XII MANITOBA DRAGOONS/
26 FD. REGT. RCA MUSEUM
The late Wilf Falconer, who worked for the Brandon Sun for a short period after WWII, wrote a history of the batteries that were involved in the war. As most histories mention the artillery regiments but not the batteries, his book "Battery Flashes," took several years of his retirement to write. It also involved many trips to Ottawa and other areas for research. As he was writing he made a model of the Canadian Army using cap badges and shoulder flashes. When the book was completed he brought his model from his home in Victoria to Brandon and donated it to the museum. It is used regularly for research.
Falconer's Canadian Army Model Using Flashes and Badges The circular display is made up of 12 frames, each representing a different division; five divisions of the Second World War, two COTC, two corps troops, and the remainder ancillary and Korean War units. Each frame contains the had badge of every regiment in the division, the shoulder flash and of course the division patch -- a total of 474 items in the 12 frames. Each artillery regiment is represented by the flash that was worn on the epaulet of the battle dress blouse, and beside each flash is a red sticker with the battery numbers of that regiment on it.

Uniforms

We felt a need to show people what had to be
worn at different periods of time and
this seemed to be the best selection.

British Army Cap Badges

The cap badges in this display are all from the British Army -
each one with its own distinguished history.


Regiment Cap Badges

Cap badges of various regiments
are represented in this photo,
each one having its own history.
Collecting cap badges was a hobby that
a lot of military men liked to pursue.


Corporal Curter Medals Display

Corporal Curter, a Brandon boy, worked at the
Mental Hospital before enlisting.
He was wounded in the face, arm and leg
but was able to walk to the rear
for bandaging and transport to a hospital.
An alert photographer took his picture
as a medical officer was assisting him.
This picture, which is in the Ottawa Archives,
is often used for newspaper articles, etc.


Robert Limb Medals Display

This picture and medals are from Robert Limb.
His ribbons indicate that he served in South Africa
and had received the
Queen's South African medal
and the King Edward South African medal --
although the medals did not come with his first war medals.
He served with the Fifth Canadian Railways Troop
during the war and he is buried in Saskatoon.

Hat Display ~ Back to 1800s

The collection of hats in the museum cover
a period from the early 1800s to present.

Spatts

The picture shows a pair of spatts.
A gentleman who wore oxfords found it cold around the ankles and
he would put on his spats to go out.
Army officers usually wore oxfords.
The fad died out in the thirties -- maybe the winters just weren't as cold.


 


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WebMaster: Bill Hillman
BILL & SUE-ON HILLMAN ECLECTIC STUDIO