Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum > Records

Matchbox Cover belonging to Lieutenant Alfred BUTTON 2651

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c. 1916 - 1919

Overview

Brass coloured metal matchbox cover. Three sides of the cover are open with the open longer side having a lip to keep a matchbox contained.

Historical information

Alfred Button was born in Woolwich Kent and at the time he enlisted was living in South Australia. He enlisted on 28th September 1914 into the Depot Unit of Supply 1, Army Service Corps 11 together with his brother Hedley. He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 9th November 1915 while in Gallipoli. He returned to Australia in September 1919 after also serving in France from the beginning of 1916

The ‘Rising Sun’ badge that is portrayed on the matchbox cover, worn on the up-turned brim of a slouch hat, typified the Spirit of ANZAC - the camaraderie of Australian soldiers to fight for the Crown and the British Empire.
In 1902 a badge was urgently sought for the Australian contingents raised after Federation for service in South Africa during the Boer War. The most widely accepted version of the origins of this badge is the one that attributes the selection of its design to a British officer, Major General Sir Edward Hutton, the then newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Forces.

The matchbox cover was purchased by the donor in a flea market in South Africa and was brought back to Australia

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-12-2018.17.1

Item type

Souvenirs

Themes

War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Metal

Width

60 mm

Height or length

40 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

26 g

Inscriptions and markings

Front: “Souvenir / from / France” written over decorative swirls. Patterns in top RH and bottom LH corners within a triangle shape. Border to whole of back edge
Back: Rising sun motif within a border at the edge of the box.
Side: “Lieutnt / a BUTTON” with swirls to both sides of Lieutnt

Keywords

Place made

France

Year

c. 1916 - 1919

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance