Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1980

Date Range To

2011

Materials

POLYESTER, LEATHER, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Length

26.6

Width

24.1

Description

BLUE BERET WITH BLACK LEATHER TRIM AT OPENING AND BLACK INTERIOR LINING. BERET HAS THREE INSIGNIA BADGES ON FRONT, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: METAL ROYAL CANADIAN ENGINEERS CAP BADGE DEPICTING A CROWN ATOP A BELT SURROUNDED BY MAPLE LEAVES, BELT HAS EMBOSSED TEXT “HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE”, BADGE HAS CUT-OUT CENTER WITH LETTERS “GR VI”, BADGE HAS BANNER AT BOTTOM WITH TEXT “ROYAL CANADIAN ENGINEERS”; EMBROIDERED ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION CREST BADGE, DEPICTS A CROWN ATOP GOLD BADGE WITH RED MAPLE LEAF ON A WHITE BACKGROUND IN CENTER, BADGE HAS TEXT ON GOLD BORDER “MEMORIUM EORUM RETINEBIMUS”, WITH BLUE BANNER AND GOLD TEXT “LEGION” ACROSS BOTTOM ABOVE THREE RED POPPIES ON GOLD; RED FELT POPPY WITH BLACK CENTER AND SILVER PIN ATTACHING IT TO THE BERET. BERET HAS BLACK LACES TIED AT BACK. INSIDE BERET HAS A WHITE TAG WITH BLACK TEXT ON LEFT SIDE, “100% FORTREL POLYESTER, KRYSTAL CAP CO. LTD., 16 PLYMOUTH AVE., TORONTO, CANADA, MEDIUM, MOYEN”. BERET HAS SLIGHT RESIDUE AND GRIME ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

