‘Forget Me Not’ - The role of Military Pin-Stuck Cushions in WWI

‘Forget Me Not’ - The role of Military Pin-Stuck Cushions in WWI

How does the gift of a young soldier help us to understand the role of the Imperial War Graves Commission in 1917?

Abney Park cemetery houses 262 burials from the First World War; this talk for Remembrance Day examines the role of Military Pin-Stuck
Cushions, a popular gift made by servicemen between the Crimean War and the Great War.

Created in the shape of a heart in WWI, these artefacts feature pins alongside military insignia, flags and cigarette cards. They were most commonly made for mothers or as Christmas presents, and many would become treasured objects. Once common in many households, very few remain, and this talk will examine their role as symbols of remembrance, as well as the emotional narratives they contain.

Biography:

Alessandra Curtis is a British-Italian folklorist, with a background in archaeology, driven by a passion for material culture and London history. Drawing on a wealth of curious details and social history, she explores the forgotten meanings attached to every-day items that tell stories of ordinary people, often overlooked in conventional records.

She is the subject specialist of the Military Pin Stuck Cushions exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum of London. https://fashiontextilemuseum.org/museumevents/the-material-heart/

Access Information:
This event is in the Abney Park chapel. Doors open at 2.15pm.
There is ramp access at the Church Street entrance and level access at the Stoke Newington High Street entrance.
The ground floor of the Chapel is fully accessible. There are accessible toilets available on-site.