Material Type

Artifact

Date

1952

Materials

COTTON, LEATHER, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

3

Diameter

26.5

Description

BLACK BERET WITH RED PATCH ON FRONT WITH ATTACHED GOLD CANADIAN ARTILLERY BADGE DEPICTING A CROWN ABOVE AN ARTILLERY FIELD GUN, WITH TEXT ON BANNER BELOW CROWN “UBIQUE” AND TEXT ON BANNER BELOW GUN “QUO FAS ET GLORIA DUCUNT”. BERET HAS TWO HOLES IN RIGHT SIDE LINED WITH PLASTIC. BERET HAS LEATHER RIM AROUND BASE OPENING; BERET IS LINED WITH BLACK COTTON WITH A PRINTED WHITE STAMP OF A DIAMOND, WITH A SMALL DIAMOND INSIDE AND TEXT, “GENUINE, FLEUR DE LIS, BASQUE BERET, 7 1/8 – 1952, DOROTHEA KNITTING MILLS, LIMITED, TORONTO”. INSIDE FRONT OF BERET HAS BRASS BAR FOR SECURING BADGE, WITH WHITE PAPER TAG WITH RED BORDERS AND BLACK HANDWRITTEN TEXT “107” SLID UNDER BAR. BERET TOP AND FRONT ARE LIGHTLY FADED, WITH MINOR SOILING; OVERALL LEXCELLENT CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

PERSONAL CARE

History

ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2016, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED CHRIS AINSCOUGH REGARDING HIS DONATION OF A COLLECTION OF MILITARY OBJECTS. THE OBJECTS BELONGED TO AISNCOUGH’S GRANDFATHER AND FATHER, WILLIAM GEORGE AINSCOUGH (FIRST WORLD WAR) AND REED WILSON AINSCOUGH (SECOND WORLD WAR AND POST-WAR). THE DONOR’S GREAT GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM THOMAS AINSCOUGH, MARRIED MARGARET A. AINSCOUGH IN 1878 AND EMIGRATED FROM SMITHFIELD, UTAH TO CANADA IN 1898, BRINGING SIX CHILDREN, AGED 1 TO 18, WITH THEM. WILLIAM GEORGE AINSCOUGH, THE DONOR’S GRANDFATHER, WAS AMONG THE CHILDREN (BORN 1885). THE AINSCOUGHS INITIALLY SETTLED IN WHISKEY GAP, ALBERTA, BEFORE RELOCATING TO WOOLFORD, ALBERTA. ACCORDING A RESUME FOR REED W. AINSCOUGH INCLUDED IN THE PERMANENT FILE, REED WILSON AINSCOUGH WAS BORN ON JUNE 21, 1918 IN CARDSTON, ALBERTA. IN 1940, REED AINSCOUGH JOINED THE 93RD BATTERY OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN ARTILLERY [RCA] STATIONED AT FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA, AND WAS PROMOTED TO A SECOND LIEUTENANT. REED AINSCOUGH WAS POSTED OVERSEAS IN 1942 AND SERVED UNTIL HIS DISCHARGE ON JANUARY 8, 1946. LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES REPORTED REED AINSCOUGH AS BEING IN THE THICK OF THE FIGHTING IN FRANCE, NOTABLY AT CAEN. IT WAS REPORTED IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD IN 1944 THAT REED AINSCOUGH WAS PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN, AND WAS WOUNDED IN HIS LEG IN OCTOBER 1944. REED AINSCOUGH WAS SENT TO BELGIUM FOR SURGERY AND TO BE HOSPITALIZED, AND WAS RETURNED TO CANADA ON THE HOSPITAL SHIP H.M.C.S. LADY NELSON IN 1945. IN 1947, REED AINSCOUGH BECAME THE BATTERY COMMANDER OF THE 93RD BATTERY RCA, AND SERVED AS THE COMMANDER UNTIL 1959, BEING PROMOTED TO MAJOR IN 1951. IN 1959, UPON A TRANSFER WITH HIS EMPLOYMENT AT CANADA LIFE, HE MOVED TO MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA, AND JOINED THE SOUTH ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE AS A SQUADRON COMMANDER IN 1961. IN 1964, HE WAS PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND COMMANDER OF THE SOUTH ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE, AND WAS APPOINTED AIDE-DE-CAMP TO LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR GRANT MACEWAN UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT. ON HIS FATHER’S, REED WILSON AINSCOUGH’S, MILITARY SERVICE, CHRIS AINSCOUGH RECALLED, “I THINK THAT THE WAR WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO MY DAD. HE NEVER SPOKE ABOUT IT MUCH, BUT THE FRIENDSHIPS THAT HE DEVELOPED THROUGH HIS CONTACTS IN THE WAR WENT ON RIGHT UNTIL HIS DEATH…IT’S PROBABLY LIKE BEING ON A TEAM, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK IT’S THAT FELLOWSHIP YOU GET FROM RELYING ON PEOPLE, AND TRAINING WITH PEOPLE, AND GETTING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. I THINK THAT’S SORT OF A BIG PART OF IT.” AINSCOUGH ELABORATED ON HIS MOTIVES FOR DONATING THE COLLECTION, STATING, “I THINK [THE OBJECTS ARE] A BIG PART OF SOUTH ALBERTA’S HISTORY. DAD WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE MILITARY AND THE MILITIA FOR MANY YEARS. I THINK THAT’S THE BIGGEST PART [OF WANTING TO DONATE THE OBJECTS]…IT’S DIVESTING, BECAUSE AFTER MY DAD DIED [IN 1992], MY MOTHER STAYED IN THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS, AND THEN SHE MOVED OUT TO THE COAST. IT WAS AT THAT TIME, WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE STUFF IN THE HOUSE, THAT WE THOUGHT THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO GET IT DOWN TO SOMEPLACE LIKE THE GALT THAT WOULD LOOK AFTER IT.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FAMILY MILITARY SERVICE FILES, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ON WILLIAM GEORGE AND REED AINSCOUGH, A RESUME FOR REED AINSCOUGH, AND THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20160017001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20160017006

Acquisition Date

2016-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail