Socks - a winter necessity

Meanwhile, on the home front, women and girls were busying themselves supporting their men on the Gallipoli peninsular and in Egypt. Huge amounts of money were raised at events, all sorts of necessities and comforts were hand-crafted, boxed up and sent to the men at the front.

Like many mothers in Melbourne, Athol's mother, Adah Emily Sherwood, was active with the Anzac Buffet, the Red Cross, and the Quamby Club. See this post: http://notmentionedindispatches.blogspot.com.au/p/the-home-front-adah-emily-sherwood.html. Funds were raised, comforts created, collected and sent by these organisations. Adah organised many of these efforts.

In November 1915 the northern hemisphere winter was approaching and the men needed socks, balaclavas and scarves. Thousands of these articles were knitted in Australia, bundled up, and sent in parcels across the globe.  Many of these parcels contained personalised notes.

In particular the men appreciated socks. Many of these socks were knitted to the pattern set out in this little booklet 'The Grey Sock'.

Image reference: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=10108

This handy little booklet was produced from 1914-1918. It sets out the instructions for knitting socks for soldiers during WW1. This particular copy is held at the Power House museum in Sydney is thought to be from the 1914-15 period.

For the Grey Sock booklet and its full knitting instructions see:

http://ww1.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories/woollen-comforts-home

This is an example of a note included with the socks.

Exhibit at the State Library of NSW

Ref: https://curio.artpro.net.au/exhibit/1167/stories?from_collection=2&page=5

This image shows Sydney ladies bundling together socks to be sent to the front. 125,636 pairs were raised in this particular appeal - the 'War Chest Sock Appeal' in 1917. During the course of the war over a million socks were knitted.

Exhibit at the State Library of NSW

http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=489033&sid=4179071

Image titled "War Chest" Sock Appeal, May 1917 : 1 of 3 photos of workers handling goods by G. A. Hills

By late November the Gallipoli peninsular was getting quite cold - particularly cold for Australians not used to snow, sleet and freezing rain. The average nighttime temperature averages at 8°C and in December that would fall to an evening temperature average of 5°C. The wettest month of the year is December in that part of Turkey with an average of 118mm. 

Athol mentions receiving a large parcel of socks from his mother in this letter:

http://notmentionedindispatches.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/letter-24-august-supplies-from-home-and.html

In this delivery, there were enough socks for the entire 'C' company with left overs for other men in 'F' and 'H' companies and more left over to be raffled. They were greatly appreciated and that was in Summer.

Another sock recipient was Albert B. Facey (1894-1982). Perhaps you have read his book 'A Fortunate Life' which was published when he was 86 years of age. He was born in Melbourne but having moved to Western Australian as a child he joined the 1st AIF in Perth as an infantryman in the 11th Battalion.

This Anzac soldier, a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign, won two literary awards for the book which was subsequently turned into a play and a TV mini-series. It remains a popular book to this day. One charming story tells of AB Facey receiving a Red Cross parcel whilst on the Peninsular. In the parcel was a pair of socks with a note from the young lady who knitted the socks. After the war he met the sock-knitter, Evelyn Mary Gibson, and married her.

Another recently published book collates the collection of WW1 letters sent by Thomas Rutledge to his mother in the village of Bungendore, NSW. It too mentions socks.

It is a book, not only about receiving hand-knitted socks (crafted mainly by his sister), but records his experiences and impressions of life at the front.

I came across this elegant portrait last week. It follows the sock theme.

'The sock knitter' by Grace Cossington Smith (1892-1984)

Oil on canvas painting of the artist's sister 'Madge' knitting socks for soldiers in 1915. 

I don't know if Adah Sherwood knitted any socks herself. I think it is likely that she did. She was skilled at handicrafts. I have her sampler book which I understand was created by her in Germany. The following images are photographs of the cover and the 'knitting' page of the sampler.

The cover of the sampler.

The elegant monogram (AES) and a swathe of ribbon work and on the right the embroidered

name of the school 'Moravian School, Neuried, Rhein, 1881' (Adah was 25 at the time).

If anyone has information about this school (spelling only approx) please let me know.

Detail of the monogram.

The sampler page of various knitting patterns.

If you do knit one of these socks please let me know. I'd like a photo so I can add it to this page.