Christmas card sent by Pioneer Walter F. Holliday of the Royal Engineers

« Prev Item Next Item »

Overview

Colourful Christmas and New Year card sent by Pioneer Walter F. Holliday of the Royal Engineers to Ernest and Amy.
It features a lion and a kangaroo facing each other and holding hands while standing on the British and Australian coats of arms. The Union Jack flag appears to the left of the lion, while the Australian flag appears to the right of the kangaroo. Each animal has a floral background - the English rose behind the lion and the Australian wattle behind the kangaroo. The depiction of the kangaroo is very European in style. It is fat and has a head more like a dog or fox than a kangaroo.
The black text between the two shields reads 'Emblem of Australia's glory -; Golden flowers of golden land. Whispering the old old story -; Heart to heart and hand to hand.' On the lower half of the card is the printed text 'With Every Good Wish for Christmas and the New Year from', followed by the signature of Walter F. Holliday, written in black ink.
The paper of the card is thin, shiny, and textured to look like timber. The inner leaves are plain, with the inscription 'To Ernest and Amy' written in black ink on the upper right hand page. The back cover is plain.

Historical information

Walter F. Holliday was born in 1888, the second child and first of five children. In the Census of 1911, his occupation was listed as tuner of the power loom in a woollen mill at Bradford, Yorkshire. Two of his sisters worked as weavers at the same time and his father was a wool sorter.

Walter Holliday enlisted as a Pioneer in the Royal Engineers on 20 August 1915 and was given service number 116736. His occupation was listed as 'navvy' and he was married with three sons at the time of enlistment. The middle son was named Ernest, so is perhaps one of the recipients of the card.
He served in France until 25 November 1915, after which he was returned to England. He was discharged on 18 February 1916, described as 'not being likely to become an efficient soldier'. He was issued with a Silver War Badge which records that he had choroiditis of the right eye.

The patriotic motifs on the card may suggest it was sent during wartime, when the ties between the allies, United Kingdom and Australia, were strongest. However, it is not possible to say with certainty when the card was sent.

Walter F. Holliday appears in several passenger and immigration lists going to and from Australia between 1912 and 1925. He is variously listed as a tuner and engineer.

The graphic depicting a lion on one side and the kangaroo on the other is an early coat of arms for New South Wales.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00554

Item type

Collectibles

Ephemera

Personal Effects

Themes

Social History
War and Conflict
War and Conflict > World War 1

Material

Ink