MILITARY

History

ON JUNE 5, 2019, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED CAROL DARMODY REGARDING HER DONATION OF OBJECTS RELATED TO HER PARENTS, IRENE (NEE NAGY) AND JOHN FROUWS. ON HER FATHER’S SERVICE IN THE CANADIAN MILITARY, DARMODY RECALLED, “I THINK IT WAS POVERTY [THAT MOTIVATED DAD TO ENLIST]…DAD STRUGGLED IN THE 1930S. HE WAS PULLED OUT OF GRADE 11 TO WORK IN THE COAL MINE, AND HE GOT A LUCKY BREAK FROM BILL HOPE, TO WORK IN GALT GARDENS WITH PLANTS, BEFORE HE SIGNED UP [FOR THE WAR EFFORT]. THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT, AND THEY BECAME FRIENDS WHEN HE RETURNED FROM THE WAR…HE WAS A GOOD MENTOR TO DAD, AND THAT’S WHERE [HIS] KNOWLEDGE OF PLANTS GREW. [DAD] ENLISTED, BECAUSE THEN HE HAD A CHOICE. HE DIDN’T WANT TO FIGHT IN THE FRONT-LINE, SO, IF YOU VOLUNTEERED EARLY, YOU GOT TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO, SO HE PICKED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, AND HE WAS REALLY WELL-TRAINED.” “MY DAD’S FAMILY CAME [FROM HOLLAND] IN THE ‘20S—’25—AND HIS DAD WANTED TO BE A FARMER HERE, AND [GRANDPA] WAS THE OLDEST, SO HE AGREED TO EMIGRATE FROM HOLLAND. THERE WASN’T ENOUGH LAND [IN HOLLAND]…AND HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO FARM SOMEWHERE ELSE, ‘CAUSE IT WOULDN’T HAVE WORKED OUT STAYING IN HOLLAND. SO, BECAUSE HE DIED IN THE ‘30S, TRYING TO SAVE THAT LITTLE BOY…WHO HAD FALLEN THROUGH THE ICE NEAR THE WEIR IN THE OLDMAN RIVER. THEY BOTH DROWNED…BUT HE HAD A FEW FAILURES, I THINK, WITH FARMING, AND HE DID WORK FOR THE COAL MINING COMPANY…WHEN [GRANDPA] DIED, THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE GAVE HIS WIDOW, AND THE FAMILY, $30.00 A MONTH [I THINK IT WAS RELIEF MONEY]. SO DAD WAS HIGHLY-MOTIVATED. HE DIDN’T WANT TO GO OVERSEAS, AND BE KILLED…BUT, IF HE SIGNED UP EARLY, HE COULD PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT HE WANTED TO DO, AND START SENDING MONEY TO HIS MOTHER…ONLY DAD’S OLDEST SIBLING, GERTRUDE, WAS MARRIED. HIS OTHER SIBLINGS, ALICE, TINA, HARRY, AND JIM WERE YOUNGER AND NOT ABLE TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THEIR MOTHER. THE THREE YOUNGEST WERE STILL IN SCHOOL…THEY WEREN’T OF AN AGE WHERE THEY COULD WORK, AND SUPPORT THE MOTHER. SO, HE WAS IN A GOOD POSITION TO DO SO, BY SIGNING UP [FOR THE MILITARY IN 1940].” “[DAD] REALLY FELT CANADIAN, THROUGH-AND-THROUGH…AS A KID, HIS PARENTS TRUSTED HIM. HE WOULD BE GONE ALL WEEKEND, AT ALEXANDER WILDERNESS, JUST CAMPING WITH A FRIEND. THEY DIDN’T WORRY ABOUT HIM AT THE RIVER BOTTOM. HE LOVED THE COULEES…THIS WAS HOME. HOLLAND DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING TO HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS SO YOUNG WHEN HE CAME HERE…HIS MOM COULDN’T GO BACK, AND SHE PROBABLY HADN’T BONDED AS WELL TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT HER HUSBAND…THE IRONY…HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN HOLLAND [DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR], AND HE WAS AN ASSET, BECAUSE HE COULD SPEAK SOME DUTCH, I’M NOT SURE HOW WELL, BUT IN EMERGENCIES THEY WOULD USE HIM." DARMODY ELABORATED ON HER PARENTS’ RELATIONSHIP, NOTING, “FOR DAD, [THE RELATIONSHIP WITH MOM] STARTED REALLY EARLY. MOM WAS 4 YEARS OLDER, AND HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HER WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY. HE WOULD PLAY WITH HER YOUNGEST BROTHER, BUT 3-4 YEARS [AGE DIFFERENCE WHEN] YOU’RE YOUNG, IS A LOT…HE PROBABLY WAS A NICE KID, BUT SHE DIDN’T SHOW ANY INTEREST. BUT HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HER EARLY, AND HE PROCEEDED…MOM WOULD HAVE BEEN [LIVING] IN DIAMOND CITY. DAD MIGHT HAVE BEEN ON THE NORTH SIDE, THEY HAD A LITTLE HOUSE.” “THINGS WERE HAPPENING DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. MY MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER [VERONA NAGY], HAD AN EXTREMELY UNHAPPY MARRIAGE. MY GRANDFATHER [STEVE NAGY], [HE] ALLEGEDLY DRANK TOO MUCH AND WOULD OFTEN SQUANDER HIS MEAGRE COAL-MINING EARNINGS ON ALCOHOL. IN 1933, SHE DECIDED TO HOMESTEAD IN PEACE RIVER AREA [HARMON VALLEY]. HER THIRD OLDEST SON [LEWIS] CAME WITH HER, AND HE BUILT HER A LOVELY LOG CABIN. DURING THE DEPRESSION, MOM [IRENE NAGY] SPENT TIME IN CHICAGO WITH HER BROTHER STEVE AND HIS FAMILY. SHE ALSO ALTERNATED BETWEEN LETHBRIDGE AND PEACE RIVER. IN PEACE RIVER THEY HAD LOTS TO EAT BUT VERY LITTLE MONEY. THROUGH HER YOUNGEST BROTHER, MITCH, MOM MOST LIKELY LEARNED THAT DAD WAS ABOUT TO ENLIST IN [THE SECOND WORLD WAR]. IN 1939, MY PARENTS ALLEGEDLY STARTED DATING. THEY WOULD SPEND LOTS OF TIME IN THE COULEES HAVING PICNICS AND PICKING SASKATOON BERRIES…THE THIRD OLDEST BROTHER, AND ALL HER SIBLINGS, EXCEPT FOR HER SISTER, MARY, MOVED EVENTUALLY TO PEACE RIVER, AND JUST THE TWO SISTERS REMAINED. DAD ASKED MOM, WHEN THEY MARRIED IN ’43, TO MAKE HER HOME BASE LETHBRIDGE. SHE WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH…TO HELP HER MOM.” “THEY STARTED TO COURT IN THE ‘40S [AND MARRIED IN 1943], BECAUSE HE GOT A LEAVE FROM THE TRAINING CAMP IN ONTARIO…SHE WAS IN PEACE RIVER AT THE TIME, WHEN HE ASKED HER TO MARRY HIM, AND HE WAS ON A SHORT LEAVE. HE TOOK HIS MOTHER, IN HIS CAR, FROM LETHBRIDGE TO PEACE RIVER, AND IT WAS LIKE A MAJOR EXCURSION ON GRAVEL ROADS, TO MEET MOM, AND THEN THE TWO MOTHERS WERE TOGETHER.” DARMODY ELABORATED ON HOW SHE OBTAINED HER PARENTS’ COLLECTION INCLUDING THE TROPHY, NOTING, “[THE OBJECTS CAME INTO MY POSSESSION TOGETHER]…WHEN DAD DIED…[IN] 2011.” “[I WANTED TO KEEP THEM BECAUSE] THEY CONNECT ME TO THE PAST, AND WHEN…THE FORMER GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S WIFE WAS IN LETHBRIDGE, SHE WROTE THAT BOOK, ‘MATRONS AND MADAMS’, SHE SAID IT USUALLY TAKES 3-4 GENERATIONS FOR THE WAR EFFECTS TO BE ELIMINATED, FROM THE GREAT-GREAT-GREAT GRANDKIDS, SO, I WAS INDIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE WAR…I HAD TO TEACH SOCIAL STUDIES AT ONE POINT, IN VANCOUVER, SO I LEARNED, DID A LOT OF PREPARATION. DAD WAS SUPPORTING HIS WIDOWED MOTHER…AFTER 1943, HE WAS SENDING MONEY TO MOM. HE DIDN’T HAVE A LOT OF SPARE MONEY TO BUY THINGS AND SEND BACK HOME…SO THE THINGS HE SENT WERE HUMBLE.” ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE PAY BOOKS OF JOHN W. FROUWS HELD IN THE GALT ARCHIVES [20191038011], STAFF SERGEANT FROUWS [M-35922] ATTESTED WITH THE CANADIAN FORCES ON JUNE 3, 1941. THE WAR DIARY OF THE 10TH CANADIAN FIELD PARK COMPANY, ROYAL CANADIAN ENGINEERS, HELD IN THE GALT ARCHIVES [20191038023] DETAILS THE ACTIONS OF ST. SGT. FROUWS AND HIS COMPANY. AT CAMP PETAWAWA, ONTARIO IN 1942, THE 10TH CANADIAN FIELD PARK COMPANY TOOK ON MEMBERS OF THE 2ND CORPS. FIELD PARK COMPANY, R.C.E., AND ON JULY 22ND, 1942 THE UNIT WAS CHANGED TO THE 2ND CORPS. FIELD PARK COMPANY, R.C.E. ON AUGUST 14TH, 1943, THE NEW WAR ESTABLISHMENT CREATED AN ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL UNIT WITHIN THE FIELD PARK COMPANY. AN ENTRY FROM MARCH 1, 1943 RECORDS FROUWS AS BEING PROMOTED FROM L.CPL. TO A.CPL. AT CAMP PETAWAWA, ONTARIO. FROUWS WAS FURTHER PROMOTED TO L.SGT. ON JUNE 24, 1943 AT ALDERSHOT, NOVA SCOTIA, TO A.SGT. ON JULY 26, 1943, AND TO S.SGT. ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1943 AT MICKLEHAM, SURREY, ENGLAND. THE 2ND CORPS. FIELD PARK COMPANY MOVED FROM CAMP PETAWAWA, ONTARIO TO HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA BEFORE PROCEEDING TO ENGLAND IN AUGUST 1943. THE UNIT SAILED FROM ENGLAND TO JUNO BEACH, NORMANDY IN TWO PARTS ON JULY 11, 1944. ON JULY 14, 1944, S.SGT. FROUWS WAS LISTED AS ACCOMPANYING L.CPL. TRETHEWAY IN “DE-BOOBY-TRAPPING” THE TELEPHONE EXCHANGE IN CAEN, FRANCE. THE COMPANY PROCEEDED THROUGH HOLLAND AND BELGIUM IN 1944 AND 1945, STATIONING AT NIJMEGEN, HOLLAND ON SEPTEMBER 22, 1944, BOURG LEOPOLD, BELGIUM ON SEPTEMBER 29, 1944, WEMMEL, BELGIUM ON OCTOBER 2, 1944, KESSEL, BELGIUM ON OCTOBER 10, 1944, AND TILBURG, HOLLAND BY NOVEMBER 1944. THE COMPANY REMAINED IN HOLLAND UNTIL APRIL 19, 1945, WHEN IT MOVED TO NORDHORN, GERMANY AND REMAINED THROUGH VE DAY ON MAY 9, 1945. FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190010001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190010004

Acquisition Date

2019-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail