Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

“HONOURARY LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRED T. KING”

Date

1968

Materials

SILVER, WOOD, FELT

No. Pieces

1

Height

4.25

Length

18.5

Width

10

Description

RECTANGULAR BOX WITH HINGED LID, MADE OF SILVER WITH WOOD INTERIOR LINING. SCROLLWORK ON UPPER AND LOWER EDGES, WITH SCALLOPED SHAPE ON LIP OF LID. LID IS ENGRAVED WITH TEXT READING “PRESENTED TO HONOURARY LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRED T. KING ON THE OCCASION OF HIS MARRIAGE JANUARY TWENTY FOURTH NINETEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY EIGHT BY THE COMMANDING OFFICER AND OFFICERS OF THE EIGHTEENTH FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY (MILITIA)”. BOTTOM OF BOX HAS FOUR CIRCLES OF GREEN FELT GLUED ON AT THE BOX’S CORNERS. A FAINT MAKERS’ STAMP AND SILVER HALLMARK ARE BARELY VISIBLE AT THE CENTER OF THE BOX’S BOTTOM – ONLY THE WORDS “OLD”, “MADE IN CANADA” AND “98” ARE LEGIBILE. BOX’S WOOD INTERIOR HAS SOME AREAS OF WHITE STAINING FROM REMNANTS OF SILVER POLISH. EXTERIOR IS TARNISHED. VERY GOOD CONDITION OVERALL.

Subjects

HOUSEHOLD ACCESSORY

CONTAINER

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

PERSONAL CARE

MILITARY

COMMEMORATIVE

History

THIS BOX WAS GIVEN TO FRED KING TO COMMEMORATE HIS MARRIAGE TO NANCY TIDMARSH ON JANUARY 24, 1968, FROM THE OFFICERS OF THE 18TH FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT. AFTER KING’S DEATH IN 1986, NANCY KEPT THE BOX, PASSING IT ALONG TO FAMILY FRIENDS CAROLE AND JACK ROBERTS, THE DONORS. COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE ROBERTS ABOUT THEIR POSSESSION OF THE BOX ON JANUARY 19, 2015. CAROLE SAID: “WE BECAME GOOD FRIENDS [WITH NANCY]. WE HELPED HER MOVE [BECAUSE] SHE WAS ON HER OWN – HER HUSBAND HAD PASSED AWAY YEARS AGO AND SHE WAS A LADY THAT HAD MOVED HERE AS A YOUNG ENGLISH GIRL AFTER THE WAR TO WORK AT ST. MICHAEL’S HOSPITAL… WE CAME INTO POSSESSION [OF THE BOX] BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT WE SHOULD GIVE IT TO THE MUSEUM OR GIVE IT TO THE LEGION. WE WERE DOWNSIZING FOR HER... I POLISHED IT AND PUT IT IN A PLACE OF HONOUR.” THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON FRED KING WAS FOUND IN THE CATALOGUE RECORD FOR ARTIFACT P19790097000 - KING’S RCA SERGE UNIFORM. ACCORDING TO FREDERICK “FRED” THOMAS KING’S OBITUARY IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, “KING PASSED AWAY ON SATURDAY MARCH 8TH 1986, AT THE AGE OF 82 YEARS, BELOVED HUSBAND OF MRS. NANCY KING OF 1416, 15TH AVENUE SOUTH, LETHBRIDGE. BORN IN LONDON ENGLAND IN 1904, THE LATE MR. KING IMMIGRATED TO CANADA IN 1919 TO MAPLE CREEK SASKATCHEWAN. HE LATER MOVED TO WINNIPEG, MANITOBA WHERE HE TRAINED AS A MECHANIC FOR THE CPR. FRED LATER MOVED TO ALBERTA WHERE HE BECAME INVOLVED IN THE AUTOMOBILE BUSINESS IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1927, FORMING FRED KING MOTOR CO. LTD., IN 1945, AND OPERATED A SUCCESSFUL AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP UNTIL RETIRING IN 1971. MR. KING WAS APPOINTED HONORARY LIEUTENANT COLONEL 18TH FIELD REGIMENT, ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY IN 1965 AND HONORARY COLONEL 1969-1977. HE WAS ALSO APPOINTED TO THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE ARMY CADET LEAGUE OF CANADA FROM 1971-1977 AND SERVED ON THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE ALBERTA ARMY CADET LEAGUE FROM 1971-78 AND WAS PRESIDENT FROM 1975-1976.” ACCORDING TO THE BIOGRAPHY IN THE PERMANENT FILE, “KING ENLISTED AS GUNNER 112TH FIELD BATTERY, ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY IN 1940 AND WAS COMMISSIONED LIEUTENANT 41ST FIELD REGIMENT, ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY IN 1944. KING WAS ALSO AN HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL STEWART BRANCH OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION (AT THE TIME OF DONATION IN 1982).” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING SERVICE RECORDS, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19790097000. OTHER COLLECTED ARTIFACTS RELATED TO KING INCLUDE: P19820020000, P19820021000, P19820022001-6, P19820023000, P19820024000, AND P19860039000.

Catalogue Number

P20130018000

Acquisition Date

2013-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail