Black sailor's 'silk' or neckerchief, embroidered at the corners with lines of purple and yellow running stitch with a row of green leaves between. In alternate corners are red roses and sprigs of blue flowers with red centres. The item was embroidered by William Harvey AB (1872-1900). Captain George Denham Bedford, writing to the Admiralty in 1875, mentions that 'Men break out into little bits of silk embroidery of different colours to adorn the borders of their black silk handkerchiefs.'

William Harvey was a stable boy from Lambeth, who joined the Navy on 1 August 1890. His first ten years in the service were fairly uneventful, he was twice stationed in the Mediterranean and served on the battleship 'Jupiter' with the Channel Squadron. As part of a naval brigade that included seamen from his ship HMS 'Barfleur', he was wounded at the defence of Tientsin on 13 July 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. After sustaining a bullet wound to the cheek and shoulder, he died of dysentery on 30 July 1900.