The Regimental Museum
As part of its stated aims, the SALH Regiment Foundation currently operates a regimental museum with a view to:
Collect, purchase, receive and obtain, preserve, study and exhibit those objects that will serve to illustrate the story of The South Alberta Light Horse and its predecessor Regiments in Canadian Military History and to issue tax receipts for the appraised value of such objects which are donated.
Our Mission Statement
To preserve the military heritage of The South Alberta Light Horse (SALH) and its predecessor units, to honour military service, past and present, and to promote a greater understanding of the legacy of SALH service in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Edmonton.
Vision Statement
To provide an environment for visitors to experience the proud history and traditions of The South Alberta Light Horse through educational programs, tours, exhibits, and research services.
Our museums are operated by SALH Regiment Foundation, a non-profit foundation. Day-to-day operations are carried out by a group of volunteers who work in classifying, cataloguing, and storing the artefacts, or in other tasks related to displays and records.
We are always looking for artifacts to display and include in the Regimental collection. Those that have items they wish to donate are encouraged to contact the curator Mr Wes Krause at the email below.
The main SALH Regimental Museum is located at 120 Cuyler Road SE in Medicine Hat.
We maintain a small satellite museum at the Prince of Wales Armory in Edmonton as well.
To make a donation, volunteer, or to arrange for a tour of the museum, please contact the curator at salhrmcurator@gmail.com.
The Curator's Report
August 2018
The past couple of months have been quite busy with all sorts of activities including several planned tours in August. It is good to see that word is getting out about the Museum and the history it presents. The tours ranged from basic requests for information on family members to foreign visitors who were in Medicine Hat on vacation. Of note the Museum hosted a retired United States Marine Corps Officer, who served overseas in four tours of duty, one on Vietnam. Late in the month a retired Norwegian diplomat toured the Museum with local family. It is quite exciting hosting tours as it gives the visitors an opportunity to see local history first hand. Sincere appreciation and thanks go out to the members of the Regiment who provided support and additional information about the Regiment in its current state.
In addition to tours the majority of the work this past couple of months has involved archiving of documents which were stored in museum lockers. The majority of these documents have now been transferred to a proper filing cabinet, which just happens to be filled to capacity. Some interesting documents and photos were recently discovered and are in the process of preservation and scanning.
Another sizeable project undertaken has been the update of the Museum Policy Manual. This has also involved all the documents associated with the Museum and the artifacts being preserved and presented. The previous Manual needed updating with areas of concern were identified and addressed. The work continues and I must commend Catherine and Susan at the Foundation Office for their work on this.
The two projects that were started early summer have been waiting for the availability of contractors to complete the work. It appears there are numerous large construction projects in the area that have drawn their resources very thin. They understand we are waiting patiently and will address as soon as possible. With this project is development of display lighting and information posters that are currently in development.
The work continues.
Respectfully yours
Wes Krause
Curator
Regimental Museum
South Alberta Light Horse