Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"E.F.T.S. NO 5 LETHBRIDGE"

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

COTTON, THREAD, DYE

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.2

Length

6.3

Width

11.2

Description

RED OVAL FABRIC WITH WHITE STITCHING AROUND EDGE. REMNANTS OF WHITE MACHINE STITCHES OVERTOP EDGING RUNNING IN OPPOSING DIRECTION. DARK BLUE EMBROIDERED TEXT READS, “E.F.T.S. NO 5 LETHBRIDGE.” WHITE WINGS EMBROIDERED IN THE CENTER. BADGE IS FADED AND DIRTY THROUGHOUT. REVERSE HAS LOOSE THREADS HANGING OFF EMBROIDERY.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

*NOTE* OBJECT WAS ORIGINALLY DONATED TO THE ARCHIVES DEPARTMENT ON APRIL 18, 2005. IT WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT ON OCTOBER 17, 2012. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL EXCERPT WAS PROVIDED BY MARGUERITE NEE GRISAK TAYLOR SOMETIME BEFORE SHE AND HER HUSBAND BOTH PASSED AWAY IN 1984: “JOHN JOSEPH TAYLOR BORN JUNE 15, 1915 IN LETHBRIDGE. WHEN WE GOT MARRIED IN 1940, HIS BOSS HAD THE CONTRACT TO PAINT ALL THE AIRPORTS BEING BUILT IN ALBERTA FOR THE AIR FORCE TO TRAIN. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY WERE FINISHED HE JOINED THE ARMY IN NOVEMBER 1942. I WAS EXPECTING HE WANTED TO JOIN AND HAD HE WAITED UNTIL THE BABY WAS BORN, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN DRAFTED AND HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE DRAFTED. HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HIS STOMACH AND WOULDN’T TELL THE ARMY FOR FEAR THEY WOULD THINK HE WAS TRYING TO STAY OUT OF THE ARMY. HE WAS SEEING DR. BROWN WHO AT THE TIME WAS TRYING TO FIND THE TROUBLE. A WEEK BEFORE HE LEFT FOR THE ARMY, I SAW HIM THROW UP IN THE SNOW AND HE WAS BRINGING UP BLOOD. DR. BROWN COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT HOW HE GOT IN THE ARMY AS SICK AS HE WAS AND LATER SOME OF HIS BUDDIES TOLD ME THERE WERE TIMES HE WAS SO ILL ON ROUTE MARCHES THEY’D CARRY HIS GEAR FOR HIM, GRADUALLY HE SAID HE FELT BETTER AND DOCTOR BROWN KEPT CHECKING WITH ME ON HOW HE WAS FEELING. EVENTUALLY HE TOLD ME HE SUSPECTED LEAD POISONING. HE SAID LEAD POISONING RESEMBLES OTHER THINGS AND HE SAID HE FELT QUITE SURE AT THE TIME WITH JOHN AWAY FROM THE PAINT, WHICH WAS LEAD BASED AT THAT TIME, AND THEY DIDN’T WEAR MASKS AT THAT TIME, AND HE DID DO A LOT OF INSIDE SPRAYING, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE AIRPORTS. HE SAID THE ARMY TRAINING WITH JOHN GETTING REGULAR EXERCISE, MEALS AND GENERAL PHYSICAL BUILD UP THAT WOULD BE WHY HE WOULD BE FEELING BETTER. NOW OVER THE YEARS, SO MUCH MORE HAS BEEN FOUND OUT ABOUT SUCH THINGS AND THE FEELING NEVER LEAVES ME THAT THERE IS SOME CONNECTION WITH THIS ILLNESS JOHN HAD. HUNTINGTONS IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FIFTEEN YEAR SPAN. THE FIRST SIGN OF A NERVOUS TWITCH I SAW WAS WHEN HE RETURNED FROM OVERSEAS AFTER THE WAR IN 1947 AND THAT IS FORTY YEARS AGO THAT WAS A VIOLENT JERK AS HE WAS FALLING ASLEEP. THE DOCTOR TOLD ME IT WAS A DELAYED REACTION FROM V.2’S EXPLODING NEAR WHEN HE WAS OVERSEAS. HE WAS WOUNDED TWICE ON D.DAY IN THE LEFT ARM FIRST BY SHRAPNEL AND THEN A BULLET SHATTERED HIS LEFT ARM. HE SPENT A YEAR IN BIRMINGHAM GENERAL HOSPITAL TRYING TO GET IT MENDED AND THE FINGERS TO WORK AGAIN. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT BACK HOME THEN BESIDES BEING WOUNDED HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE BABY. HE WAS IN CANADA WHEN THE BABY WAS BORN BUT NEVER GOT TO LEAVE. HE WAS STATIONED IN CHILLIWACK B.C. AND SAVING LEAVES SO HE COULD MAKE IT HOME WHEN THE BABY CAME BUT AT THE TIME I GAVE BIRTH JOHN WAS ON A SECRET DRAFT TO PRINCE GEORGE AND I DIDN’T KNOW FOR A WEEK WHY HE DIDN’T ANSWER THE TELEGRAM AND HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I’D BEEN DOING. WHEN HE ARRIVED BACK IN CHILLIWACK THEY ALSO FOUND THAT THEY WERE ON DRAFT FOR OVERSEAS AND DIDN’T EVEN GET EMBARKATION LEAVE. THAT WAS A HARD BLOW FOR BOTH OF US AND ADDITIONAL WORRY FOR FEAR THAT THEY’D NEVER SEE EACH OTHER. THANK GOD HE FINALLY DID. I’LL NEVER FORGET THE HORROR WHEN THAT TELEGRAM CAME SAYING HE WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED WITH DETAILS TO FOLLOW. I WENT NUMB FOR TWO DAYS AND THE DETAILS ARRIVED IN A SECOND TELEGRAM. I KNOW HOW BADLY HE MUST HAVE FELT GOING INTO ACTION THAT TERRIBLE DAY. FROM THE HOSPITAL HE WAS SENT TO ALDERSHOT REPAT DEPOT ON MAINTENANCE AND HE SAID HE STENCILED EVERY KIT BAG COMING HOME AND WAS PAINTING AROUND THE CAMP. I HAVE A RECENT LETTER FROM A FELLOW WHO WAS WITH JOHN DURING THIS TIME AND HE SAYS THE MEN COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS NOT SENT HOME INSTEAD OF ALDERSHOT BECAUSE I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THE DOCTORS AND NURSES DIDN’T SEE IT FOR HE HAD A TERRIBLE TIME FALLING ASLEEP DURING THE DAY. HE JUST SEEMED A LITTLE RESTLESS THE SAME AS THE OTHER BOYS RETURNING. HE HAD CLOISTER PHOBIA WHEN HE RODE A BUS TO TOWN. MOST OF THE TIME HE’D HAVE TO GET OFF AND WALK. HE COULDN’T SIT THROUGH MASS OR A SHOW. I BELONGED TO HOME AND SCHOOL SO ANY SOCIALS OR MEETINGS I OR THE BOY AND I HAD TO GO ALONE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20110036001

Acquisition Date

2011-11

Collection

Museum

Less detail