British Empire
& Dominion Forces
An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcards is the standard reference book on embroidered silk postcards. It contains references to over 2600 different cards with over 270 illustrations. The page on Dominion and Empire Forces lists 106 cards. The cards listed below are additional cards discovered since the book was published. The latest additions are shown in RED.
The majority of cards available for the Australian Forces are general in nature and based on the Rising Sun General Service Badge. Embroidered silk postcards for a few individual units are available, such as the Artillery and Medical Corps, and these are very rare.
The Canadian Forces had many embroidered silk postcards based on their Maple Leaf Badge. During the First World War, Canada had about 260 named or numbered Regiments and Battalions. Cards are also known for about 10% of these units.
Cards for the New Zealand forces tend to be based on the Fern Leaf that constituted their General Service Badge. Most of them are general in design and rare.
Embroidered silk postcards for the South African Forces are based on the Antelope Head of their General Service Badge. A few cards refer to them as the 1st South African Infantry; this is not quite true as they were just the South African Infantry. So, the 2nd South African Infantry did not exist. All the cards are very rare.
Images of a representative selection of cards are shown beneath the listings.
Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.
No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.
AUSTRALIAN ARMED FORCES
The 5th Pioneer Battalion FROM 5TH PIONEER BATTALION FRANCE KEEP SMILING
(Wrongly listed in the book as a Canadian Battalion)
Australian Flying Corps (AFC Badge only)
General Units ACMF
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MF
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCE HAPPY CHRISTMAS
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES ACMF
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES ADVANCE AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES AUSTRALIA FOR EVER
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES EVER TRUE TO YOU
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES GREETINGS FROM FRANCE 1914 1915
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES FROM A LOVING HEART
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES HOW I MISS YOU
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES SOUVENIR FROM FRANCE TO AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES TO MY DARLING
AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES TO MY DEAR GIRL
AUSTRALIA COMMONWELTH (sic) MILITARY FORCES
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES
General Titles CANADA A KISS FROM BELGIUM
CANADA CEF
CANADA GREETINGS
CANADA MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER
SOUVENIR OF CANADA MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER GOD SAVE THE KING VIVE LA FRANCE
TO CANADA’S GLORY
Canadian Army Battalions 4 OVERSEAS DIV'N AMMUNITION COL'M CANADA
8 CANADIAN RT FRANCE (Railway Troops)
13 MOUNTED RIFLES CANADA (printed badge) RESPONDING TO THE CALL
16 (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
86 CANADA OVERSEAS MACHINE GUN BATTALION (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
86 CANADA OVERSEAS MACHINE GUN BATTALION (printed badge) RESPONDING TO THE CALL
92 CANADA OVERSEAS (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
94 CANADA NEW ONTARIO OVERSEAS BATTALION (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
95 CANADA OVERSEAS (printed badge) MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER
96 CANADIAN HIGHLAND BATTALION (printed badge) RESPONDING TO THE CALL
104 OVERSEAS BATTALION CANADA (printed badge) CANADA
108 OVERSEAS BATTALION SELKIRK MANITOBA CANADA
137 CALGARY CANADA
144 3 HOSTI ACIE NOMINATE
WESTERN CANADA (printed badge) MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER
Canadian Cavalry Regiments ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
Canadian Engineer Corps CANADIAN ENGINEERS (printed badge) MAPLE LEAF FOR EVER
CANADA (printed badge) RESPONDING TO THE CALL
Canadian Field Artillery CFA CANADA
Canadian Machine Gun Corps CANADIAN MACHINE GUN CORPS CANADA
Canadian Machine Gun Division CANADA
Canadian Army Medical Corps CAMC
CANADA CAMC 1915 JE ME SOUVIENS
ROYAL CANADIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS CANADIAN ACTIVE SERVICE FORCE
Canadian Army Service Corps CANADA CASC JE ME SOUVIENS
CSC CANADA (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
Canadian Signal Corps CSC (printed badge) CANADA FOR EVER
NEW ZEALAND ARMED FORCES
General Units NEW ZEALAND FOR EVER KIA ORA
NEW ZEALAND KIA ORA
NZ
NZ NZ
Infantry Regiments (The 9th Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles badge with IX and motto KIA TOA)
SOUTH AFRICAN ARMED FORCES
General WELL DONE SOUTH AFRICA
Infantry 1 INF SOUTH AFRICA ZUID AFRICA UNION IS STRENGTH/EETRACHT MAAKT MAGHT
SOUTH AFRICA UNION IS STRENGTH/EETRACHT MAAKT MAGHT
SOUTH AFRICA INFTY FRANCE 1917 UNION IS STRENGTH
UNION IS STRENGTH
ZAI UNION IS STRENGTH
New Zealand Engineers
9th Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles
The West Indies Regiment