St Kilda Historical Society
Ephemera - Seasonal card, Longstaff, Will et al, Australian Comforts Fund Xmas and New Year's Greetings 1918-19, 1918
... Battle of Hamei... Armiens. This, and the Battle of Hamei, were only a prelude... Villers-Bretonneux Battle of Hamei 'Graham Clarendon Hyde 14 Btn ...
Text from card: 'On the night of 24th April 1918, the Australians made a daring and clever counter attack in the darkness, recaptured Villers-Bretonneux, stopped the German advance and saved Armiens. This, and the Battle of Hamei, were only a prelude to the smashing advance which commenced on 8th August.'
Contains illustrations of 'Australians Advancing from Villers-Bretonneux, August 8th 1918' from an original painted by AIF War Artist Captain Will Longstaff; 'Capture of Hamei Village, July 14th 1918, by Australians assisted by a Detachment of Americans' by War Artist A Pearse. Both paintings were made for the Australian Comforts Fund.
The Australian Comforts Fund was an umbrella organisation for voluntary bodies set up on 24 August 1916, after the outbreak of World War I. It was dissolved on 16 April 1920 but was re-established in 1940, during World War II and dissolved again in 1946.
Card made in England by Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd, publishers to the King and Queen. Oblong sheet folded in half to create 4 pages, all printed in colour and including illustrations and very full documentation.'Graham Clarendon Hyde 14 Btn AIF'
'Given to Historical Society of St Kilda by Mr G Hyde N Zealand August 1980'aif, world war i, wwi, australian comforts fund, 14th battalion aif, villers-bretonneux, battle of hamei