Bradford Khaki Handicrafts Club

The Khaki altar cloth: An altar superfrontal worked in cross stitch on linen, made by the Khaki Club, now in Bradford Cathedral. The Khaki altar cloth: An altar superfrontal worked in cross stitch on linen, made by the Khaki Club, now in Bradford Cathedral.

The Bradford Khaki Handicrafts Club was established in 1918 to provide occupational therapy and employment for men returning from the First World War (1914-1918). Among the handicrafts provided was embroidery.

The Khaki Club was housed in Foster Square, Bradford (England). The building had a restaurant, games room, library and so forth. The Khaki Club was set up with the help of the Abram Peel Hospital and the Bradford Women’s Police Patrols. The Hospital was opened in 1915 as a specialist neurological hospital and by 1919 it had 437 beds and treated hundreds of wounded soldiers. The Bradford Women’s Police Patrols was set up to help women mill workers return home safely at night. At that time about 19,000 wounded soldiers came to various Bradford hospitals. The women decided to help the soldiers and set up the club. Women volunteers met the hospital trains and introduced the soldiers to the Khaki Club.

Many members of the Khaki Club were taught embroidery by Louisa Pesel, a noted scholar and embroidery expert, who was born and brought up in Bradford. She helped them embroider what became known as the Khaki Altar cloth, a cross stitch superfrontal made at the club in the autumn of 1918 for use during services in the Abram Peel Hospital. The cloth is now part of the Bradford Cathedral collection of embroidered religious robes and altar cloths. Items relating to the Bradford Khaki Handicraft Club are housed in the Pesel collection, ULITA, Leeds (England).

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 28 June 2016).

JW and GVE

Last modified on Thursday, 27 April 2017 08:35