Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

R.C.M.P. RED SERGE JACKET

Date

1950

Materials

WOOL, BRASS, COTTON

No. Pieces

1

Length

75.4

Description

RED WITH NAVY BLUE EPAULETS & GORGETS, BRASS BUTTONS ON CUFF, EPAULETS, BREAST POCKETS, & FRONT, EACH MARKED ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE WITH BUFFALO HEAD. COTTON LINING, SHOULDERS & SLEEVES. LABEL INSIDE IDENTIFIES ORDER, STOCK NUMBERS & DATE "DEC. 1 1950" ALSO UNION MARKINGS. STAFF SARGEANT PATCH WITH FOUR GOLD CHEVRONS ON BLACK FELT.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

WORN WITH THE REVIEW ORDER UNIFORM (OTHER RANKS) & WITH THE WALKING OUT UNIFORM. SEE P19860112001-GA FOR HISTORY & REFERENCES. OWNED BY ALLAN, BUT APPEARS UNUSED DUE TO A LACK OF INSIGNIA ON SHOULDER STRAPS AND COLLAR. *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

P19860112002

Acquisition Date

1986-03

Collection

Museum

Less detail