Material Type

Artifact

Date

1940

Materials

SILVER, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

17.4

Width

2.4

Description

STERLING SILVER BRACELET; BRACLET BANDS COMPRISED OF METAL LINKS WITH SPRINGRING CLASP AT END OF ONE CHAIN. CENTER OF BRACELET HAS OVAL STERLING SILVER DISC WITH CREST ON FRONT COMPRISED ON BLUE TEXT “RCAF” SURROUNDED BY LAUREL LEAVES, WITH A CROWN ABOVE AND OUTSTRETCHED WINGS ON SIDES. “RCAF” CREST ABOVE INSCRIPTION “PERLEY-MARTIN T.H., 4309A, J3513”. BACK OF DISC HAS INSCRIPTION “NO.5 E.F.T.S., LETHBRIDGE ALTA., CLASS NO.1, 22.7.40 TO 3.10.40, SIRKS, STRELING”. CHAINS ATTACHED TO THE CENTER DISC WITH METAL LOOPS ON SIDES OF DISC. CHAINS AND DISC TARNISHED; INSCRIPTION TEXT ON FRONT AND BACK IS WORN; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

ADORNMENT

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

THE IDENTIFICATION BRACELET BELONGED TO FLYING OFFICER THOMAS HENRY PERLEY-MARTIN, AND WAS FASHIONED AS AN IDENTIFER FOR THE NO. 5 ELEMENTARY FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. INFORMATION COMPILED ON THE NO. 5 ELEMENTARY FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL AND OTHER FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOLS WAS SOURCED FROM LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES AND VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA’S WEBSITE SECTION ON THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AIR TRAINING PLAN. AT THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADA AND ADDITIONAL COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES, CREATED THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AIR TRAINING PLAN TO ENHANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR ROYAL AIR FORCE OFFICERS. THE PLAN ESTABLISHED THAT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES WOULD BUILD FLIGHT SCHOOLS TO TRAIN OFFICERS FOR THE ROYAL AIR FORCE OR COMMONWEALTH AIR FORCES TO SERVE ALONGSIDE THE ROYAL AIR FORCE, INCLUDING THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. OFFICERS WOULD TRAVEL FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO A COMMONWEALTH COUNTRY, OR ENLISTED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH COUNTRY. CANADA ESTABLISHED 196 TRAINING FACILITIES AND RELIEF FIELDS, AND GRADUATED 72,835 STUDENTS, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA’S WEBSITE ON THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. IN THE SPRING OF 1940, THE ELEMENTARY FLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOL NO. 5 IN LETHBRIDGE OPENED, SEEING ITS FIRST RECRUITS FOR THE R.C.A.F. ENROLL AND ARRIVE ON JULY 22, 1940 FROM REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN. THE FLIGHT SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED AT KENYON FIELDS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY. STUDENTS WERE TAUGHT TO FLY IN 7 WEEKS, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 5 WEEK EXTENSION COURSE IN MORE ADVANCED FLYING. OF THE FIRST CLASS, GRADUATING OCTOBER 1940, WAS THOMAS HENRY PERLEY-MARTIN. PERLEY-MARTIN WAS BORN ON JANUARY 9, 1921 IN WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. PERLEY-MARTIN SERVED IN THE QUEEN’S OWN HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA CADETS FROM 1935-38, AND ENLISTED IN THE NON-PERMANENT ACTIVE AIR FORCE OF THE R.C.A.F. IN 1938. PERLEY-MARTIN UNDERTOOK INITIAL FLIGHT TRAINING IN TORONTO, ONTARIO, GRADUATING TO ELEMENTARY FLIGHT TRAINING IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1940. GRADUATES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE E.F.T.S. WERE GIVEN, ACCORDING TO LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES, '…AN ENGRAVED IDENTIFICATION DISC BY THE SCHOOL', AS STATED BY DENNIS YORATH, MANAGER AT NO. 5 E.F.T.S. IT IS ONLY SPECULATION THAT THE DISC DESCRIBED BY THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD IS THE ONE AFFIXED TO THE BRACELET. IN DECEMBER 1940-JANUARY 1941, THE NO. 5 E.F.T.S. WAS RELOCATED TO HIGH RIVER, ALBERTA, AND THE NO. 8 BOMBER AND GUNNERY SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED AT KENYON FIELD, LETHBRIDGE, OPENING IN OCTOBER 1941. UPON COMPLETING HIS E.F.T.S. TRAINING, PERLEY-MARTIN WENT ON TO COMPLETE HIS INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED TRAINING AT THE NO. 1 SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL AT CAMP BORDEN, ONTARIO. REPORTS FROM THE SERVICE FILE OF T.H. PERLEY-MARTIN INDICATE THAT IN 1941, FOLLOWING HIS TRAINING IN CANADA, PERLEY-MARTIN WAS STATIONED IN OLD SARUM, ENGLAND. PERLEY-MARTIN WAS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR FLYING OR OTHER DUTIES IN 1941 FOLLOWING FLYING OFFENSES AND OUTSTANDING DEBTS, WITH THE OFFENSES RESULTING IN PERLEY-MARTIN BEING COURT MARTIALED AND TRIED. IN MARCH 1942, PERLEY-MARTIN WAS RETIRED FROM SERVICE, AND IN AUGUST 1942 HE BECAME A PILOT GENERAL WITH THE #122 SQN. ON JANUARY 7, 1945, PERLEY-MARTIN WAS KILLED DURING FLYING OPERATIONS IN JARVIS, ONTARIO, WHERE HE WAS AN INSTRUCTOR, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AN ANSON AIRCRAFT #7013 IN POOR VISIBILITY. ACCORDING TO A MEMORIAL WRITTEN ON PERLEY-MARTIN, HE WAS BURIED IN MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY IN VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA. WHILE IN ENGLAND IN 1941, PERLEY-MARTIN MARRIED OLIVE CYNTHIA ROBERTS. THE COUPLE HAD ONE SON, BARRY THOMAS PERLEY-MARTIN. OLIVE AND BARRY RETURNED TO ENGLAND FOLLOWING THOMAS HENRY PERLEY-MARTIN’S DEATH, ACCORDING TO AN EMAIL FROM MARY PERLEY-MARTIN, THE WIFE OF THE LATE BARRY THOMAS PERLEY-MARTIN. THE BRACELET WAS PURCHASED BY THE GALT MUSEUM IN DECEMBER 2017 FROM T.M. SAUNDERS. FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES ON THE FLIGHT SCHOOLS AND WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARTICLES ON T.H. PERLEY-MARTIN, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20170037000-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20170037000

Acquisition Date

2017-12

Collection

Museum

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