World War One Sewing Kit, Oil Painting by Linda McCoy

My grandfather drove an ammunition truck in the first world war. He was in the 1st Division and was stationed Belgium and Germany. He was in the Army from 1917-1921. His honorable discharge papers say he was of “superior integrity.” I remember him as kind, gentle and soft spoken.  We lived in a two flat and my grandparents lived upstairs, so they were very much a part of our young lives. He died when I was eleven, and I remember the great sadness I felt.

On a recent trip back to Chicago to see my parents, my father gave me this little army sewing kit that belonged to him. It is battered from the war and missing it’s thimble. I wonder about the thimble. The simple answer is that my grandmother needed one and just used the one from the kit. Maybe it was lost in a foxhole while trying to mend his uniform or sew on a button. Maybe it was lent to another soldier. Maybe, it still lies in a field somewhere, buried for someone else to find. We are all grateful he made it home, so many did not.
Thanks for passing this on to me Dad, I'll take good care of it.
6"X6" Oil on hardboard.
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