Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1945

Materials

COTTON CANVAS, PLASTIC, STEEL

No. Pieces

4

Length

43.0

Width

35.1

Description

INSIDE FLAP CONTAINS 3 MAP MARKING PENCILS. INTERIOR OF CASE HAS CLEAR PLASTIC LINER FOR PROTECTION. CASE HAS SPRING STEEL 'H' FRAME FOR RIGIDNESS. SNAP CLOSURES, CARRYING STRAP AND METAL CLIP. NAME "O'MEARA" PENCILLED ON BACK. MILITARY USE.

Subjects

PERSONAL GEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

CANADIAN ARMY ISSUE. DONOR'S BROTHER, E.W.B. O'MEARA (TED) B. 1918, EDUCATED IN WESTMINSTER & CENTRAL SCHOOLS (LETHBRIDGE) GRADUATED 1941, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. JOINED CANADIAN ARMY, D. 1945 ACHIEVED RANK LIEUTENANT, ACTING CAPTAIN. CASE RETURNED WITH PERSONAL EFFECTS. *UPDATE* IN 2015 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, INCLUDING A PIANO ASSOCIATED WITH THE O'MEARA FAMILY. SHE FOUND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT LIEUTENANT EDMUND O'MEARA, ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS MAP CASE, VIA THE LETHBRIDGE CENOTAPH PROJECT: "EDMUND O'MEARA WAS BORN ON MARCH 2, 1919 IN BATTLEVIEW, ALBERTA [TO] GEORGE AND FLORENCE O'MEARA... HE WAS A GRADUATE OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE, AND WENT ON TO EARN A BACHELOR OF COMMERCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA... ON JULY 17, 1940 HE VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE WITH THE CALGARY HIGHLANDERS AND WAS COMMISSIONED AS A LIEUTENANT. HE SPENT SIXTEEN MONTHS TRAINING IN CANADA... [IN] 1941 LIEUTENANT O'MEARA ARRIVED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND WAS TRANSFERRED TO A CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNIT. HE SERVED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR OVER TWO YEARS, AND IN APRIL 1944 HE WAS TAKEN ON STRENGTH BY THE REGINA RIFLE REGIMENT. ON JULY 9, 1944 HE ARRIVED IN NORMANDY [AND] TOOK PART IN ALLIED OPERATIONS IN FRANCE, BELGIUM, AND THE NETHERLANDS OVER THE NEXT SEVEN MONTHS. ON FEBRUARY 8, 1945 LIEUTENANT O'MEARA WAS KILLED IN ACTION WHILE SERVING IN THE NETHERLANDS... [HE] WAS AWARDED THE 1939-45 STAR, FRANCE-GERMANY STAR, DEFENCE MEDAL, WAR MEDAL, CANADIAN VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL WITH CLASP, [AND] THE MEMORIAL CROSS." THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE DONOR, ISOBEL WRAY, WAS FOUND IN HER LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. ISOBEL FLORENCE O'MEARA WRAY WAS BORN IN INNISFAIL, ALBERTA IN 1922 AND MOVED WITH HER FAMILY TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1929. SHE ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, STUDYING ARCHITECTURE. ISOBEL MARRIED MILTON 'BUD' WRAY IN 1948, AND THEY RAISED THREE DAUGHTERS IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE DIED IN 2007. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19710167000 FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE MATERIALS AND FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE O'MEARA FAMILY.

Catalogue Number

P19880029000

Acquisition Date

1988-04

Collection

Museum

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