Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

VOLUNTEER SERVICE, DEFENCE, 1939-1945 MEDALS GROUPING

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

METAL, RIBBON

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.0

Length

11.1

Width

11.5

Description

THREE CANADIAN SECOND WORLD WAR MEDALS MOUNTED ONTO LOCKING PIN. MEDALS ARE DESCRIBED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: - DEFENCE MEDAL. SILVER CIRCULAR MEDAL, ON FRONT OF MEDAL, IMAGE OF KING GEORGE VI WITH NO CROWN IS FACING LEFT, TEXT “GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP.” ENCIRCLING IMAGE. BACKSIDE OF MEDAL FEATURES ROYAL CREST WITH DATES “1939 1945” AT TOP OF MEDAL, AND TEXT “THE DEFENCE MEDAL” AT BOTTOM OF MEDAL. MEDAL IS ATTACHED TO RIBBON WITH ORANGE CENTRE, AND GREEN STRIPES ON EITHER SIDE OF CENTRE, EACH GREEN STRIPE FEATURES A THIN BLACK STRIPE DOWN CENTRE. SAFTEY PIN ATTACHED TO BACK OF RIBBON. - CANADIAN VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL WITH SILVER CLASP. SILVER CIRCULAR MEDAL, ON FRONT OF MEDAL, IMAGE OF 7 FIGURES MARCHING WITH TEXT “1939 CANADA 1945 VOLUNTARY SERVICE VOLUNTAIRE” ENCIRCLING IMAGE. BACKSIDE OF MEDAL FEATURES COAT OF ARMS OF CANADA, “A-MARI-USQUE-AD-MARE.” MEDAL IS ATTACHED TO RIBBON WITH A DARK BLUE CENTRE, SCARLET STRIPES, AND DARK GREEN STRIPES ON EITHER SIDE OF CENTRE. SILVER BAR WITH MAPLE LEAF IN MIDDLE, ATTACHED TO LOWER MIDDLE OF RIBBON. - WAR MEDAL 1939-1945 WITH BRONZE OAK LEAF EMBLEM, MENTION-IN-DISPATCHES (M.I.D). SILVER CIRCULAR MEDAL WITH IMAGE OF KING GEORGE VI WITH A CROWN IS FACING LEFT, TEXT “GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX ET INDIAE OMP:” ENCIRCLING IMAGE. BACKSIDE OF MEDAL FEATURES IMAGE OF A LION STANDING ON THE BODY OF A DOUBLE-HEADED DRAGON, DATES “1939 1945” AT TOP OF MEDAL. MEDAL IS ATTACHED TO RIBBON WITH DARK BLUE, WHITE, AND RED STRIPES. BRONZE OAK LEAF ATTACHED TO UPPER MIDDLE OF RIBBON AT ANGLE, STALK OF OAK LEAF POINTED DOWNWARDS, TOWARDS RIGHT SHOULDER WHEN WORN. EACH MEDAL RIBBON EDGES ARE FRYING ON BACK, METAL OF MEDALS IS DISCOLOURED DARKER THROUGHOUT, SECOND MEDAL IS HEAVILY WORN. OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

COMMEMORATIVE

History

ACCORDING TO WILFRED ALEXANDER JONES (C135) SERVICE RECORDS, ON PAGE 29-30 OF THE .PDF FILE, HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING AWARDS POSTHUMOUSLY: “DEFENCE MEDAL, GEN. SER. MEDAL, C.V.S.M [CANADIAN VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL], M.I.D [MENTION IN DISPATCHES]” WITH AN ADDITIONAL AWARD AND CLASP FOR THE “C.V.S.M.” ACCORDING TO WILFRED ALEXANDER JONES (C135) SERVICE RECORDS, ON PAGE 13 OF THE PDF FILE W. A. JONES WAS AWARDED THE ‘MENTION IN DISPATCHES’ BRONZE OAK LEAF EMBLEM “EFF. 8-6-44 (JUNE 8, 1944)…” THE FOLLOWING BRIEF HISTORY OF GROUP CAPTAIN W. A. JONES INVOLVEMENT IN THE NUMBER 8 BOMBING AND GUNNERY SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, IS EXCERPTED FROM MAJOR CHRISTOPHER R. KILFORD'S BOOK 'LETHBRIDGE AT WAR: THE MILITARY HISTORY OF LETHBRIDGE FROM 1990 TO 1996' (BATTERY BOOKS & PUBLISHING, 1996): ON PAGE 106, MAJOR KILFORD WROTE: “…ON 8 NOVEMBER 1941, NUMBER 8 BOMBING AND GUNNERY SCHOOL (NUMBER 8 B&GS) WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED… THE FIRST COMMANDING OFFICER WAS GROUP CAPTAIN W. A. JONES. IT WOULD BE HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR AIR GUNNERS AND AIR OBSERVERS…” MAJOR KILFORD, ON PAGE 106-107, WROTE: “…ABOUT 100 SQUARE MILES OF THE BLOOD INDIAN RESERVATION WERE ALSO LEASED AND THEN SUB-DIVIDED INTO DIFFERENT RANGES FOR BOMBING AND GUNNERY PRACTICE…” ACCORDING TO THE STATION DIARY EXCERPT INCLUDED IN THE DONATION, ON JULY 21, 1942, “A UNIQUE GOOD WILL INSPECTION VISIT TO THE STATION [AT NUMBER 8 B&GS] WAS HELD THIS AFTERNOON WHEN CHIEFS OF THE BLOOD INDIAN TRIBE WERE GUESTS FOR A FEW HOURS… [HEAD] CHIEF SHOT-IN-BOTH-SIDES, [MINOR] CHIEF CROSS-CHILD AND [MINOR] CHIEF OWNS-DIFFERENT-HORSES, WERE FLOWN OVER THE AIR FIRING AND BOMBING RANGES AND OVER THEIR OWN RESERVES BY GROUP CAPTAIN JONES. OTHER CHIEFS WHO VISITED THE STATION WERE: [MINOR CHIEF] FRED TAILFEATHERS, [MINOR CHIEF JOHN COTTON, MINOR CHIEF CECIL TALLOW,] HONORARY ‘CHIEF MOUNTAIN’ REV. CANON S.H. MIDDLETON, THE PRINCIPLE OF ST. PAUL’S INDIAN SCHOOL, AND HONORARY ‘CHIEF BRAVE ROCK’ A. MCMILLAN, INDIAN AGENT FROM CARDSTON… IN A VERY SURPRISE FEATURE, GROUP CAPTAIN JONES WAS HONORED BY THE VISITING CHIEFS WITH FEATHERED HEADDRESS AND FULL REGALIA, IN A BEFITTING CEREMONY THEY NAMED THIS SCHOOL’S COMMANDING OFFICER TO BE KNOWN AS [HONORARY] ‘CHIEF HEAVY SHIELDS.’ CHIEF SHOT-IN-BOTH-SIDES PRESIDED AT THE CEREMONY, WITH [MINOR] CHIEF PERCY CREIGHTON ACTING AS INTERPRETER. THE HONOURARY TITLE GIVEN TO GROUP CAPTAIN JONES IS PARTICULARLY FITTING AS THE ORIGINAL CHIEF HEAVY SHIELDS, WHO DIED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WAS A GREAT WARRIOR IN THE EARLY DAYS AND TOOK PART IN MANY RAIDS. HE WAS AN OUTSTANDING MEDICINE MAN OF AUTHORITY, AND WAS THE OWNER OF SEVERAL RITUALISTIC CHARMS WHICH HAVE BEEN HANDED DOWN FROM THE PAST. HE WAS A KINDLY CHIEF OF GOOD JUDGEMENT, AND WAS THE LAST OF THE SURVIVING CHIEF TO SIGN THE ORIGINAL INDIAN TREATY. THE CHIEF WAS A GREAT FRIEND OF ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL AND OF THE WHITE MAN…” ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2024, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN, KEVIN MACLEAN, AND GALT INTERN, TESS MCNAUGHTON, INTERVIEWED STUART JONES, TONY JONES, AND KEVIN JONES, ABOUT THE DONATION OF A KAINAI HEADDRESS, FLYING GAUNTLETS, BLACKFOOT BEADED GLOVES, RCAF OFFICER’S SWORD WITH SCABBARD, CANADIAN MEMORIAL CROSS, AND SECOND WORLD WAR MEDAL GROUPING. THESE ITEMS ALL BELONGED TO GROUP CAPTAIN WILFRED ALEXANDER JONES; THE DONOR’S, DR. KEVIN E. JONES, GRANDFATHER, AND STUART JONES AND TONY JONES FATHER. ON HOW W. A. JONES CAME TO BE IN LETHBRIDGE, STU EXPLAINED: “…[DAD] BUILT MOSSBANK, IN SASKATCHEWAN, AND THEN WAS TRANSFERRED TO [THE NUMBER 8 BOMBING AND GUNNERY SCHOOL] HERE [IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA]…” TONY ELABORATED ON HOW W. A. JONES BECAME INVOLVED WITH THE KAINAI BLOOD RESERVE: “…HERE [IN CANADA], THE GOVERNMENT WAS TAKING OVER THIS LAND, AND IT WAS JUST RUNNING ROUGH-SHOD OVER THE NATIVE PEOPLE. AND SO, DAD… HE BEFRIENDED THEM, AND GOT THEIR FRIENDSHIP… SOME OF THEM HAD NEVER SEEN AN AIRPLANE BEFORE; NEVER BEEN UP CLOSE TO ONE; HE TOOK THEM UP FLYING…” STU CONTINUED ON AN IDEA THAT W. A. JONES HAD INVOLVING WORKING WITH THE KAINAI RESERVE: “…THE FAIREY BATTLE WAS THE AIRCRAFT THAT THEY USED FOR PULLING A DROGUE… AND [IN TRAINING] THEY’D [TARGET] SHOOT ON THAT [DROUGE]. [RECRUITS] HAD DIFFERENT COLORED BLANKS, OR SHOTS (BLACK OR RED), TO TELL WHO HAD DONE THE JOB, AND WHO HADN’T; WHO WAS CLOSEST TO THE BULLSEYE… SO, WHEN IT CAME TIME TO DROP ONE OF THESE CHUTES, WHERE DO YOU DROP IT? YOU CAN’T DROP [A DROGUE-CHUTE WITHIN] AN AIRDROME, BECAUSE THERE’S ANOTHER PLANE FLYING OFF, AND IT MIGHT NOT SEE THE CABLE… SO, IT HAD TO BE DROPPED [SOMEWHERE SAFE]… DAD CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF WORKING WITH THE BLOODS. HE HAD TO GET PERMISSION FROM OTTAWA, (WHICH HE GOT)… [MEMBERS OF THE KAINAI RESERVE] KNEW THE PLANES WERE FLYING OVER AND BEING SHOT AT THE DROGUES. (THEY’D PROBABLY STAY OUT OF THE WAY BECAUSE BULLETS FALL). [THEN] THEY WENT AND PICKED UP THESE DROGUES, WRAPPED THEM UP UNDER THEIR ARMS AND KEPT THEM LONG ENOUGH TO BRING A SUPPLY OF THEM TO THE STATION, FOR WHICH THEY GOT REIMBURSED…” ON IF THEY, AS W. A. JONES’ FAMILY, WERE TOLD OF ANYTHING RELATED TO W. A. JONES STARTING THE NUMBER 8 B&GS, TONY SHARED: “…[THE RCAF] WERE SO INTENT ON TRAINING AND GETTING PEOPLE THROUGH, MOST OF THE COURSES WERE ABOUT 6 WEEKS LONG…” TONY REITERATED: “LETHBRIDGE WAS VERY, VERY PROMINENT. [NUMBER 8 B&GS] TRAINED A LOT OF PEOPLE.” STU ADDED TO THE QUESTION: “WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSPIRED IS THAT HAVING BEEN THERE [AT NUMBER 8 B&GS] A YEAR AS COMMANDING OFFICER, THE AIR FORCE STATION WAS BUILT, BUT IT WASN’T FINISHED. THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF… DIFFERENT ITEMS THAT NEEDED TO BE SEEN-TO. AND THEN THEY HAD AN OPENING DAY, WHICH WAS TO BRING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO THAT OPENING… HE REALLY WASN’T HOME MUCH BECAUSE HE WAS BUSY. HE HAD A LOT ON HIS PLATE!...” WHEN ASKED WHAT SUITED THEIR FATHER FOR HIS ROLE AT THE NUMBER 8 B&GS, STU REFLECTED: “HE DID SUCH A [GOOD] TEACHING JOB, BECAUSE HE WAS A BORN-TEACHER, RIGHT FROM COLLEGE. THAT WAS FLYING TRAINING. SO, IT WAS A NATURAL FOR HIM TO CARRY ON WITH THAT ABILITY…” STU ELABORATED ON WHAT THEIR FATHER DID AFTER LEAVING LETHBRIDGE: “…DAD LEFT FOR ENGLAND IN NOVEMBER OF ’43, AND WAS COMMANDING OFFICER OF THUNDERBIRD, AND GOOSE SQUADRONS…” ON LOSING THEIR FATHER MAY 4, 1944, STU RECALLED: “ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY MIGHT HAVE HIT US, MOM SHARED WITH ME THAT, IN THE TEN YEARS THAT THEY WERE MARRIED, ‘MAYBE I HAD A HUSBAND ONE OF THEM.’ THAT’S HOW IT WAS. HE WOULD HAVE LIVED AT THIS AERODROME.” TONY ADDED: “…WE GREW UP WITH AIR FORCE FRIENDS, AND HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT OUR DAD THROUGH FRIENDS…” STU ELABORATED ON HEARING ABOUT THEIR FATHER THROUGH AIR FORCE FRIENDS: “…WHEN DAD DIED… THEY HAD A WONDERFUL CEREMONY WITH A SENIOR OFFICER WALKING WITH THE GUN CARRIAGE, AND IT TOOK A LOT OF THE FELLOW PILOTS, AIRCREW, THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED AT THE STATION. DAD HAD TRAINED THEM HERE!... THEY LOVED OUR DAD. HE WAS A FANTASTIC LEADER… THEY REALLY FELT THEY HAD LOST SOMETHING WHEN THEY HAD TO PUT HIM TO REST…” TONY STATED WHAT W. A. JONES SERVICE NUMBER WAS: “…DAD WAS C135. THAT WAS HIS NUMBER” ON WHERE THE DONATED ITEMS LIVED BEFORE COMING INTO THEIR POSSESSIONS, TONY RECALLED: “THEY WERE PUT ASIDE, PUT AWAY SOMEWHERE. I WASN’T AWARE OF THEM UNTIL I WAS IN MY TEENS… MOM HAD STEAMER TRUNKS WITH CUNARD STICKERS ON THEM, AND I THINK A LOT OF THE THINGS WERE STUFFED IN THEM…” WHEN ASKED WHAT HAS BEEN THE ORDER OF POSSESSION FOR THE DONATED ITEMS, TONY STATED: “BOTH OF OURS [STU AND I]” STU ADDED: “I DIDN’T WANT TO HOG THEM AND WE SHARED [THE ITEMS] BACK-AND-FORTH…” ON A SERENDIPITOUS MOMENT THAT HAPPENED WHILE VISITING HARROGATE (STONEFALL) CEMETERY, IN YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, TONY EXPRESSED: “… (GLORIA, KEVIN, AND MYSELF), WENT TO HARROGATE IN 2000, AND WE’RE TOURING THE CEMETERY, AND FOUND OUR DAD’S HEADSTONE, AND PLACE OF REST. LATER ON, WE WENT TO TOUR YORK MINSTER, WHERE THERE IS A HUGE MEMORIAL TO THE AIRMEN THAT SERVED, MAINLY ALL THE COMMONWEALTH FORCES TRAINED, OR WORKED [IN EUROPE]… KEVIN WAS WANDERING AROUND YORK MINSTER, AND SUDDENLY CALLS TO MYSELF, AND GLORIA. [WE] WALK OVER TO THIS HUGE MEMORIAL, AND THERE’S A BOOK OPEN, AND IT WAS OPEN TO THE PAGE OF OUR FATHER.” ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA WEBSITE, ON THE ‘CANADIAN VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL’ PAGE; THIS MEDAL IS “…GRANTED TO PERSONS OF ANY RANK IN THE NAVAL, MILITARY OR AIR FORCES OF CANADA WHO VOLUNTARILY SERVED ON ACTIVE SERVICE AND HONOURABLY COMPLETED EIGHTEEN MONTHS TOTAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE FROM 3 SEPTEMBER 1939 TO 1 MARCH 1947.” ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA WEBSITE, ON THE ‘MENTION IN DISPATCHES’ PAGE; THE BRONZE OAK LEAF ATTACHED TO THE THIRD RIBBON IS THE “MENTION IN DISPATCHES” INSIGNIA. THIS INSIGNIA IS “…AWARDED FOR VALIANT CONDUCT, DEVOTION TO DUTY OR OTHER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE.” ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA WEBSITE, ON THE ‘DEFENCE MEDAL’ PAGE; THE EXACT TERMS FOR BEING AWARDED THIS MEDAL ARE AS FOLLOWS, “…SERVICE IN THE FORCES IN NON-OPERATIONAL AREAS SUBJECTED TO AIR ATTACK OR CLOSELY THREATENED, PROVIDING SUCH SERVICE LASTED FOR THREE OR MORE YEARS. SERVICE OVERSEAS OR OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE, PROVIDING THAT SUCH SERVICE LASTED FOR ONE YEAR, EXCEPT IN TERRITORIES THREATENED BY THE ENEMY OR SUBJECT TO BOMB ATTACKS, IN WHICH CASE IT WAS SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO 02 SEPTEMBER 1945.” ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA WEBSITE, ON THE ‘MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL (MSM)’ PAGE; THE SILVER SLAP ON THE SECOND RIBBON WOULD BE, “AWARDED FOR FURTHER ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD HAVE WARRANTED AWARD OF THE MEDAL.” ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA WEBSITE, ON THE ‘WAR MEDAL 1939-1945’ PAGE; “THE MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO ALL FULL-TIME PERSONNEL OF THE ARMED FORCES AND MERCHANT MARINES FOR SERVING FOR 28 DAYS BETWEEN 03 SEPTEMBER 1939 AND 02 SEPTEMBER 1945. IN THE MERCHANT NAVY, THE 28 DAYS MUST HAVE BEEN SERVED AT SEA.” WILFRED ALEXANDER JONES WAS BORN DECEMBER 27, 1904, IN THE TOWNSHIP OF TINY IN SIMCOE COUNTY, ONTARIO, CANADA. W.A. JONES JOINED THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) IN 1930, MOVING THROUGH THE RANKS AND BECOMING A GROUP CAPTAIN; SERVICE NUMBER C.135. W. A. JONES BECAME THE FIRST COMANDING OFFICER OF NUMBER 8 BOMBING & GUNNERY SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA; HE HELD THIS POSITION FROM OCTOBER 15, 1941 – JAN 28, 1943. W. A. JONES DIED MAY 4, 1944, IN ENGLAND, DUE TO A ‘NATURAL DEATH.’ HIS DEATH WIDOWED HIS WIFE, KATHLEEN ST. CLAIR JONES NEE ORR; MARRIED DECEMBER 29, 1934. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON W. A. JONES MEDAL GROUPING, INCLUDING SERVICE RECORDS, LETHBRIDGE HERALD RESEARCH, INFORMATION AND PHOTOS OF W. A. JONES HONOURARY CHIEFTAINSHIP [CHIEF HEAVEY SHIELDS, 1942], HONOURARY CHIEFTAINSHIP CEREMONY, EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE, OR TO SEE THE FULL TRANSCRIPTION INTERVIEW, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE. SEE OBJECT P20240013001-GA FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE HONOURARY CHIEFTAINSHIP CERAMONY.

Catalogue Number

P20240013006

Acquisition Date

2024-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail