack at Fromelles, which lay behind German lines about four miles from Bois Grenier, was launched on 19 July. The brooch was probably bought somewhere in the region (which still, at this time, had a considerable civilian population) during this period.