Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MILITARY DRESS JACKET

Date

1943

Materials

WOOL

No. Pieces

1

Length

1

Width

5

Description

DRAB GREEN WOOL DRESS JACKET WITH TWO BOX PLEATED PATCH POCKETS WITH SCALLOPED POCKET FLAPS ON BREAST SECURED WITH SMALL BRASS BUTTON DESIGNED WITH A CROWN, AN ARTILLERY CANNON AND MARKED "CANADA" ON THE BOTTOM. FRONT HAS FOUR LARGE BRASS BUTTONS WITH THE SAME DESIGN AS OTHERS, USED TO FASTEN, AND ABOVE LEFT ARE TWO ROWS OF RIBBON BARS. ON EACH LAPEL IS A BRASS GRENADE PIN WITH FIRE COMING OUT THE TOP OF IT. EACH SHOULDER FLAP HAS A BRASS BUTTON USED TO SECURE, THREE BRASS PIPS, AND AT THE BASE OF THE FLAP IS A BRASS "CANADA" BAR. LABEL AT BACK OF NECK HAS AN IMAGE OF A KNIGHT ON HORSEBACK, CARRYING A FLAG LABELED "PRORSUM", AND BELOW IMAGE IS "BURBERRYS". LABEL ON INSIDE OF HIDDEN POCKET IS MARKED "J.R. TOOGOOD. ESQ. 19 JAN 1943 F.N. 9S961". BRASS IS TARNISHING, BUT FABRIC IS STILL IN GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

INFORMATION BELOW RESEARCHED AS THE RESULT OF AN 18TH AIR DEFENSE REGIMENT EXHIBIT IN 2008. NOTE, INFORMATION NOT UPDATED AS OF LATE 2009 AND RECEIPT OF TOOGOOD'S SERVICE RECORDS. JACKET WORN BY LIEUTENANT JOSEPH ROBIN (BOB) TOOGOOD OF FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA. TOOGOOD VOLUNTEERED TO JOIN LETHBRIDGE’S 20TH FIELD BATTERY IN SEPTEMBER 1939, ONE OF FOUR BATTERIES THAT, BY YEAR’S END, BELONGED TO THE 2ND ANTI-TANK (A/T) REGIMENT, RCA. HE REMAINED OVERSEAS WITH THE 2ND A/T REGIMENT FOR A TIME, RECEIVING HIS COMMISSION IN AUGUST 1943, BUT, ULTIMATELY, JOINED THE 4TH A/T REGIMENT, SERVING IN ITALY. IN A WAR CORRESPONDENT’S COMMUNIQUÉ FROM ITALY IN MID-DECEMBER 1944, LT. TOOGOOD WAS PERSONALLY CREDITED WITH HAVING LED HIS GUN’S TROOPS TO “BAG ONE MOVING PANTHER (TANK)”. TOOGOOD WAS PART OF A DEFENSE TO MAINTAIN A CANADIAN BRIDGEHEAD ACROSS THE NAVIGLIO CANAL. GERMAN ARMOUR COUNTERATTACKED THE BRIDGEHEAD FOURTEEN TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS THANKS, IN PART, TO LT. TOOGOOD AND HIS MEN. TOOGOOD RETURNED HOME IN SEPTEMBER 1945 AND JOINED 18TH FIELD REGIMENT’S 93RD FIELD BATTERY, BASED IN FORT MACLEOD . HE REMAINED WITH THE RESERVE BATTERY UNTIL THE EARLY 50S AND WAS AWARDED THE CANADIAN EFFICIENCY MEDAL FOR 12 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE. HE PASSED AWAY IN PENTICTON ON 25 FEBRUARY 1994. TOOGOOD'S WIFE DONATED HIS MILITARY SERVICE RELATED FIREARMS IN 1994. SEE P19940022001-2-GA. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TOOGOOD, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE AND ARCHIVAL PHOTO P19991039019-GP. DONOR WAS THE LAST COMMANDER OF THE 18TH FIELD REGIMENT BEFORE IT SWITCHED TO THE 18TH AIR DEFENSE REGIMENT. DONOR WAS LATER COLONEL JACOBSON, COMMANDER OF SOUTH ALBERTA MILITIA DISTRICT, AND FINALLY COLONEL COMMANDANT OF THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF CANADIAN ARTILLERY. SOME UNIFORMS ARE FROM 1967-1970 (WITH MISSING PIECES) OF AN ARTILLERY OFFICER. COLLECTION WAS COMPLETE BUT SOME PIECES WERE LOST WHEN DONATED TO THE 18TH BATTERY, AND THEY WERE LATER RETURNED TO HIM ANONYMOUSLY. ARTIFACTS WERE DAMAGED IN A HOUSE FIRE IN 1981, WHEN DONOR'S HOME BURNED DOWN. DONOR IS NOW JUDGE RONALD JACOBSON. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DONOR AND MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS, PLEASE SEE P19960106001-GA, AND THE ARCHIVES FILE P19901044000-GM.

Catalogue Number

P19960061001

Acquisition Date

1996-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail