I just want to share this little thing with you about an artefact I looked at this morning (December 2, 2019).
As I was working my way through the rack of clothing to be re-catalogued, condition reported, and generally updated on the system, I came across a relatively plain, navy blue Canadian Army uniform. At first, I wasn’t deeply excited by it and the Past Perfect entry did not offer much in way of provenance. Even so, I felt it important to take a very deep look at the uniform and see if there was something I might be able to uncover about its history. This is what I found.
Description: I found a tag inside the inner pocket which told me that not only was this jacket made in Canada, but that it was made on July 29, 1940 for a Sgt. G. Halsiund.
Condition Report: When I took a look at the jacket to complete a condition report I noticed a few holes on the front and collar. At first, I thought these might be the result of mothing. However, on closer inspection, the damage on the collar had been left by previous regimental pins. The damage above the pocket was from the removal of the military bar that was once there holding this soldier’s decoration. This told me that while the donor wanted to give us the jacket to preserve a piece of local history in the Museum, they also wanted to keep a piece of it to remind them of their relative’s service.
I kept looking and soon also noticed three small holes alongside the buttons. These, I thought, are surely from moths. But then I noticed that the buttons with the damage near them were shifted slightly to the right of the ones above. I flipped the jacket panel over and could see some haphazard hand stitching holding the buttons onto the jacket. The damage then, was not from moths, but rather the owner giving himself an extra inch to do his jacket up. Maybe he attended a post war commemoration ceremony or an event at the Legion and found that he had added an inch to his waist since he had been home or off duty. The image of him trying on his military uniform only to find it didn’t button sticks with me. Did he sew the buttons on again or was it his wife or daughter?
It all makes me very interested in who Sgt. Halsiund was. We are still researching Sgt. Halsiund’s service record, and so if you know something or want to volunteer to help, please let us know!
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As I was moving through some of the jackets and military pieces later that same week, I found myself looking at a WWII era, standard issue, Canadian Amy, wool Great Coat. This was not the first Great Coat I had seen and the coat itself had very little provenance associated with it – we did not know exactly when it was issued, nor to whom, nor where. By the cut and condition of the jacket however, I can make an educated guess that it was issued sometime in the 1950’s. As I continued searching the coat for a clue I did happen to find one. In the right, outside, hip pocket I found some very dry, very loose tobacco. This artefact has been in the collection since the 1970’s so I knew the tobacco was at least that old. By looking at it I also made an educated guess that this particular smoker was a cigarette smoker as the tobacco was short and chopped. Based on my (albeit limited) understanding of European smoking habits, I would say that these cigarettes were North American rather than European and I would bet money that this coat never saw service overseas. I like to imagine this person, crunching through the snow, perhaps leading recruit training at Waverley Park sometime in the 1950’s, sticking his hands in his pockets only to find that the cigarette he was saving for later had burst. I’m sure he never would have thought that a museum worker seventy years later would find his crushed cigarette and think it notable.
What do you think about this find - what do you picture in your mind's eye?
Have you ever found anything in an old jacket pocket before? Either your own, one you inherited, or one purchased at a thrift store? What did it tell you about the time period or person who was wearing the garment before?
Have you ever found a garment that had been altered in some way? What did that tell you about its history?
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