SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — There’s a history mystery waiting to be solved surrounding the members of a late 1800s to early 1900s boys brigade in Summerside.
Recently, a photograph that could date back to 1898 turned up for sale in Halifax.
“I have people all over the place keeping an eye out for anything P.E.I. military related. So, when a friend of mine heard about the photo, they contacted and asked if I wanted them to purchase it for me,” said Greg Gallant, curator of the P.E.I. Regiment Museum.
Now, with the photo in the possession of the museum, Gallant is hoping to identify the boys in the photo who were members of the Summerside Boys’ Brigade.
Gallant was lucky the original owner of the photo wrote down the names featured on the back of the picture, but unfortunately the names, written in pencil, have faded.
“I’ve been paying attention to the uniforms, to help determine when the time period would have been.”
He estimated the photo pre-dated 1903 and was likely around 1900 or 1901.
“This photo is just another piece of that big puzzle that’s out there.”
While Gallant could make out a handful of names, he enlisted the help of Jean MacKay of MacNaught History Centre and Archives in Summerside.
“At this time, the brigade acted like more of a religious organization, but there would have been a military element in it too because they were marching and conducted drills.”
-Jean MacKay
MacKay was able to identify the brigade leader, who can be seen in the middle of the photo, as John Medley Withycombe, a St. John’s, N.L. native. She was also able to determine he came to the Island in 1898 and then left the Island in 1900.
“So Greg was pretty close in his timeline,” she said.
The boys’ brigades were initially founded in Glasgow, Scotland. They spread through the United Kingdom and into Canada.
This would have been around the time of the Boer War. There were some Islanders involved in that conflict, said MacKay.
“From what I’ve been able to find, Withycombe got the brigade started shortly after his arrival. So, he seemed to be aware of the organization.
“At this time, the brigade acted like more of a religious organization, but there would have been a military element in it too because they were marching and conducted drills.”
She said she was surprised to see the photo of the brigade.
“I wasn’t very familiar with this particular group. It’s been interesting to discover more things about the members.”
Some of the members went on to serve in the First World War: Gordon Arbing, George Brace, Athol MacLeod, Albert Sharp, Leighton Stewart and Ernest Strong.
“Those were men that I was able to confirm that they had served. But there are still some names we’re not sure about.”
Moving forward, MacKay hopes to get a look at the original photo to see if she can make out any more names.
“This was in the days prior to the radio, television, let alone Internet. It’s really interesting that it’s out there. I’d be curious to know if there is anybody out there who has another copy of it.”
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