Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

ASTROGRAPH AND CASE

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1980

Materials

WOOD, GLASS, METAL

No. Pieces

5

Height

16.1

Length

43.7

Width

25.6

Description

1) ASTROGRAPH. TIN PAINTED BLACK WITH GLASS PANEL. UNDER GLASS ARE TWO SPOOLS CONTAINING STAR MAPS PRINTED ON CLEAR PLASTIC. TOP HAS TWO KNOBS WHICH FEED MAPS ON AND OFF SPOOLS. TOP HAS FLIP SWITCH. RIGHT AND BOTTOM HAVE REMOVABLE PLUGS WITH LIGHT BULBS ATTACHED INSIDE. BEHIND PLUG AT BOTTOM IS TIN LABEL THAT IS ENGRAVED, “CANADA, ASTROGRAPH MK.IA, REF. NO 6B/I82, SER. NO 3697/44.” LABEL ALSO HAS GENERAL ELECTRIC SYMBOL. LEFT SIDE HAS TWO FORKS WITH NUTS AND BOLTS FED THROUGH. RIGHT SIDE HAS ONE FORK WITH NUT AND BOLT. BOTTOM HAS RED RUBBER CAP ATTACHED TO BRASS CHAIN. 2) CASE, WOOD PAINTED SLATE BLUE WITH ALUMINUM HARDWARE. WHITE PAINTED LETTERING ON TOP READS, “CANADA, ASTROGRAPH MKIA, REF. NO. 6B/I82, SERIAL NO. 3697/43.” WITH LETTERING IS PAINTED GENERAL ELECTRIC SYMBOL. LEFT HINGE IS BROKEN. FRONT CENTER OF CASE HAS HANDLE WITH LEATHER STRAP. INSIDE HAS WOODEN DIVIDERS WITH THREE COMPARTMENTS ON RIGHT SIDE. WOODEN SPACERS AND MOUNTS ON LEFT SIDE COVERED WITH WHITE FELT IN SOME AREAS. 3) CAN, TIN. ORANGE RESIDUE AROUND LIP AT RIM. WHITE PAPER LABEL ON FRONT READS, “CANADA, R.C.A.F. 6B/98, 60N – 41N, R.A.F. 6B/193, SW157.” WRITTEN IN PINK HIGHLIGHTER AT TOP RIGHT CORNER OF LABEL IS, “8.” 4) SPARE PLASTIC PLUG WITH GLASS LIGHT BULB. 5) ONE ROUND HEAD BOLT WITH FLATHEAD SLOT AT TOP AND ONE HOMOLOGOUS SIX-SIDED NUT.

Subjects

ASTRONOMICAL T&E

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT FOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

VISUAL COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

MILITARY

EDUCATION

History

DONOR DOUG PATCHING CAME INTO POSSESSION OF ASTROGRAPH AT THE TIME OF HIS FATHER DEL PATCHING’S PASSING ON FEBRUARY 4, 2004. THE ASTROGRAPH WAS LOCATED IN HIS FATHER’S HOME, BUT DONOR DOUG PATCHING RECALLS THE OBJECT, “MOVING AROUND WITH US.” DOUG PATCHING’S EARLIEST RECOLLECTION OF THE ASTROGRAPH’S EXISTENCE WAS WHILE HIS FATHER WAS, “WORKING AT THE LETHBRIDGE AIRPORT, HELPING TO DISMANTLE THE CF-100S. HE WOULD GO OUT DURING THE WINTER AND BRING HOME BUCKETS OF BOLTS.” DEL PATCHING LIVED ON A FARM SOUTH-EAST OF TOWN ON THE NORTH-EAST QUARTER “720 WEST OF THE 4TH NEAR WILSON SIDING.” AT THE TIME OF DONATION, DOUG PATCHING RELATED THAT, “AS A KID, IT WAS KINDA NEAT TO SEE STARS PROJECTED AND EVER SINCE THAT TIME I BOUGHT STAR MAPS. I WAS INSPIRED BY THIS THING.” THE ASTROGRAPH GIVES LONGITUDE, LATITUDE, STAR NAMES AND LOCATION. DOUG PATCHING SAID, “I THINK IT WAS MEMORABILIA, I’VE GOT HIS LOG BOOK WHEN HE WAS IN THE RCAF.” DEL PATCHING SERVED IN 1941/42 TO 1945 IN HALIFAX AS A NAVIGATOR. THE ASTROGRAPH’S LAST KNOWN USE WAS IN THE 1970S/80S AND, “MAY HAVE MADE IT TO WILSON JR. HIGH AS A TEACHER. HE HAD THE FIRST HAND-HELD CALCULATOR OF ANYONE IN SCHOOL.” HE TAUGHT SCIENCE BETWEEN 1970 AND 1980. ACCORDING TO HIS OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, “DEL PATCHING WAS BORN IN ETZIKOM ALBERTA IN 1918. HE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA WITH A B.SC (AGRICULTURE) IN 1939. FROM 1942 TO 1945 HE SERVED IN THE R.C.A.F. AS A NAVIGATOR WITH THE RANK OF FLIGHT SERGEANT, MAINLY FLYING NIGHTTIME IN HALIFAX BOMBING MISSIONS TO WESTERN EUROPE. FOLLOWING DISCHARGE, DEL PATCHING WORKED AT THE LETHBRIDGE AGRICULTURAL STATION IN 1945. IN 1946 HE MOVED TO THE FAMILY FARM NEAR WILSON SIDING WHERE HE FARMED FOR 26 YEARS. IN 1970, PATCHING COMPLETED A DEGREE IN EDUCATION AND LEFT FARMING TO TAKE UP A CAREER AS A TEACHER AT WILSON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE UNTIL 1980 WHEN HE RETIRED. DEL PATCHING PASSED AWAY ON FEBRUARY 5, 2004 “ FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20120001000

Acquisition Date

2012-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail