Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BROOCH, QUEEN ELIZABETH II PORTRAIT

Date

1952

Materials

TIN

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.25

Length

3

Width

2.5

Description

BRONZE-COLOURED BROOCH WITH SCALLOPED EDGE AND BLACK AND WHITE PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG QUEEN ELIZABETH II HOLDING A BOQUET OF FLOWERS AT THE CENTRE. PIN ATTACHED TO BACKING WITH A DROP OF SOLDER. IMAGE HAS SMALL SCRATCH ALONG QUEEN’S FACE.

Subjects

ADORNMENT

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

COMMEMORATIVE

History

THIS BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO THE DONOR’S GRANDMOTHER, DOROTHY SHAW, OF REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN. IN CORRESPONDANCE PROVIDED TO GALT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN IN SEPTEMBER 2013, THE DONOR, DORY ROSSITER, STATED: “MY GRANDMOTHER, ON MY FATHER’S SIDE, WAS BORN IN MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND AND EVENTUALLY BECAME A NURSE. SHE IMMIGRATED TO CANADA IN 1915 AT THE AGE OF TWENTY. ONE YEAR LATER, SHE MET AND MARRIED MY GRANDFATHER, HENRY DOWLING, WHO WAS AN RCMP OFFICER IN SASKATCHEWAN. THE REST OF HER FAMILY REMAINED IN ENGLAND. HER SISTER, ROSE SHAW, WAS ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO LINED THE STREETS SURROUNDING BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON THAT CORONATION DAY IN 1952. A VERY LUCKY FEW, INCLUDING MY GREAT AUNT, WERE GIVEN A SMALL TOKEN TO CELEBRATE THE DAY… A SMALL, TIN BROOCH WITH A BLACK AND WHITE PORTRAIT OF THE NEW QUEEN IN THE CENTRE. SHE PACKED IT UP AND SENT IT TO MY GRANDMOTHER IN CANADA. MY GRANDMOTHER GAVE IT TO ME IN 1961. MY FATHER WAS IN THE MILITARY AND OUR FAMILY WAS STATIONED AT CAMP PETAWAWA, ONTARIO, AND WE TRAVELLED TO REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN TO VISIT MY GRANDPARENTS IN THE SUMMER OF 1961. I REMEMBER HER TELLING ME TO ‘TUCK IT AWAY FOR A MEMORY LATER’, WHICH WAS MY GRANDMOTHER’S WAY OF SAYING IT WOULD MEAN SOMETHING TO ME WHEN I WAS OLDER. IT CERTAINLY HAS. IN NOVEMBER OF 1962, MY FATHER AND HIS ARMY REGIMENT, THE FORT GARRY HORSE, WERE SENT TO GERMANY FOR THREE YEARS OF PEACEKEEPING DUTY. THE COLD WAR WAS ALIVE AND WELL AND CANADA HAD THREE ARMY BASES IN GERMANY. MY MOTHER AND I WENT WITH HIM ON THIS BIG ADVENTURE! A YEAR LATER, THE QUEEN AND PRINCE PHILIP TOURED GERMANY. THERE WAS A SENSE OF EXCITEMENT AS PART OF THE TOUR WOULD BE TO MILITARY BASES. BY THEN, I WAS A BROWNIE AND MY ENTIRE BROWNIE PACK, WAS BUSED TO THE MILITARY CAMPE IN SOEST, GERMANY, TO WATCH THE ROYALS. I HAD BEEN SELECTED, ALONG WITH A GIRL GUIDE FROM ANOTHER MILITARY CAMP, TO PRESENT FLOWERS TO THE QUEEN. ALTHOUGH IT WAS ENTIRELY AGAINST THE BROWNIE UNIFORM RULES, MY MOTHER PINNED THE CORONATION BROOCH ONTO MY UNIFORM JUST BEFORE THE BUS DEPARTED. THE OTHER PRESENTER AND MYSELF WERE TAKEN INTO A SMALL ROOM ON THE MILITARY BASE AND TOLD HOW TO PRESENT THE FLOWERS, WHEN TO PRESENT THE FLOWERS, WHAT TO SAY, AND WHEN TO SAY IT, ETC. I REMEMBER MY KNEES SHAKING; I REMEMBER GIVING HER THE FLOWERS… AND I REMEMBER HER TOUCHING THE LITTLE BROOCH ON MY UNIFORM AND THEN SMILING AT ME. LATER, ON THE RIDE HOME, THE BROWNIE LEADER GAVE ME A TALKING TO ABOUT ADDING ‘UNAUTHORIZED DECORATIONS’ TO MY BROWNIE UNIFORM, BUT BY THEN I DIDN’T REALLY CARE. THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND HAD TOUCHED MY BROOCH AND I COULDN’T WAIT TO TELL MY GRANDMOTHER BACK IN CANADA!... MY FATHER’S FAMILY WERE AND ARE STAUNCH SUPPORTERS OF THE MONARCHY. PERHAPS IT WAS BECAUSE OF THEIR ENGLISH BACKGROUND, BUT I ALSO THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH A REVERENCE THEY FEEL FOR OUR HISTORY AS A PEOPLE. IT IS A REVERANCE THAT I, TOO, FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT. WHEN I MADE THE DECISION TO INQUIRE IF THE GALT MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HAVING MY TWO, LITTLE, INEXPENSIVE PINS… IT WAS MONTHS PRIOR TO FINDING OUT THAT I WAS TO RECEIVE THE QUEEN ELIZABETH DIAMOND JUBILEE MEDAL. ON JANUARY 24, 2013, I WAS PRESENTED WITH THE MEDAL BY THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF ALBERTA. THE PRESENTATION TOOK PLACE AT THE GALT MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES. ON THAT DAY, UNKNOWN TO ANYONE, INSIDE MY RED SWEATER, WAS MY LITTLE CORONATION BROOCH [P20130003001]. IT HAD SORT OF COME FULL CIRCLE. MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY PROUD.” FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND DONOR BIOGRAPHY, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20130003001

Acquisition Date

2013-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail