How did “The Disabled Soldiers Embroidery Industry” Challenge the Gender Norms of Early 20th Century Britain?
By the end of World War I (WWI) over a quarter of a million soldiers returned from the war, severely disabled. They were shell shocked, blinded and crippled and trying to recover from the atrocities of war. Many of these men ended up housebound and the problem arose of how these disabled soldiers were meant to work and find suitable employment? The answer came in the form of threads and cross stitching. In 1911, 3 years before the start of WWI, Annie Collin founded a charity called “The Friends of the Poor” with the aim to ‘bridge the gap between the rich and the deserving poor.’ The charity gained the support of Princess Mary Louise, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. Ernest Thesiger was an actor, artist and friend of the Princess, who’s hands were severely wounded in France during WWI. He saw first-hand the impact that embroidery could have on injured soldiers when he visited a friend in hospital. He suggested to the Government that they should set up an embroidery sche...
