Description

[002846] [George V Presents Victoria Cross]. Souvenir in Commemoration of the King’s Investiture in Hyde Park, June 2nd, 1917. London: S. Burgess, 1917. First Edition. Folio. Unbound. Commemorative Tissue. Good. Printed, single sided commemorative tissue, approximately 375mm x 375mm in size.

Several small chips and tears to edges, lightly browned and lightly creased, but generally fairly bright and clean.

The presentation of a Victoria Cross by George V to the father of James Henry Finn, awarded for his action in tending wounded men under heavy fire in Mesopotamia. Finn himself had been presented with the ribbon for the VC in 1916, but was later wounded in the leg in an “engagement at Marl Plain, 50 miles north of Baghdad. He was taken by stretcher to the field ambulance the next day, but on the way he was struck in the side by another bullet, which proved fatal” (Wikipedia).

S.[arah] Burgess specialised in the printing of these commemorative tissues, generally the decorative borders were printed in Japan, with the overprinting which was “commonly primitive .. and display a … disregard for niceties of typography and spelling” (Rickards, page 221) done locally