After seeing their displays at Belleville's Canada Day festivities, I accepted an invitation to see the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment Military Museum itself on Tuesday. Located in the Armouries, located at the corner of Pinnacle and Bridge Streets in downtown Belleville, the museum is home to much in the way of "Hasty P's" memorabilia, ranging from the large, such as the Bren gun carrier nicknamed "Katie" and a military issue Jeep mounting a 106 mm recoil-less rifle, to the small, including hat badges and other regimental insignia for the Hasty P's and the units which have been merged into the unit over the years.
Here are some of the pictures from the museum...
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Captain's uniform, 16th Battalion Prince Edward Militia
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16th Prince Edward enlisted uniform
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| Kit of Pte JW Barlow, from the Northwest Rebellion, 1885 |
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| Uniform of the 49th Hastings Rifles (the green is common to rifle regiments throughout the British Empire) |
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| Campaign Medals of local veterans of the Northwest Rebellion |
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| This wall display contains the various badges of the units which have been combined to make up today's Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment. |
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| The uniform and tack of Lt. Col. R. Vanderwater, D.S.O. |
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| World War 1 Maxim machine gun (German Empire) |
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| British/Canadian Officer's Chest (WW I) |
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| Sergeant's uniform, 1937 pattern company Quarter Master |
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| Scale model of the mountain at Assoro, where the Hasty P's scaled the near vertical slope to surprise the Germans holding the position, and take out the heavy German artillery which was targetting British 8th Army units moving north along Sicily's eastern coast. |
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| The descriptive plaque attached to the model of Assoro. |
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| Another view of Assoro, with the slope scaled by the Hasty P's on the right. The Germans had assumed any assault would come up the much gentler slope on the right. |
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| Once a Hasty P, always a Hasty P. The White Battalion is composed of those who gave their lives in the service of their country. |
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| A Bren Gun. Named for where it was designed (BRno, Czechoslovakia) and the site of the Royal Small Arms Factory (ENfield), it was the standard light machine gun for the Canadian Army during World War II. |
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| Chief Petawawa-Much, regimental mascot. |
Other displays include one about local Nursing Sisters, on loan from Belleville General Hospital, as well as displays of various sorts of WW I and II military communications and wepons, as well as some German militaria.
I encourage everyone to visit, and bring your children, to learn about the military heritage of the Quinte Region.
Summer museum hours are 1-4 PM, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Hastings & Prince Edward Regimental Museum
Belleville Armoury
189 Pinnacle Street (at Bridge Street)
Belleville, ON
613-966-2125
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