Embroidered Peacock

embroidery cotton, canvas, 66.0 x 46.3 cm, First World War

Frank Neville Read was a farmer from Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan when he enlisted in 1915. He suffered from shell shock in 1916, was shot in the arm in 1917, and then injured his hand in a train accident in England later that year. While recovering from surgery on his hand in hospital in Bramshott, England, his nurse had him work on this embroidery to assist with the recovery of the motor skills in his wounded arm. The nurse drew the peacock on the canvas and had Sergeant Read embroider it with wool and then trim the wool with a pair of clippers. This craft activity helped him to regain the ability to use his arm and hand.