Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SWEETHEART BRACELET

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

METAL, PAPER

No. Pieces

2

Height

0.6

Length

19.9

Width

12.7

Description

RECTANGULAR METAL PLATE WITH ROUNDED CORNERS AND CURVED LONG EDGES. FRONT OF PLATE HAS CREST WITH ROYAL BLUE ENAMEL AND GOLD ANCHOR IN CENTER, CROWN AT TOP, LEAVES ON SIDES, AND WHITE ENAMEL WITH, “R.C.N.V.R.” IN GOLD AT BASE. ENGRAVING AROUND CREST SAYS, “J.B. WATSON, V39229.” BACK IS ENGRAVED, “LOVE VI, DEC, 29.” CHAIN IS CONNECTED TO PLATE BY CHAIN BY TWO RECTANGULAR HOLES AT ENDS OF PLATE. ONE EXTRA LOOP ATTACHED TO CHAIN. DOUBLE HOOK AND EYE CLASP. LIGHTWEIGHT OFFSET PAPER. PREVIOUS FOLDS ALONG THE HORIZONTAL AXIS HAVE LEFT THREE MAJOR CREASES AS WELL AS SIX SMALLER CREASES. TYPED TEXT ON FRONT READS, “THIS “DOING” WAS FOUND IN OUR OFFICE SO IF YOU READ THIS NOTE THEN YOU MUST HAVE THE “DOINGS”, HOPE YOU GET IT OKEY. C.F.M.O.L’DERRY P.S. YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL, VI WOULD GET MAD IF YOU DID NOT RECOVER IT.”

Subjects

ADORNMENT

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

THE BRACELET WAS PURCHASED BY WIFE VIOLA WATSON NEE ENSIGN AND GIVEN TO HUSBAND J.B. WATSON BEFORE HE WENT OVERSEAS IN WWII. IT IS MARKED WITH HIS SERVICE NUMBER, HER NAME AND THEIR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. IT WAS LOST DURING HIS SERVICE AND RETURNED TO WATSON AFTER THE WAR WITH THE NOTE. AS STATED IN AN E-MAIL FROM DONOR BRANDI CAMPISI AT THE TIME OF DONATION, “JOSEPH ‘BARTON’ WATSON GREW UP IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA WHERE HE LIVED IN FOREMOST AND SHAUGHNESSY AND SETTLED IN PICTURE BUTTE, ALBERTA JUST OUTSIDE OF LETHBRIDGE. BARTON WAS 28-YEARS OLD WHEN HE ENLISTED IN THE NAVY IN 1944. SINCE HE HAD A FEAR OF HEIGHTS THE AIRFORCE WASN’T AN OPTION, AND LIKE MANY PRAIRIE BOYS HE MAY HAVE HEARD THE HORRIBLE STORIES OF LIFE IN THE TRENCHES FROM THE GREAT WAR. HIS FAMILY BELIEVES THE FINAL FACTOR IN HIS DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY WAS BECAUSE THE NAVY HAD AN EXCELLENT BASEBALL TEAM. BARTON WAS AN EXCELLENT BASEBALL PLAYER. HE ENLISTED IN CALGARY AND WAS SENT FOR TRAINING TO THE HMCS QUEEN IN REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN. THOUGH HE LIKED THE WATER HE NEVER LEARNED HOW TO SWIM. HIS NOTES FROM TRAINING SHOW HOW UNFAMILIAR A BOAT AND ITS PARTS WERE TO HIM. AFTER BASIC TRAINING IN REGINA, BARTON WAS COMMISSIONED TO THE HMCS THORLOCK AS SUPPLY ASSISTANT. THE THORLOCK SERVED ON THE HIGH SEAS IN THE ATLANTIC ZONE. THE HMCS THORLOCK WAS A CORVETTE OF THE FLOWER CLASS NAMED AFTER THOROLD, ONTARIO. ITS MAIN TASK WAS IN ANTI-SUBMARINE CONVOYS. ON THE FINAL LEG OF THE SHIPS FIVE CROSSINGS OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, THE THORLOCK WAS DIVERTED ALONG WITH HMCS VICTORIAVILLE TO ACCEPT THE SURRENDER OF THE SUBMARINE U-190 ON MAY 12, 1945. THOUGH CAMERAS WERE OFFICIALLY NOT ALLOWED ON NAVAL VESSELS, BARTON WATSON HAD ONE. HIS PHOTOS DOCUMENT LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF A SAILOR AND SIGNIFICANTLY, THE CLOSE-KNIT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHIPMATES. MANY PHOTOS DEPICT THE THORLOCK’S CREW POSING PLAYFULLY IN GERMAN UNIFORMS AND NAZI FLAGS AFTER CAPTURING THE SURRENDERED SUBMARINE. BARTON WATSON WAS DEMOBILIZED ON NOVEMBER 7, 1945 AND RETURNED TO PICTURE BUTTE WHERE HE RAN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND WAS EXTREMELY INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES.” IN WATSON’S OBITUARY PRINTED BY THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, “WATSON PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON SEPTEMBER 16, 1996 AT THE AGE OF 80 YEARS. WATSON’S RECORD OF SERVICE IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVAL SERVICE REVEALS THAT HE WAS ASSIGNED THE SERVICE NUMBER V-89229. HE ENLISTED ON JUNE 14TH 1944 AT CALGARY ALBERTA. WATSON RECEIVED ONE MONTH DRILL AND SEAMANSHIP TRAINING, ONE MONTH STORE’S ASSISTANT COURSE – ORDERING, STORING, ISSUING, ACCOUNTING FOR NAVAL STORES. WATSON IS DESCRIBED AS HAVING ‘HELD CONSIDERABLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ORDERING ISSUING AND STORING FOOD SUPPLIES FOR ENTIRE CREW OF A CORVETTE FOR 8 MONTHS – CONSIDERABLE CLERICAL DUTIES INVOLVED.’ WATSON SERVED IN THE H.M.C.S. THORLOCK FROM NOVEMBER 14, 1944 TO JUNE 15, 1945. HE WAS DISCHARGED WHEN HIS UNIT DEMOBILIZED ON NOVEMBER 7, 1945 AT CALGARY ALBERTA. WATSON WAS A RECIPIENT OF THE ATLANTIC STAR, VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL AND CLASP, AND THE 1945 SERVICE MEDAL. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING SERVICE RECORDS, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20110005001

Acquisition Date

2011-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail