Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

DUTCH SERVICE REVOLVER

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1940

Materials

STEEL, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

13.5

Length

19.5

Width

2.7

Description

44. CAL. STEEL REVOLVER WITH WOOD HANDLE. REVOLVER HAS 8 SIDED OUTER BARREL WITH SIGHT POST MOUNTED ON TOP OF MUZZLE. HAS EXTERNAL HAMMER AND CURVED HANDLE. CYLINDER HAS FIVE CARTRIDGE CHAMBERS AND IS SMOOTH ON OUTSIDE EXCEPT FOR VERTICAL GROOVES AROUND FRONT. REVOLVER HAS STEEL RING AND PLUG FASTENED TO END OF BUTT. HANDLE HAS DARK FINISHED WOOD ON BOTH SIDES HELD WITH SINGLE RIVET. STAMPED ON TOP OF BARREL IS "ACIER FONDU". STAMPED ON LEFT SLOPE OF BARREL IS "I-HAAG-AMSTERDAM-ARNHEM-". STAMPED ON RIGHT SLOPE OF BARREL IS "-NED.WAPENMAGAZIJN-HAARLEM". STAMPED ON RIGHT SIDE OF BARREL IS "R" AND "AD" WITH "*" ABOVE. STAMPED ON BOTTOM OF BARREL IS "44". STAMPED ON LEFT SIDE OF CYLINDER HOUSING IS "CAL" AND "4" AND "9". STAMPED ON RIGHT SIDE OF CYLINDER HOUSING IS "AD" WITH "*". STAMPED INTO SIDE OF SAFETY SWITCH IS "485". ON BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF CYLINDER HOUSING IS A TRIANGLE WITH "LAM" IN IT. ON SIDE OF CYLINDER IS "AD*" WITH A CROWN ABOVE AN "L" ALONG WITH A VERTICAL OVAL TOPPED WITH A CROWN WHICH HAS "ELG" INSIDE IT. ALSO STAMPED ON SIDE OF CYLINDER IS A "2" AND A "1" WITH AN ARROW IN BETWEEN THEM. STAMPED ON END OF CYLINDER IS "44". METAL ON REVOLVER IS HEAVILY OXIDIZED AND HAS SLIGHT AMOUNT OF CORROSION. FINISH ON HANDLE IS SLIGHTLY WORN AROUND WHERE HANDLE MEETS CYLINDER HOUSING.

Subjects

ARMAMENT-FIREARM

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

REVOLVER HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A SECOND WORLD WAR DUTCH SERVICE REVOLVER. THE GUN WAS CONFISCATED FROM A GERMAN PRISONER IN ITALY BY DONOR'S UNCLE, MR. IRVIN KROETSCH. IRVIN KROETSCH SERVED WITH THE 49TH EDMONTON REGIMENT DURING WORLD WAR II. THE REVOLVER WAS GIVEN TO DONOR'S FATHER, COREY KROETSCH, WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER, WHO PASSED IT ON TO DONOR. CHANGES IN FIREARMS LEGISLATION PROMPTED DONOR TO DONATE THE REVOLVER RATHER THAN SEE IT DESTROYED. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, AND FOUND CORRESPONDANCE, FROM THE MID-1990S, FROM THE DONOR KEN KROETSCH THAT DETAILS HIS REMEMBRANCES OF THE REVOLVER, AS WELL AS A DOCUMENT WRITTEN BY HIS GREAT-UNCLE, IRVIN KROETSCH ABOUT HIS MILITARY SERVICE. KEN KROETSCH WROTE: "MY GREAT-UNCLE, IRVIN KROETSCH, WAS SERVING IN ITALY AT THE TIME HE CAME INTO POSSESSION OF THE GUN. HE CONFISCATED THE HANDGUN FROM A GERMAN PRISONER. AT THE TIME HE WAS SERVING WITH THE LOYAL EDMONTON REGIMENT [ALSO CALLED THE 49TH EDMONTON REGIMENT OR THE LOYAL EDDIES]. THE GUN WAS BROUGHT INTO CANADA WHEN IRVIN RETURNED FROM THE WAR IN DECEMBER OF 1945. THE HANDGUN WAS GIVEN TO MY FATHER COREY KROETSCH WHEN HE WAS ABOUT THIRTEEN OF FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE. HE RELATED TO ME THAT WHEN HIS UNCLE GAVE HIM THE HANDGUN HE HAD ALSO GIVEN HIM A BOX OF SHELLS WITH IT. MY DAD RECOUNTS THAT AS A YOUNG MAN WE WOULD HUNT GOPHERS AND RABBITS WITH THE GUN UNTIL HE RAN OUT OF SHELLS FOR IT. WHEN I WAS STILL LIVING AT HOME I REMEMBER MANY TIMES MY FATHER TAKING THE GUN OUT OF A LOCKED BOX HE STORED IT IN TO LOOK OVER. THERE WERE TIMES HE WOULD GUN-BLUE THE METAL PARTS. HE WAS PROUD TO OWN SUCH A HANDGUN. HE WOULD RELATED TO HIS CHILDREN HOW HIS UNCLE HAD BROUGHT THE GUN BACK FROM THE WAR. YOU COULD TELL THERE WAS A LOT OF RESPECT AND LOVE EXPRESSED FOR HIS UNCLE IRVIN... IN 1984 MY FATHER PASSED AWAY AND THE HANDGUN CAME INTO MY POSSESSION. I TOOK THE HANDGUN TO THE RCMP TO HAVE IT REGISTERED. BY THIS TIME THE GUN LAWS HAD BECOME MORE LENIENT ALLOWING THE GUN TO REMAIN IN MY POSSESSION. THEY TOOK PICTURES OF THE GUN AND IDENTIFIED IT AS A DUTCH SERVICE REVOLVER. I WAS INFORMED RECENTLY BY THE RCMP THAT WITH THE NEW GUN LAW THIS GUN WOULD BE CONFISCATED AND DESTROYED. CONSULTING WITH MY FAMILY WE FELT IT WOULD BE BETTER OFF IN A MUSEUM SO A PIECE OF HISTORY CAN BE PRESERVED." IRVIN KROETSCH WROTE: "BACK IN THE DIRTY THIRTIES THE FUTURE FOR MANY FARMERS LOOKED GRIM. FOR THEIR SONS IT ALMOST SEEMED THERE WAS NO FUTURE. IN 1937 THERE WAS NO HARVEST, FOR THE ONLY THINGS THAT GREW WERE PIGWEEDS... WINTER CAME AND I GOT A JOB IN A SAWMILL WEST OF PIGEON LAKE AT ONE DOLLAR PER TWELVE-HOUR DAY. SPRING CAME AND IT WAS BACK TO FARM LABOUR, SAME HOURS, SAME PAY. DURING THE WINTER OF 1938 I WORKED IN THE COAL MINES WEST OF HEISLER. WHEN WAR WAS DECLARED IN 1939 YOUNG FARM BOYS FROM THIS AND OTHER DISTRICTS FLOCKED IN TO EDMONTON TO VOLUNTEER FOR MILITARY SERVICE. AFTER ALL, THE PAY WAS ONE DOLLAR AND FORTY CENTS PER DAY!... I LANDED IN THE INFANTRY - THE 49TH EDMONTON REGIMENT. AFTER SEVERAL ROUNDS OF TRAINING UP AND DOWN OUR WEST COAST, WE WERE POSTED OVERSEAS... TO THE NORTH COAST OF SCOTLAND FOR COMMANDO TRAINING WHERE ONLY THE FITTEST SURVIVED... THE TRAINING WAS SO TOUGH THAT WHEN WE WERE MARCHED ABOARD THE SHIP AND TOLD WE WERE GOING INTO BATTLE, WE WERE RELIEVED. I HAD LOST 40 POUNDS. ON THE TENTH DAY OF JULY, 1943, WE INVADED THE SHORES OF SICILY - AS WAS SAID, WE ENTERED EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR... AS THE GERMAN ARMY RETREATED NORTHWARD THROUGH ITALY, THEY LEFT FIELDS, ROADS AND BUILDINGS MINED. THE CAPTURED ITALIAN PEOPLE WERE FREED TO WANDER HOMELESS AND HUNGRY. THE CANADIAN AND U.S. ARMIES GATHERED THESE PEOPLE INTO HUGE SHELTERS WHERE THEY WERE WELL CARED FOR... WE WERE NOW PART OF THE LEGENDARY BRITISH EIGHTH ARMY... THE FIRST CANADIAN DIVISION SOON BECAME KNOWN AS THE RED PATCH DEVILS. LITTLE DID WE REALIZE THAT IN TIME WE WOULD WALK THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF ITALY, FLUSHING OUT THE ENEMY FROM EVERY BITTERLY CONTESTED TOWN, RIVER AND HILL... WE RESTED IN THE RUINS... A REPORTER FOR THE EDMONTON JOURNAL INTERVIEWED THE MEN OF D COMPANY WHO HAD LANDED ON THE SHORES OF SICILY. OF THE ORIGINAL REGIMENT OF 720 MEN, THERE WERE SIX OF US LEFT... FOR THE ADVANCING INFANTRY IT WAS MARCHING DAY AND NIGHT, SOMETIMES DOING 48 MILES IN 24 HOURS, CARRYING PACK, RIFLE AND AMMUNITION. ON MAY 31ST, 1944, I WAS WOUNDED IN ACTION, BUT SOON RECOVERED AND RETURNED TO THE FRONT LINES... SPRING OF 1945 CAME AND WITH IT RUMOURS OF PEACE. THEN ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF MAY WE WERE OFFICIALLY INFORMED THAT WAR WAS OVER... IT MEANT BACK TO ENGLAND TO WAIT FOR AVAILABLE TROOPSHIPS TO TAKE US HOME. MY TURN CAME IN DECEMBER OF 1945 AND WE LANDED BACK IN HALIFAX ON THE FIFTEENTH." FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND FULL CORRESPONDANCE, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19950026000

Acquisition Date

1995-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail