In 1914, Jean Haggit (nee Ingram) sailed with the first 50 nurses for active service in Egypt and France and went on to become Matron of the NZ Hospital at Walton-on-Thames in England. The recent Wairarapa Embroiderer’s Guild exhibition featured a hand made lace tablecloth made for her by her staff as a wedding gift. Jenny Russell, President of the Guild pointed out it was highly likely that Jean met Norman Prior as he worked at the same hospital at that time. Norman is the subject of the current exhibition ‘Norman Prior: Masterton Doctor at War.’
The story illustrates how handmade items carry memories and meanings from the past as they are treasured and handed down through the generations. The table cloth is now owned by Jean’s daughter Sancha Hooker: “I remember as a child seeing this cloth washed in the copper, starched and ironed with a flat iron heated on the wood range. During the war years (1914-1918) my mother worked stylized ‘H’s and scalloped everything in her trousseau – sheets, pillowcases, hand towels, table napkins, night dresses, lingerie…”
Two Army ‘Hussif’s’ – small portable sewing kits - also brought the past sharply into focus. They were handmade by a Mrs Ferguson for her son W J Ferguson. We can only imagine her emotions as she stitches these pieces, tucking spare buttons, cotton and other small items that would be useful for repairs into the pockets.
Jenny Russell herself treasures a cloth given to her by a Cretan family who sheltered her father David Stuart of the 22nd Battalion 2nd Expeditionary Force. He was wounded in the Battle for Crete of May 1941, and taken in by an elderly couple. “When the Germans began shooting the villagers, my father gave himself up to spare his rescuers. After the war and a search that took years, he repaid the debt by helping two of the couple’s grandsons to emigrate to New Zealand.”
“The cloth was given to my mother who spoke no Greek by Maria who spoke no English but the stitching says it all,” says Jenny.
Alongside these historic items, the Guild’s exhibition featured outstanding work by its members who meet regularly in Masterton to share their love of stitching of all kinds. Contact Jenny Russell T: 06 379 8118.
Caption: Details from pieces in the ‘Stitches in Time’ exhibition: (clockwise from top left) Canvas bag by Jenny Russell; Black cross-stitch by Agnes Percy; embroidered image by Jenny Russell; Army Hussif; Win Ward’s knitted wool blanket which took her a year to complete; the lace table cloth given to Jean Ingram.