Maple leaf brooch, 'Absent Minded Beggars in South Africa', 1900 (c)

This brooch, decorated with enamel ensigns for England and Canada, is inscribed 'In Honor of Our Absent Minded Beggars in South Africa' - in reference to Rudyard Kipling's famous poem, 'The Absent Minded Beggar', which appeared in an 1899 'The Daily Mail' supplement. It was written to help raise money for the dependants of soldiers fighting in the Boer War (1899-1902). The fund, known as the 'Absent Minded Beggar Relief Corps', eventually raised about £250,000.