WWI British Military Commemorative Portrait Silk

A beautiful military commemorative silk of WWI period, in exceptional condition, featuring an individual (unidentified) soldier at the centre, surrounded by four insignia of different military units - probably reflecting the soldier's personal service history. These panels were mainly produced by skilled French or Belgian artisans as souvenirs with an empty central panel into which the soldier could place his photograph and send it home to his family. In this case, the insignia represent the Albuhera Middlesex Regiment (also known as "the diehards", the Royal Engineers showing the George V cipher, the Royal Fusiliers and the Royal Army Medical Corps showing the rod of Asclepius (serpent entwined round a rod which was wielded by Asclepius, Greek God of healing.) and their motto "in arduis fidelis" ("faithful in difficulties").