Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

JACK KNIFE

Date Range From

1890

Date Range To

1900

Materials

STEEL

No. Pieces

1

Length

9.1

Width

2.2

Description

"?ASERS & CO. SHEFFIELD" STAMPED ON TANG. HANDLE IS DECORATED WITH DIFFERENT SIZED HOLES. BLADE HEAVILY SHARPENED. DIRTY; SOME CORROSION.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DONOR STATES: "MADE BY GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM MCPHAIL AT BELMONT,MANITOBA." HANDLE MAY ALSO BE HANDMADE. *UPDATE* RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED INTO THE DONOR “R. E. ANKILL,” AS ONE OF HIS ARTIFACTS FELL UNDER A 2018 COLLECTIONS AUDIT PERFORMED BY COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK. IT WAS CONFIRMED BY HIS GRAVE MARKER THAT THE DONOR’S FULL NAME WAS ROBERT E. “BOB” ANKILL. ACCORDING TO HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, ANKILL WAS BORN ON JULY 6, 1922 IN PINCHER CREEK, ALBERTA. THE OBITUARY STATES, “HE JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMY IN 1942 AND WAS POSTED IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS FIRST ARMORED DIVISION. AFTER TAKING A WIRELESS OPERATORS COURSE, HE MET HIS FUTURE WIFE PEGGY. HE WAS THEN POSTED IN ITALY AND TOOK PART IN THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN FROM SAN VITO TO MONTE CASINO. SHORTLY AFTER HE WAS POSTED IN HOLLAND AND TOOK PART IN MANY “MOP UP” OPERATIONS AT THE END OF THE INVASION. AFTER HOSTILITIES CEASED HE JOINED AN R.C.A. DANCE AND ENTERTAINMENT BAND AND ENTERTAINED THE TROOPS FOR SIX DAYS A WEEK. IN JULY OF 1945 HE MARRIED THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE PEGGY SIMS AFTER WHICH HE RETURNED TO EUROPE TO PREPARE FOR HIS RETURN TO CANADA…” ATTEMPTS MADE TO CONTACT THE DONOR’S NEXT-OF-KIN FOR ITEM-RELATED HISTORY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. FOR INFORMATION REGARDING ANKILL’S MILITARY CAREER, PLEASE SEE ARTIFACT RECORD P19662374000, AS IT INCLUDES EXCERPTS FROM AN ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY GALT STAFF IN 2012 WITH ANKILL’S DAUGHTER, JEANNE SHEA. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT RECORD FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INCLUDING A COPY OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY.

Catalogue Number

P19651400000

Acquisition Date

1965-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail