The Wellington County Museum and Archives played a role in re-uniting a Korean War veteran with a wartime work of art by hosting a unique reunion here on Sept. 13.
As a welder-fitter with an artillery unit in Korea in 1953, one of Mathers’ jobs was to repair the unit’s tanks. In his spare time, he crafted an amazingly detailed replica tank out of brass shell casings.
The six-inch long mini-tank caught the eye of a superior officer Mathers remembers only as “Major Ellis,” who demanded it be turned over to him and bolted to the front of his jeep.
Not happy about the turn of events, Mathers waited until the unit was leaving Korea and, in his words, “I stole it.”
Unfortunately for Mathers, the officer noticed the missing hood ornament before they left the country.
“[Ellis] stopped the convoy on the way home and said ‘Where is he?’ Well everybody knew where to find me and I had to give it back,” said Mathers.
While it appeared the story would end there, about 10 years ago the major passed away and left his artifacts to the Military Museum in Calgary. The museum published a photograph of the tank with a plea for information on its origins in a Newsletter, which eventually came to Mathers’ attention.
Mathers, now 87, let museum officials know he was the tank’s creator and they issued a standing invitation for him or members of his family to come west and visit it.
Mathers’ daughter-in-law, Angela Mathers of Fergus, went to Edmonton, where the tank is kept, to view it in August, and a nephew in the military posted at Petawawa, also visited the museum.
Mathers’ health prevented him from making the trip, so museum officials agreed to send it to an Ontario museum where Mathers could see the tank for himself.
Because he has family in the area, Mathers, who lives in Brampton, chose the museum in Aboyne for the reunion, which occurred last Saturday.
“He was excited and nervous,” said Angela just prior to her father-in-law’s arrival at the museum.
About 15 family members were on hand when curator Susan Dunlop pulled the tiny tank from storage and presented it to Mathers.
“This brings back a lot of memories,” said Mathers as he began to share those memories with his surrounding family.
Dunlop said she was pleased the local museum was able to facilitate the reunion.
“We were just thrilled to be a part of it,” she said.
