Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"14TH DEGREE" MASONIC MEDAL

Date

1978

Materials

BRASS, PAPER, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Length

12.8

Width

7.8

Description

TRIANGULAR MASONIC MEDAL ON RED RIBBON FIXED TO PAPER CARD. FRONT OF CARD HAS SYMBOL OF TRIANGLE WITH FLAME IN CENTER WITH TEXT BELOW “VALLEY OF LETHBRIDGE, REED AISNCOUGH”. UPPER EDGE OF CARD IS TAPED. MEDAL HAS RED RIBBON WITH TWO BRASS BARS; UPPER BAR HAS BLACK BACKGROUND WITH EMBOSSED TEXT “PTPGM”; LOWER BAR HAS ENGRAVED TEXT “LETHBRIDGE”. MEDAL ATTACHED TO RIBBON WITH BRASS RING. MEDAL IS BRASS WITH ONE BLACK AND ONE WHITE TRIANGLE DEPICTED ON FRONT SURROUNDING JEWEL IN CENTER; TRIANGLES HAVE BRASS SYMBOLS IN CORNERS; CENTER JEWEL HAS BRASS SYMBOLS ATTACHED TO FRONT; MEDAL HAS RED TEXT ALONG LOWER EDGE “LODGE OF PERFECTION”. BACK OF MEDAL HAS ENGRAVED TEXT “ILL. BRO. R.W. AINSCOUGH 32 [DEGREE SYMBOL], T.R.G.M. 1977-78”. BACK OF CARD HAS TAPE ALONG UPPER EDGE. MEDAL AND BARS ARE TARNISHED; TEXT AT BOTTOM OF MEDAL FADING AND WORN; CARD HAS STAINING AND SOILING AT TAPE; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

COMMEMORATIVE

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). 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. REED AINSCOUGH WAS PROMOTED TO BRANCH MANAGER OF CANADA LIFE IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, IN 1969 AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE. REED AINSCOUGH WAS A MEMBER OF THE MASONIC LODGE, LODGE OF PERFECTION, ROSE CROIX, CONSISTORY, SHRINE, ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR, AND SERVED AS THE MASTER OF THE LODGE OF PERFECTION UNTIL 1977. ACCORDING TO HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, REED AINSCOUGH WAS ALSO ACTIVE WITH THE FORT MACLEOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, LIONS’ CLUB, HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, AND FORT MACLEOD MUSEUM DURING HIS TIME LIVING IN FORT MACLEOD. IN MEDICINE HAT, AISNCOUGH SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE HEART AND STROKE ASSOCIATION, AND ACTED AS A SENATOR FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE UPON MOVING TO THE CITY. ON OCTOBER 20, 1993, REED WILSON AINSCOUGH PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE. 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.” 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. 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

P20160017010

Acquisition Date

2016-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail