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.

Letter - 24 August - supplies from home and enough socks for the whole of 'C' company

Athol writes to his mother to thank her for her letters and a parcel full of useful items. Another parcel also arrives from Athol's mother with enough socks for the entire 'C' company with left overs for other men in 'F' and 'H' companies (men from the initial public schools' company 'F') and more left over to be raffled.

Gallipoli
24/8/15

Dear Mater,

Although it is only a day or two since I last wrote I am sending this along to thank you for '17' and '18' and enclosures. Also by this mail I received a parcel of choc. from J. Webb and Son, London (Thomas Webb was one of the founders of the Huddart Parker company) and 3 parcels from you containing a pair of boots, 2 K.shirts, 2 cotton singlets, 4 handkerchiefs, 4 towels, 6 dozen bootlaces, 1 pipe, 1 set knife etc, 2 pkts tobacco, 1 cake soap, 2 pr sox, 1 set brushes, 1 tin boracic, and the wrist watch, which came at exactly the right moment as my other went out of action yesterday and once they stop we can't get them fixed up.

Everything is A1 and I'm quite a dude today. (In another parcel) ...The socks arrived for 'C' company and everyone got a pair, what were over we gave to the old members of  'F' and 'H' companies. The few left we raffled among the rest of the Company. Everyone that was short got a pair of bootlaces. Also they think no end of the socks.

Yesterday I was sent away down to a place called 'Mule Gully' because the Indian Mule Transport are there, and had to get the Brigade's share of a shipment of stores to start canteens with. First of all the pile was divided into two lots, one for the 1st AIF and one for the A&NZ Division. Then our pile was divided into 4 according to the strength of the Brigades. This was quite a task as you can imagine, though of course we divided by cases as far as possible. Our Brigade got 109 packages containing all kinds of things, from Bovril to underclothing though there was really such a little of everything that when it is divided into 4 Battalions there will be practically nothing for the men to buy.

We got the stuff onto mule carts and I handed over the lot to be unloaded at 8pm having been at work from 7:30am. I sincerely hope I've seen the last of the stuff.

Who put that rot in the paper about me under the heading 'Jewellry'? If they must put things in the daily rags at least they might put true things in. I don't want anything in any of the papers about myself particularly my photo, as I consider that my doings are nothing to do with anyone outside my friends and relations who have probably got a photo and who probably know the facts without any reminder from the press.

The camel group was, I think Jack Melom, Rupert Matthews, Keith McIlwraith and I think Sperry Hill. Melom is missing, McIlwraith killed, Rupert Matthews has a commission in the 4th Battalion.

Hope Pater passed his exams, I suppose he'll get a company of cadets, perhaps my old company 'C' in 49A.

All the boys are very grateful for the sox etc.

Love to Aunt Puff and Pater. Remember me to anyone I know, also Norman Bayles.

Yours lovingly,

Athol

AWM image A03809

Indian Mule Teams in Mule Gully, being loaded supplies for the troops.

Lines of mules are tethered in the background. This image was taken in May 1915.

Athol visited Mule Gully on 23 August, 1915.