Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

COTTON, STEEL, WOOD

No. Pieces

4

Height

21

Length

15

Width

7

Description

1. CANTEEN: STEEL CANTEEN WITH BLACK FINISH. RECTANGULAR WITH CONCAVE BEND AND ROUNDED CORNERS. 2.5 CM SPOUT COMES OUT OF TOP. SPOUT HAS SLIGHT CORROSION. 2. CANTEEN COVER: FADED GREENISH BROWN WOOL COVERING FOR CANTEEN. HAS STITCHED EDGES AROUND BOTTOM AND TOP AND VERTICALLY DOWN ONE SIDE. STITCHING IS SINGLE STICH WITH BROWN THREAD. HAS ILLEGIBLE RED STAIN ON ROUNDED SIDE OF CANTEEN. ON BOTTOM IS STAMPED IN BLACK A "C" WITH AN ARROW IN IT IDENTIFYING CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE EQUIPMENT. THE BOTTOM OF ONE CORNER HAS WORN THROUGH. 3. CORK: CYLINDRICAL PIECE OF CORK WITH STEEL CAP AND NARROW BOLT THROUGH CENTER OF CORK. THERE IS A SMALL WASHER AND NUT THREADED TO THE END OF BOLT TO KEEP CORK IN PLACE. 25CM PIECE OF DIRTY STRING IS ATTACHED TO EYE AT TOP OF BOLT AND TIED IN A KNOT. CORK IS SPLIT IN HALF. NUT AND WASHER HAVE MODERATE CORROSION. 4. HARNESS: FADED GREEN CANVAS HARNESS WITH BRASS BUCKLES. CONSISTS OF TWO LENGTHS OF CANVAS SEWN IN A CROSS PATTERN TO CARRY CANTEEN. A THICKER STRAP IS LOOPED THROUGH THE CROSS PATTERN AND SEWN INTO A LOOP AT EACH END. THE LOOPS EACH CONTAIN A BRASS BUCKLE 3.4CM X 2.8CM. THROUGH THE BRASS BUCKLES IS STRUNG A LARGE SHOULDER STRAP WITH BRASS FITTINGS AT EACH END AND A WIDER REINFORCED SECTION (5CM) IN THE MIDDLE. STAMPED IN BLACK ON WIDER PORTION IS "MS & U LTD 1943" WITH A "C" CONTAINING AN ARROW AND A LARGE "L" INSIDE A SQUARE BORDER. CROSS STRAP HAS SNAP TO PREVENT CANTEEN FROM MOVING. SLIGHT AMOUNTS OF CORROSION ON BRASS.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

CANTEEN IS STANDARD 1937 BRITISH ISSUE. SEE RECORD FOR P19930066001-GA. *UPDATE* IN 2012 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT DAVID SMITH CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. HE WAS ABLE TO DISCOVER NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. HE LEARNED THE FOLLOWING: ACCORDING TO HIS OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, REED WILSON AINSCOUGH WAS BORN IN CARDSTON ALBERTA ON JUNE 21, 1918, WAS EDUCATED IN MACLEOD AND PASSED AWAY ON OCTOBER 20, 1993. IN THE WOLFORD AREA HISTORY BOOK TITLED: FROM LUMPY BUTTE, MEMORIES LIVE FOREVER, AINSCOUGH’S WIFE (BUCK CRAIG) WROTE, “AINSCOUGH JOINED THE 93RD BATTERY IN 1940. (ANOTHER ACCOUNT WITHIN THE SAME HISTORY BOOK SUGGESTS THAT AINSCOUGH ENLISTED AT CALGARY IN JANUARY OF 1942.) THE BATTERY INCLUDED A TROOP FROM CARDSTON AND GRANUM. BEN HIGGS AND REED JOINED UP TOGETHER AND WENT TO VICTORIA TO QUALIFY FOR THEIR COMMISSIONS AS LIEUTENANTS IN THE ARTILLERY. AFTER A FEW MONTHS IN BRANDON, HE AND BEN WENT THEIR SEPARATE WAYS. BEN WENT TO ITALY AND REED FIRST SERVED IN BORDEN, ENGLAND AS A GUN POSITION OFFICER AND THEN JOINED THE “E” TROOP OF THE 91ST BATTERY, WHICH SERVED IN NORMANDY AND N.W. EUROPE. HE DID TAKE SOME TIME IN JULY 1942 TO MARRY BUCK CRAIG. REED SERVED AS A FORWARD OBSERVATION OFFICER WITH THE ARTILLERY. HE WAS WOUNDED IN THE NORMANDY REGION. AINSCOUGH’S OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD STATES THAT HE WAS WOUNDED NEAR CAEN, WHILE THE DESCRIPTION WRITTEN BY HIS WIFE IN THE WOLFORD HISTORY BOOK CLAIMS HE WAS WOUNDED NEAR ROUEN. BOTH LOCATIONS ARE IN THE NORMANDY REGION OF FRANCE. AFTER SPENDING TEN MONTHS IN THE HOSPITAL, HE RETURNED TO THE FIELD AND SERVED IN HOLLAND WITH THE 110TH BATTERY, 15TH FIELD REGIMENT JUST BEFORE ARMISTICE. AINSCOUGH RECEIVED SIX MEDALS AND WAS DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN. AFTER RETURNING TO FORT MACLEOD, HE WAS PERSUADED TO COMMAND THE 93RD BATTERY. HE ALSO COMMANDED THE FORT MACLEOD CADET CORPS AND FORMED THREE OTHER CADET CORPS – IN PINCHER CREEK, ST. PAUL’S AND ST. MARY’S CORPS ON THE BLOOD RESERVE. AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF WWII, HE RETURNED HOME TO FORT MACLEOD. HE LATER MOVED TO MEDICINE HAT AND HELD THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL WITH THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT." FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19930066005

Acquisition Date

1995-04

Collection

Museum

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