Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PEAKED CAP - MILITARY 1890+

Date Range From

1890

Date Range To

1910

Materials

WOOL, LEATHER, BRASS

No. Pieces

3

Height

8.5

Length

27.5

Width

26.2

Description

NAVY BLUE PEAKED CAP WITH WHITE HEADBAND; BLACK PEAK WITH BRASS LEAVES FIXED TO IT WITH COTTER PINS. LEATHER STRAP AT TOP OF PEAK, FIXED WITH BRASS BUTTONS AT EITHER SIDE. INSIDE OF CAP IS LEATHER BAND WITH RED DRAWSTRING LACED THROUGH TOP BORDER, TIED AT BACK. INSIDE OF FRONT IS BRASS DEVICE, LIKELY USED FOR CONNECTING HAT BADGE (MISSING). CONSISTS OF TWO DISCS WITH MATCHING NOTCHES; SECURES WHEN DISCS ARE TURNED AND RELEASES WHEN LINED UP. STAMPED "REG. NO. 27987". ALSO METAL TAB INSIDE TOP OF CAP FOR MAINTAINING FORM OF PEAK. INSIDE OF CAP LINED WITH FUCHSIA FABRIC. INCLUDES BRASS NUMERICAL BADGE, OF NUMBER "23", AS WELL AS BRASS PIN FOR SECURING. CAP IS DISTORTED DUE TO STORAGE, WITH SMALL INSECT HOLES ON TOP. INSIDE SOILED; LEATHER WORN.

Subjects

CLOTHING-HEADWEAR

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

NOTE ATTACHED TO CAP WHEN DONATED, READING "THIS IS A CAP WORN BY MEMBERS OF ONE OF THE FIRST MOUNTED REGIMENTS FORMED IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA, THE 23RD ALBERTA RANGERS, AND WORN BY MY FATHER, WM. A. LYNDON OF CLARESHOLM, ALBERTA." ALSO SIGNED "G. MCKEIN"(?). FOR HISTORY OF COLLECTION SEE P19970073001-GA. *UPDATE* IN 2012 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT DAVID SMITH CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS. HE WAS ABLE TO DISCOVER NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE ORIGINAL OWNER. HE LEARNED THE FOLLOWING: ACCORDING TO PATRICIA HAWK IN HER ARTICLE TITLED THE LYNDON RANCH, “WILLIAM AUGUSTUS LYNDON, 1874-1938, WAS BORN IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA AND SETTLED WITH HIS FAMILY NEAR CLARESHOLM, ALBERTA IN 1881. ON HIS FATHER'S DEATH IN 1904 WILLIAM CONTINUED TO MANAGE THE FAMILY RANCH. HE SERVED IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND AFTER THE WAR WAS HONORARY COLONEL OF THE 15TH ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE SOUTHERN ALBERTA PIONEERS' AND OLD TIMERS' ASSOCIATION, SERVING AS PRESIDENT IN 1937. HE MARRIED CLARA LINDEN IN 1905 AND THEY HAD FOUR CHILDREN, WILLIAM L., CHARLES A., JESSIE MAY (JACKSON), AND GRACE. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE PATRICIA HAWK'S ARTICLE IN ALBERTA HISTORY. VOL. 48, NO.1 (WINTER 2000), P. 10-13. IN MAJOR W.A. LYNDON’S OFFICERS’ DECLARATION PAPER FOR THE CANADIAN OVER-SEAS EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DATED NOVEMBER 23RD 1915, HE BELONGED TO THE 23RD ALBERTA RANGERS AND LISTED 6 YEARS ACTIVE MILITIA EXPERIENCE. MAJOR LYNDON ENLISTED IN MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA. IN THE CLARESHOLM HISTORY BOOK TITLED, WHERE THE WHEATLAND MEETS THE RANGE, THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE CAN BE FOUND: “THE 23RD ALBERTA RANGERS WERE FORMED IN 1906 AND AFTER TAKING AN ARMY COURSE WITH THE FT. GARRY HORSE IN MANITOBA, WILLIAM WAS MADE A CAPTAIN. THE FIRST ENCAMPMENT WAS AT FORT MACLEOD… THIS ORGANIZATION CONTINUED UNTIL THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR I. WHEN THE UNIT BECAME THE 13TH C.M.R. ON JANUARY 2, 1915 AND WAS PROMOTED TO THE BRIGADE MAJOR AND WAS SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE UNIT AT THE TIME OF ITS DEPARTURE FOR EUROPE…. BY THE TIME THE 13TH ARRIVED IN EUROPE THE WAR HAD CHANGED FROM A WAR OF MOVEMENT TO TRENCH WARFARE THUS OBSOLETING THE USE OF CAVALRY UNITS. THE 13TH WAS BROKEN UP AS A UNIT AND THE MEMBER TRANSFERRED TO OTHER GROUND UNITS. MAJOR LYNDON SERVED WITH THE PRINCESS PATRICIA LIGHT INFANTRY, THE CANADIAN GARRISON DUTY DEPOT AT HASTINGS, THE 52ND SCOTTISH DIVISION. HE WAS THROUGH THE MARCH 1918 BRITISH ARMY RETREAT AND AT THE ENTRY OF MONS AT ARMISTICE TIME. MAJOR LYNDON WAS GASSED, WOUNDED BY SHRAPNEL AND ON ONE OCCASION THE PARTY OF WHICH HE WAS IN COMMAND, INCLUDING HIMSELF, WAS BLOWN UP HIGH BY EXPLOSIVES. HE SUFFERED A PERIOD OF SHELL SHOCK AND WAS CONFINED TO AN ENGLISH HOSPITAL FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. IN JULY 1919 HE RETURNED TO THE RANCH WITH MORE ENTHUSIASM THAN EVER TO ESTABLISH A GOOD GRADE OF HEREFORD CATTLE AND EXPAND THE HERD OF HORSES.” ACCORDING TO THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, “WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS, THE FUNERAL OF COLONEL WILLIAM AUGUSTUS LYNDON WAS CONDUCTED AT CALGARY WEDNESDAY MORNING, WITH MORE THAN 400 RESIDENTS OF THE CLARESHOLM DISTRICT AND CALGARY IN ATTENDANCE. COLONEL LYNDON WAS 64 YEARS OF AGE AND HAD BEEN RANCHING WEST OF CLARESHOLM FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. HE WAS AN HONORARY COLONEL IN THE 16TH ALBERTA LIGHT HORSE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING SERVICE RECORDS FROM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19970073078

Acquisition Date

1997-08

Collection

Museum

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