Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

ADVANCE BOOK

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

PAPER, STEEL

No. Pieces

1

Length

20.9

Width

8.8

Description

ONE BROWN PAPER BOOKLET WITH PAPER FASTENED BY TWO STEEL STAPLES AT ONE END. FRONT AND BACK COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER BROWN PAPER. FRONT COVER READS "CANADIAN ARMY OVERSEAS OFFICER'S ADVANCE BOOK". FRONT HAS LINES FOR USER'S NAME AND SIGNATURE AS WELL AS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF USE FOR BOOK. IN BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER IS PRINTED "MF M505 (REVISED) IN LIEU OF AF W3241 40/P&S/163 (5695)". HAND PRINTED IN BLOCK LETTERS IS "LIEUT. REED WILSON AINSCOUGH." AND SIGNED IN INK IS "R.W. AINSCOUGH". IN TOP RIGHT CORNER OF COVER IS ISSUE NUMBERS "986226 TO 986250". ON INSIDE OF COVER ARE GLUED TWO SHEETS; ONE HAS INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE, THE OTHER HAS "TABLE OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES WITH STERLING EQUIVALENTS". BOOK CONTAINS 25 ADVANCE FORMS. EACH FORM HAS STUB AND CHEQUE PORTION DOCUMENTING USER'S NAME, RANK, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, DATE, SUM WITHDRAWN AND SIGNATURE OF OFFICER. THE PAPER IS PERFORATED BETWEEN STUB AND CHEQUE TO MAKE REMOVAL EASIER. ON BACK OF EACH CHEQUE IS DOCUMENTATION AUTHORIZATION FOR ANOTHER PERSON TO WITHDRAW MONEY ON THE USER'S BEHALF. ON INSIDE OF BACK COVER IS LIST OF REGULATIONS FOR USE OF ADVANCE BOOK. WRITTEN VERTICALLY ACROSS BACK OF BOOK IN PENCIL IS "HAROLD. 600F". CORNERS OF COVERS AND SOME PAGES HAVE BECOME DOG-EARED. PAPER IS SLIGHTLY DIRTY.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

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

P19930066014

Acquisition Date

1995-04

Collection

Museum

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