Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

EXPENDED

Date

1941

Materials

BRASS, STEEL

No. Pieces

2

Length

18.2

Description

20 MM CAL. "20 MM BBC 1941" ON BASE. CARTRIDGE FIRED. BULLET REPLACED. OERLIK ON CANNON STEEL CASE, USA. CED.

Subjects

ARMAMENT-AMMUNITION

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

*UPDATE* IN 2012 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT DAVID SMITH CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. HE LEARNED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: THE FOLLOWING REFLECTIONS ARE OF CARL NELSON FRASER AS REMEMBERED BY DAUGHTER MURIEL JEAN GOIAN, “ALBERT WESLEY FRASER AND ELIZA PIERCE, PARENTS OF CARL NELSON FRASER, ARRIVED IN CANADA FROM EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND. CARL WAS BORN ON JULY 2, 1906 IN BARRIE, ONTARIO. WHEN CARL WAS A TODDLER, THE YOUNG FRASER FAMILY MOVED WEST TO ALBERTA TO THE DISTRICT SURROUNDING LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA TO A CATTLE RANCH. ALBERT AND ELIZA RANCHED WITH THEIR YOUNG FAMILY WELL INTO THEIR LATER YEARS. WHILE RANCHING CONTINUES IN SOUTH WESTERN ALBERTA TODAY, IT WAS ONLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY THAT THE RANCHES DOMINATED SOUTHERN ALBERTA BEFORE HOMESTEADERS AND SETTLEMENT FENCED IN THE GREAT OPEN RANGES. CARL GREW UP DURING THIS TIME RANCHING AND HORSEBACK RIDING AND LEARNING THE TRADE OF A RANCH HAND ALONG WITH HIS SIX YOUNGER BROTHERS, RALPH, BRUCE, LORNE, LEON, DONALD AND ARCHIE. CARL MET THE WOMAN OF HIS DREAMS, FREDA MAY SHORTO, IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. CARL FELL IN LOVE WITH FREDA (HOW HE LOVINGLY NICKNAMED “QUEENIE”) AND THEY MARRIED. THEY STARTED A NEW LIFE TOGETHER IN LETHBRIDGE. FREDA BORE CARL THREE CHILDREN, DAUGHTER MURIEL JEAN BORN IN 1934, AND TWO SONS, ROBERT BOYD BORN IN 1938 AND NEILSON MCGREGOR BORN IN 1939. IN 1939, WHEN CARL WAS 33 YEARS OLD, HE JOINED THE ARMED FORCES, ARMY DIVISION. FOUR OF CARL’S BROTHERS ALSO JOINED THE SERVICE. BRUCE WENT INTO THE AIR FORCE, RALPH, LORNE AND LEON ALL JOINED THE ARMY ALONG WITH CARL. NONE OF CARL’S BROTHERS HAD ANY CHILDREN, HOWEVER THEY ALL MARRIED EXCEPT FOR ARCHIE. CARL HAD A VERY YOUNG FAMILY AT THE TIME OF HIS ENTRANCE TO THE ARMED FORCES SO CARL’S DUTIES WERE GEARED CLOSER TO THE HOME FRONT BECAUSE OF HIS YOUNG FAMILY. HIS DUTIES DURING HIS FURLOUGH IN ARMY LIFE INCLUDED GUARDING GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR WHO WERE CONTAINED AT THE KANANASKIS-SEEBE IN THE KANANASKIS MOUNTAINS OF ALBERTA. DESPITE THE FACT THAT LETHBRIDGE WAS HOME TO OVER 13,341 GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR AT POW CAMP 133, THE LARGEST IN CANADA AND ANOTHER POW CAMP 132 (MEDICINE HAT), CARL PERFORMED MOST, IF NOT ALL, HIS MILITARY DUTIES AT THE POW CAMP KANANASKIS-SEEBE. THE PRISONERS FELLED THE TIMBER AND BRUSH BELOW THE PRESENT WATER LINE. CARL WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF REGIMENTAL ENGINEERS (REME) AND WAS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING VEHICLES AND ENSURING ALL RAN PROPERLY. HE ENJOYED THE SERVICE AND BEING IN CHARGE OF THE MEN. HE TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN HIS SERVICE AND HIS COUNTRY. CARL ALWAYS LOOKED SHARP IN HIS UNIFORM. HE MOVED UP IN RANKS QUICKLY AND BECAME A STAFF SERGEANT CLOSER TO THE END OF HIS THREE-YEAR ENLISTMENT. HIS FIRST AND ONLY ENLISTMENT OR TOUR OF DUTY WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER CARL RECALLS A TIME WHEN HE WAS IN CHARGE OF REME. DURING ONE DAY OF MANEUVERS A LARGE TRUCK HAD TO TRAVERSE OVER A LARGE EMBANKMENT AND COULDN’T MAKE IT ACROSS, CONSEQUENTLY THE TRUCK GOT STUCK RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EMBANKMENT. CARL WAS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE IN GETTING THE TRUCK OUT OF ITS PREDICAMENT WITH THE HELP OF A TOW TRUCK. THIS INCIDENT BROKE THE MONOTONY OF THIS PARTICULAR DAY. CARL AND HIS TWO YOUNG SONS, ROBERT BOYD (BOB) AND NEILSON MCGREGOR (NEIL) ENJOYED SPENDING TIME TOGETHER. BOB AND NEIL BOTH JOINED THE CADETS, BOB IN SEA CADETS, NEIL IN ARMY CADETS. MURIEL REMEMBERS WHEN HER DAD AND HER TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS WERE HAVING A BRASS POLISHING CONTEST, EVERYTHING HAD TO LOOK SHARP. “WE WENT THROUGH BRASS POLISH LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW,” EXPLAINS MURIEL. CARL WAS ALWAYS PRACTICING WITH HIS SONS, DRILLING, TRAINING, MARCHING, SALUTING AND TEACHING HIS YOUNG SONS ABOUT MILITARY RULES AND ETIQUETTE WHICH WE HE WAS SO VERY PROUD. THEY HAD FUN TOGETHER. WHEN BOB TURNED 17, HE JOINED THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY WHERE HE REMAINED UNTIL HE RETIRED. AFTER HIS TOUR OF DUTY WAS UP IN 1942, CARL BEGAN WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA IN THE ROAD MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. CARL QUIT THE ROAD MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA WHEN HIS BELOVED WIFE FREDA MAY WAS TAKEN FROM HIS SIDE SUDDENLY ON OCTOBER 25, 1942 AT 4:30 P.M. BY A CRAZED GUNMAN. HE THEN TOOK A SIMILAR JOB WORKING FOR THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN ORDER TO STAY CLOSER TO HOME TO LOOK AFTER HIS YOUNG FAMILY AS HE WAS BEING THREATENED AT THAT TIME BY SOCIAL SERVICES THAT HIS CHILDREN WOULD BE TAKEN FROM HIM. FREDA’S MOTHER HONORA SHORTO (WHO WAS 55 OR SO AT THE TIME) TOOK OVER THE RUNNING OF THE HOUSEHOLD DUTIES OF COOKING AND CLEANING ALONG WITH THE ELDEST CHILD MURIEL WHO WAS 11 AT THE TIME. AFTER ONE YEAR OF ROAD MAINTENANCE FOR THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE, CARL WAS PROMOTED OR GRADUATED TO HIS NEW POSITION AS GARBAGE MAN. CARL RETAINED HIS SCOTTISH HERITAGE AND LOVED THE BAGPIPES. HE WOULD PRACTICE AND “PLAY” THE PIPES DOWNSTAIRS AT MURIEL’S HOME SO AS TO NOT ANNOY ANYONE WITH HIS PLAYING. BENOUNCED TO HIM, HOWEVER, THE SCREECHING NOISE WOULD MAKE ITS WAY THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. YOU COULDN’T HELP BUT LAUGH AT THE ENTIRE SCENE. RIGHT UP UNTIL CARL’S DEATH, CARL LOVED TO TALK ABOUT HIS SERVICE AND HIS BELOVED COUNTRY, THE ARMY AND ITS PERSONNEL. HE NEVER STOPPED HIS MORNING ROUTINE EITHER, ALWAYS GETTING UP AT 5 A.M. FOR HIS MORNING CONSTITUTIONAL NO MATTER THE WEATHER. HE ALWAYS KEPT HIMSELF TRIM AND HEALTHY AND ALWAYS FIT AND SHARP. CARL DIED AT THE AGE OF 85 IN LETHBRIDGE. HE WAS LAID TO REST WITH A PROPER MILITARY FUNERAL. THE LETHBRIDGE LEGION PREPARED THE MILITARY SERVICE COMPLETE WITH FLAG, 21 GUN SALUTE AND PLAYING TAPS. HE WAS HONORED PROPERLY.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19705427000

Acquisition Date

1970-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail