Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

R.C.M.P. PEA JACKET

Date Range From

1945

Date Range To

1955

Materials

WOOL, BRASS

No. Pieces

1

Length

90.5

Description

NAVY BLUE WOOL DOUBLE BREASTED JACKET WITH 10 BRASS BUTTONS WITH "R.N.W.M.P." MARKINGS, 6 BRASS BUTTONS FOR EPAULETS & SLEEVES MARKED "R.C.M.P." 2 SIDE & BREAST POCKETS WITH FLAPS. STAFF SARGEANT CHEVRONS, ON RT. FOREARM. RED LINING

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

LABEL INSIDE: "THE WORKMAN UNIFORM COMPANY LIMITED MONTREAL CANADA" & VARIOUS NUMBERS. DONOR BORN IN WINNIPEG, 1907, MOVED TO VANCOUVER 1919, JOINED THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE IN 1932 IN VANCOUVER WHERE HE RECEIVED HIS TRAINING. HE ACHIEVED THE RANK OF STAFF SARGAENT, RETIRING IN 1960 IN VANCOUVER. HE SERVED IN ALBERTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, SASKATCHEWAN, & THE YUKON DURING THE WAR YEARS (DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ALASKA-CANADA HIGHWAY). HE TRAVELLED BY EVERY METHOD POSSIBLE INCLUDING AIRPLANE, DOGTEAM, HORSEBACK, CAR, BOAT & TRAIN DURING HIS PATROLS. THE FORCE WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE ROYAL NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE BETWEEN 1904 & 1920. ALTHOUGH THE DONOR JOINED AFTER THIS ERA, HIS UNIFORM REFLECTS THE CONTINUED USE OF UNIFORM ACCOUTREMENTS WITH "R. NORTH WEST MOUNTED POLICE" MARKING UNTIL STOCK OF THESE ITEMS (BUTTONS, BADGES) WAS USED UP. PEA JACKETS WERE WORN AS WINTER DRESS. SOURCE: UNIFORMS OF THE CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE, JAMES J. BOULTON & DONOR BIO PROVIDED APRIL 25 1991. DONOR SERVED ONE YEAR WITH THE PROBATIONARY BRANCH IN LETHBRIDGE. MARRIED NOVEMBER 11TH TO GRACE WHO HAD FOUR CHILDREN. JOHN (SEATTLE), ROSEMARY, PENELOPE (LETHBRIDGE). SERVED IN OTTAWA'S MOUNTED SECTION AND ALSO PERFORMED IN THE MUSICAL RIDE FOR THREE YEARS. IN TORONTO HE POLICED LABOUR TROUBLE. DURING WORLD WAR TWO HE WAS POSTED TO BRANDON THEN WINNIPEG, TORONTO, EDMONTON AND LETHBRIDGE. HE WAS DISCHARGED WITH 29 YEARS OF SERVICE, RETIRING AS STAFF SERGEANT. AFTER HIS DISCHARGE, HE WORKED IN THE ATTOURNEY GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT AS A LETHBRIDGE PAROLE OFFICER. *UPDATE* IN 2016 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT RUTHANN LABLANCE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF CLOTHING, INCLUDING THE GAUNTLETS DONATED BY BERY ALLAN. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WAS COMPILED USING ARTICLES FROM THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. BERESFORD ‘BERY’ ALLAN WAS BORN NOVEMBER 7, 1907 IN WINNIPEG. RAISED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS, HE SPENT MOST OF HIS YOUTH IN VANCOUVER. HE JOINED THE R.C.M.P. IN 1932 AND WAS POSTED THROUGHOUT CANADA, INCLUDING BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALBERTA, MANITOBA, ONTARIO, AND THE NORTH WEST TERRITORIES. IN NOVEMBER 1937, BERY WAS PART OF THE MUSICAL RIDE AND PERFORMED IN MADISON SQUARE GARDENS IN NYC. HE ALSO SERVED ON THE ESCORT DETAIL FOR KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH WHEN THEY VISITED BANFF. BERY MARRIED HIS TRUE LOVE, GRACE HELENA, BEFORE MOVING TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1944. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HIS RETIREMENT IN 1959, AT THE RANK OF STAFF SERGEANT, BERY TOOK OVER AS THE CIVIL DEFENCE TRAINING OFFICER IN LETHBRIDGE. HE ALSO SPENT APPROXIMATELY 15 YEARS WITH THE FAMILY COURT DIVISION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S DEPARTMENT. BERY PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 93 ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2001. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARD COPIES OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS INTERN KIRSTAN SCHAMUHN CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. ON 19 NOVEMBER 2018, SCHAMUHN INTERVIEWED ROSEMARY ALLAN REGARDING HER FATHER’S, BERESFORD “BERY” ALLAN’S, DONATION. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: OF THIS ARTIFACT, ROSEMARY ALLAN EXPLAINED, “HE WORE THAT…THE RED SERGE AND THE PEA JACKET SORT OF WENT TOGETHER…BUT IT WAS A SPECIAL OCCASION THAT THE RED SERGE CAME OUT AND THE PEA JACKET ONLY WENT WITH THE RED SERGE. THE EVERYDAY, WORKING BROWN I DON’T THINK HE WORE THE PEA JACKET WITH THEM.” “I CAN REMEMBER HIM WEARING THEM FROM TIME TO TIME BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE TO PREPARE TO WEAR THEM. LIKE HE WOULD HAVE TO POLISH THE BRASS BUTTONS, AND HE HAD A CERTAIN KIND OF RED ROUGE THAT HE USED TO POLISH THEM, AND SPECIAL LITTLE METAL THINGS TO PUT UNDERNEATH THE BUTTONS SO THAT THE CLOTH DIDN’T GET SMEARED WITH THE RED ROUGE. IT WAS QUITE A PRODUCTION TO GET THE RED SERGE CLEANED UP, AND EVERYTHING WAS VERY POLISHED.” “THE RED SERGE WOULD COME OUT FROM TIME TO TIME FOR THINGS LIKE PARADES, OR PEOPLE VISITING FOR CERTAIN REASONS. BUT IT DID COME OUT FROM TIME TO TIME.” “THE BREECHES WITH THE YELLOW STRIPE WENT WITH THE RED SERGE, AND THAT ALL WENT WITH THE BOOTS.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE BOOTS AND GAUNTLETS BEING PART OF HER FATHER’S SPECIAL OCCASIONS UNIFORM, ROSEMARY ALLAN RECALLED, “YES, THEY WERE.” ON HER FATHER’S CAREER WITH THE R.C.M.P., ROSEMARY ALLAN REMEMBERED “HIS TRAINING HE RECEIVED IN SASKATCHEWAN. I DON’T KNOW WHEN THAT WAS, HE GOT TO LETHBRIDGE AFTER HIS TOUR OF DUTY IN THE YUKON. HE WAS THE ONLY CROWN REPRESENTATIVE IN THE NORTH.” “I DON’T KNOW WHEN THE ALASKA HIGHWAY WAS [BUILT], BUT AFTER IT OPENED HE WAS THERE, MAYBE FOR ANOTHER YEAR, A YEAR AND A HALF OR SO, AND [THEN] HE WAS MOVED AND RELOCATED BY THE R.C.M.P TO LETHBRIDGE.” “HE WAS NEVER MOVED AFTER BECOMING THE STAFF SERGEANT OF THE R.C.M.P. DETACHMENT IN LETHBRIDGE, HE WAS ALWAYS THERE.” “[AFTER LEAVING THE R.C.M.P.] HE WORKED FOR CIVIL DEFENSE FOR A YEAR, AND AFTER CIVIL DEFENSE HE WAS HIRED TO BECOME A PROBATION OFFICER TO WORK WITH THE YOUNG, THE YOUTH OFFENDERS.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19860112001 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19860112001

Acquisition Date

1986-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail