The two weapons are the newest additions to the Dinsdale exhibit at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon.
MELISSA VERGE/THE BRANDON SUN
The two weapons are the newest additions to the Dinsdale exhibit at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon.
Weapons used in the Second World War by former Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Walter Dinsdale will be unveiled at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum on Tuesday.
One of the weapons is a Smith and Wesson .38, a British service revolver; the other is a P-35 semi-automatic pistol.
"We’re very pleased that we can preserve local history like this and this particular story is a fascinating one, just from the lifelong career that Walter had and his impact on Brandon as a whole, said Stephen Hayter, the museum’s executive director.
After serving in the war, Dinsdale went on to serve as Brandon-Souris MP from 1951 until his death in 1982.
The museum currently features an exhibit on Dinsdale; the weapons are being added to the array of items on display, including uniforms, a gas mask and an extensive row of military awards.
"I think there’s always a fascination with the weapons side of warfare, and these are the personal weapons that Walter had on him during his service," Hayter said.
During the war, Dinsdale flew a Mosquito attack bomber and wouldn’t have had much cause to use the revolver and pistol, Hayter said, but they were still an important part of his safety in operations.
The process of getting the weapons to Brandon was complicated, and current Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire had a part in helping them reach the Wheat City.
"Eric Dinsdale (Walter’s son) phoned me because the government wouldn’t allow the guns to come out of the (Canadian War Museum in Ottawa) because they were not decommissioned," Maguire said.
"So, I wrote a letter and made calls to the war museum," he said.
Through the RCMP, the museum said it was unable to move the weapons unless they were decommissioned, so Maguire phoned Eric, who said that it was OK to do so.
"As soon as they heard that they decommissioned the guns, that allowed them to come to Brandon," Maguire said.
Another of Dinsdale’s sons, Rolf Dinsdale, was happy to see the guns go to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
"I’m glad to see the guns in a museum where they belong," he said. "I’m an advocate of gun control."
Members of the Dinsdale family will be on hand for the unveiling on Tuesday, as will Maguire, who will help dedicate the exhibit additions to the southwest region of the province.
Members of the community will also have a chance to learn more about the weapons and Dinsdale’s story.
"Mr. Dinsdale was a war hero, and it was very important that kind of history be here in southwest Manitoba for the effort that he put in during the war," Maguire said.
"It’s just another piece of Walter’s story and certainly it’s interesting from a visitor’s standpoint just to see the type of weaponry that a World War II airforce person would have been using at the time," Hayter said.
The presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Dinsdale display in the main gallery.
