Canadian Second World War Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection (Book)
Canadian Second World War Cap Badges
York Sunbury Historical Society
Fredericton Region Museum Collection
Donations to the museum
The Fredericton Region Museumboasts an impressive collection of cap badges and medals. Operated by the York-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 and medals occupied an important interest for local collectors, who through the years 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 and was 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 his collection of First World War cap badges. Another significant donation that year came from Elizabeth “Bessie” Strong, who gave a 72nd (Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders) Regiment shako plate (1969.439.1). The 72nd had been garrisoned in Fredericton from 1850 to 1851.
Subsequent donations were received from Major Frank A. Good, as well as his son G. Alvah Good, both of whom were First World 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 Keith McLaughlin (2016.4.1 – 37). Many of these badges are featured in this publication.
Understanding our museum’s cataloguing system is key to tracing the history of the collection. This is particularly challenging with regards to cap badges. Since 1932, various numbering methods have been adopted, which can lead to confusion for anyone trying to track the provenance of any particular artefact. Initially, donations were assigned a simple sequenced number, but in 1969 the museum adopted a standardised accessioning method, at which time the entire cap badge collection was reassigned “new” 1969 numbers. From then onward, artefact donations were numbered with three components, according to the year they were accessioned, collection, and item; hence, 1997.28.138 would indicate the artefact was accessioned in 1997, as the 138th item, in the 28th collection of that year.
Due to challenges associated with size and shape, badges often became orphaned from their original record; and so, in the interest of keeping track of their location, volunteers often re-assigned new numbers when they recorded locations. 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 sometime prior to the year indicated and may have been previously accessioned with an earlier number. Nowadays, thanks to database technology, a good researcher can easily match the records by tracing duplicate entries within our cataloguing system.
The assemblage of cap badges featured within this publication covers the time period of the Second World War. It represents a concerted effort, on the part of several museum volunteers, to gather together a substantial number of ourmilitary badges. All are now safeguarded in the Fredericton Region Museum. We invite you to visit the museum and witness the symbolic beauty of each of these lovely badges for yourself.
Cynthia Wallace-Casey, PhD
Curator Emeritus
Fredericton Region Museum
Pending publication
Canadian Second World War Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can be purchased online at Amazon.ca:
Canadian Second World War Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can be purchased online at Chapters Indigo
Canadian Second World War Cap Badges, York Sunbury Historical Society, Fredericton Region Museum Collection can also be purchased online at Barnes and Noble.
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