Canadian Expeditionary Force and Militia Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection (Book)
Donations to the museum
The Fredericton Region Museum boasts an impressive collection of cap badges and medals. Operated by theYork-Sunbury Historical Society, our rich holdings date back over 90 years, to when the Society was first established in 1932. From the very outset, cap badges andmedals occupied an important interest for local collectors, who through theyears have generously donated their prized holdings to the museum.
Our first such donation came on26 April 1932, when historian Lillian B Maxwell gave a shako plate (1992.12.76)and shoulder badge (1992.12.8) belonging to the 22nd (Cheshire)Regiment of Foot. This regiment had been in Fredericton from 1866 to 1869 andwas the last British regiment to be garrisoned here.
Soon after Lillian Maxwell’s donation,Thomas Styran, himself a veteran of the First World War, gave the museum hiscollection of First World War cap badges. Also included with this donation was arare Canada General Service Medal (1866-1870), awarded to members of the Imperial and Canadian forces who had takenpart in the suppression of the Fenian raids of 1866 and 1870 and Riel's FirstRebellion of 1870. Anothersignificant donation that year came from Elizabeth (“Bessie”) Strong, who gavea 72nd (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders) Regiment shako plate(1969.439.1). The 72nd had been garrisoned in Fredericton from 1850to 1851.
Subsequent donations were received from Major Frank A. Good, as well as his son G. Alvah Good, both of whom were FirstWorld War veterans and avid collectors of military memorabilia. Years later, more collections were received,including significant donations from Captain H. F. G.Woodbridge (1975.13.1 - 48), Bryant Nevers (1997.28.1 – 784) and Maurice KeithMcLaughlin (2016.4.1 – 37). Many of these badges are featured in this publication.
Understanding our museum’s cataloguing system is key to tracing thehistory of the collection. This is particularly challengingwith regards to cap badges. Since 1932, various numbering methods have beenadopted, which can lead to confusion for anyone trying to track the provenanceof any particular artefact. Initially, donations were assigned a simples equenced number, but in 1969 the museum adopted a standardised accessioning method,at which time the entire cap badge collection was reassigned “new” 1969numbers. From then onward, artefact donations were numbered with threecomponents, according to the year they were accessioned, collection, and item;hence, 1997.28.138 would indicate the artefact was accessioned in 1997, as the138th item, in the 28th collection of that year.
Due to challenges associated with size and shape, badges often becameorphaned from their original record; and so, in the interest of keeping trackof their location, volunteers often re-assigned new numbers when they recordedlocations. As a result, the following collection numbers represent re-assigned“Found in Collections” attributions: 1992.12, 2000.1, 2008.1, 2014.14, andX2024. Hence, any badge bearing these collection numbers was received sometimeprior to the year indicated and may have been previously accessioned with anearlier number. Nowadays, thanks to database technology, a good researcher can easilymatch the records by tracing duplicate entries within our cataloguing system.
The assemblage of cap badges featured within this publication covers thetime period of the First World War. It represents a concerted effort, on thepart of several museum volunteers, to gather together a substantial number of ourmilitia and CEF badges. All are now safeguarded in the Fredericton RegionMuseum. We invite you to visit the museum and witness the symbolic beauty ofeach of these lovely badges for yourself.
Cynthia Wallace-Casey, PhD
Curator Emeritus
Fredericton Region Museum
Pending publication
Canadian Expeditionary Force and Militia Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can be purchased online at Amazon.ca:
Canadian Expeditionary Force and Militia Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can be purchased online at Chapters Indigo
Canadian Expeditionary Force and Militia Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can also be purchased online at Barnes and Noble.
