LETHBRIDGE, AB – A military jacket from the First World War is moving from the Galt Museum collection to a more fitting location.
The Royal Flying Corps jacket was donated back in 1997.
It had belonged to Henry Wamsley ‘Pat’ Welch who moved to Lethbridge sometime between 1936 and 1952 after his military service had ended.
However, the Galt Museum is in the process of deaccessioning items from its collection if they don’t have direct ties to the history of this area.
Collections Technician Kevin MacLean says “it’s a standard practice for museums to carefully consider which objects to remove from their collections and why. The deaccessioning process often helps museums refine and focus resources on the collections that are directly relevant to the history of the communities they serve.”
While the jacket can be useful to connect visitors and researchers to Canadian military history, officials say it’s not the history of the area covered in the mandate of the Galt.
Research shows Welch was born in High River and was the grandson of the first physician in that community.
As a result, the Galt Museum will be transferring the jacket to the Museum of the Highwood in High River for its collection and to tell Pat Welch’s story.