Suitcase

This suitcase was made by a disabled soldier, probably after the Second World War. It demonstrates the range of goods manufactured for and sold by an organisation set up to help soldiers whose employment options were affected by war-related disabilities.

After WWI, rehabilitation centres and workshops had been set up around New Zealand by the Disabled Servicemen's Re-establishment League to teach disabled servicemen vocational skills.

In 1932 the Wellington committee of the League opened a retail shop to sell the goods made by disabled servicemen, the first of many shops in various centres. Paua jewellery, suede and leather goods, inlaid work, baskets, toys, and Māori carved items were sold at the shops, often catering to tourists.

Items sold through these shops were manufactured under the label 'Disabled Soldiers Products'. The production of handicrafts was one of the few ways that some disabled servicemen could earn a living.

In the 1930s and after WWII, the range and types of products made and sold broadened to include manufactured items, including suitcases like this one.