Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CANADA MILITARY DRESS MESS KIT

Date Range From

1955

Date Range To

1965

Materials

LEATHER, ELASTIC COTTON

No. Pieces

2

Height

17

Length

31.5

Width

11.1

Description

HIGHLY POLISHED BLACK LEATHER. FRONT & BACK PULL TABS OF HEAVY COTTON/LINEN. "#495" WRITTEN IN INK INSIDE EACH BOOT. "04924" STAMPED INSIDE EACH BOOT. SIDE PANELS OF BLACK ELASTIC.

Subjects

CLOTHING-FOOTWEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

UNIFORM WORN ONLY FOR SOCIAL FUNCTIONS BY MEMBERS OF THE REGULAR FORCE OFFICE. THIS STYLE OF MESS KIT HAS BEEN THE SAME SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE R.C.A.F. SEE P19740060001-GA FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. ******UPDATE 28 FEBRUARY 2011******* BASED ON LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1943 AND 1946 IN ADDITION TO PARSONS’ HERALD-PUBLISHED OBITUARY IN 1992, CLAUDE ROBERT JAMES PARSONS WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1916 AND SERVED WITH THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (R.C.A.F.) DURING WORLD WAR TWO. THE 1946 ARTICLE STATES THAT HE PURSUED A CAREER AS A CIVILIAN ACCOUNTANT IN LETHBRIDGE AFTER THE WAR, BUT AT SOME POINT HE RE-ENLISTED WITH THE RCAF AND SERVED WITH IT UNTIL HIS WEST COAST SEMI-RETIREMENT IN 1965. DONOR CORRESPONDENCE ON FILE INDICATES THAT PARSONS MADE THE DONATION FROM WHITE ROCK, BC. IN THE LETTERS HE STATES THAT THE UNIFORM HAS “NO DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA”. AT THE TIME OF WRITING (30 MAY, 1974), HE ADDITIONALLY STATED THAT HIS UNIFORM WAS “ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD”. PRIOR TO JOINING THE RCAF IN APRIL 1940, CLAUDE PARSONS WAS WITH LETHBRIDGE’S 20TH BATTERY, RCA FROM 1934 TO 1938. HE WAS COMMISSIONED AS AN OFFICER AND SERVED WITH THE 39TH BATTERY. IN 1939 HE RETURNED TO THE 20TH BATTERY IN AN ACTIVE SERVICE, MOBILIZED CAPACITY. THREE YEARS AFTER HE TRANSFERRED TO THE RCAF (1940-1943), HE DEPARTED CANADA AND WAS POSTED TO AN OVERSEAS’ “BASE ACCOUNTS UNIT” IN LONDON. HE REMAINED THERE UNTIL HIS DISCHARGE WITH THE RANK OF FLIGHT LIEUTENANT IN 1945 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE THE HERALD ARTICLES AND DONOR-SUBMITTED LETTERS, AS REFERENCED ABOVE, IN THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* DECEMBER 19, 2011 - A DUPLICATE RECORD - P19740060000 WAS DELETED. RECORD CONTAINED A CONGLOMERATE OF INFORMATION FROM P19740060001-8 AND THE DATA WAS IDENTICAL. P19740060000 WAS DELETED IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSION.

Catalogue Number

P19740060005

Acquisition Date

1974-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail