Casgliadau Arlein

Memorial sampler commemorating Private Thomas Jenkins Jones of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards (service number: 2020). He died on 10 September 1916, and is buried at Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. Stitched text on sampler reads as follows:

Ymdrechodd Ymdrech Deg. I Gofio'n Annwyl Thomas J Jones Private Thomas Jenkins Jones 1st Batt Welsh Guards Serchog Briod Agnes Jones 3 Top Talwrn Coedpoeth Syrthiodd ar Faesgad Ffrainc Medi 10fed 1916 Yn 29 oed Ac a gladdwyd ym Medd y Milwr gan ei gyfeillion. O chwerw loes O golled eich Ffarwelio ag un enilla'n serch Er maint ein croes cyfodwn hi Cawn gwrdd yng Nghrist pan elom fry.

Text is embroidered in heavy black wool yarn onto a coarse-weave cotton canvas ground. The fabric has a selvage along the proper right side edge. The upper and proper left side edges have a machine-stitched double turn-back. Along the lower edge, a 6.5cm wide strip of canvas has been added on. It is at 90° and has a selvage along its lower edge. The seam attaching the strip has been hand stitched using white thread. In addition to these stitches, the seam is also covered with a decorative line of stitches using the black wool embroidery thread.

The textile is nailed to a 5mm thick piece of laminated card using 39 nails. The sampler on its mount board is held in place within the frame with 29 small nails. The back would have been covered with adhered paper but only fragments of this remain.

NOTE: The sampler was originally framed but it was decided that the frame should be discarded. KT Jul 2023