PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC

Description: 9MM. SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL. PISTOL IS MADE OF STAINLESS STEEL. SLIDE ON TOP IS MOSTLY OPEN REVEALING BARREL. FRONT OF SLIDE HAS SIGHT POST AND BACK HAS OPEN V-SIGHT. BACK SIDES OF SLIDE HAS FLUTED RIDGES AND BOTTOM LEFT SIDE OF SLIDE HAS PORTION CHIPPED AWAY. LEFT SIDE OF SLIDE HAS "P. BERETTA -CAL. 9 CORTO-MC 1934 BREVETTATO GARDONE V.T. 1937 - XVI" STAMPED INTO IT. RIGHT SIDE OF SLIDE HAS "664922" STAMPED INTO IT. BENEATH IT ON RIGHT SLIDE RAIL IS ALSO "664922". ON LEFT SLIDE RAIL IS TAB SWITCH WITH "S" AND "F" AND A RED DOT AS SAFETY SWITCH. STAMPED ON LEFT SIDE OF RECEIVER HOUSING JUST BELOW HAMMER IS A CROWN AND "RE". BUTT OF PISTOL HAS BLACK BAKELITE GRIPS WITH RAISED BORDER. IN MIDDLE OF EACH GRIP IS CIRCULAR AREA OF LOW RELIEF WITH STYLIZED "PB" INSIDE. STAMPED ON END OF BUTT BESIDE MAGAZINE RELEASE IS "S" AND "V". METAL HAS SMALL AMOUNT OF PITTING AND CORROSION AROUND TRIGGER. ALL METAL IS TARNISHED.

History: PISTOL BELONGED TO DONOR'S HUSBAND, JOSEPH ROBIN TOOGOOD. MR. TOOGOOD WISHED HIS GUNS TO BE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM. FIREARMS OWNED BY LIEUTENANT J. ROBIN (BOB) TOOGOOD OF FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA. TOOGOOD JOINED LETHBRIDGE’S 20TH FIELD BATTERY IN SEPTEMBER 1939, ONE OF FOUR BATTERIES THAT, BY YEAR’S END, WOULD BELONG TO THE 2ND ANTI-TANK (A/T) REGIMENT, RCA. HE SERVED OVERSEAS WITH THE 2ND A/T REGIMENT FOR A TIME, RECEIVING HIS COMMISSION IN AUGUST 1943. TOOGOOD WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE 4TH A/T REGIMENT AND SERVED IN ITALY. IN DECEMBER 1944, LT. TOOGOOD WAS PART OF DESPERATE DEFENSE TO MAINTAIN A CANADIAN BRIDGEHEAD ACROSS THE NAVIGLIO CANAL. THE GERMANS LAUNCHED FOURTEEN COUNTERATTACKS WITH TANKS AGAINST THE CANADIANS IN AN EFFORT TO PUSH THEM BACK ACROSS THE CANAL. IN A WAR CORRESPONDENT’S COMMUNIQUÉ, TOOGOOD WAS PERSONALLY CREDITED AS HAVING A ROLE IN THE CANAL’S DEFENSE, LEADING HIS GUNNERS TO DESTROY A PANTHER TANK. TOOGOOD RETURNED HOME IN 1945 AND JOINED THE 93RD FIELD BATTERY, 18TH FIELD REGIMENT, RCA IN FORT MACLEOD. HE REMAINED WITH THE RESERVE BATTERY UNTIL THE EARLY 50S AND WAS AWARDED THE CANADIAN EFFICIENCY MEDAL FOR 12 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON, PLEASE SEE DONATION'S PERMANENT FILE, ARTIFACT P19960061001-GA AND ARCHIVAL PHOTO P19991039019-GP.