[BCMA] Unveiling of Chaster Donation at Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

For Immediate Release October 30, 2013

Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives

Unveiling of the Chaster Family Donation



The Chaster Family Donation exhibit will be unveiled at the Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives on Monday, November 4 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception. Ruth Chaster and her family recently donated a framed document featuring photographs of members of the Chaster family who served in the military.  The document creates a record of their service to Canada, British Columbia and the Cowichan Valley. The family has taken the time to record their experiences, both harrowing and humorous.



On loan to the museum is the uniform worn by Ruth Chaster during her service in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1943 to 1946. After completing basic training in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Women’s Division, she had hoped to be assigned as a Motor Transport Driver but was required to remain in General Duties. Ruth was inspired to join the military by her older brothers, especially James Barry Chaster.



James Barry Chaster, of the Royal Army Service Corp, recalled a foggy night on January 3, 1942 when, as a 21 year old pilot, his mission was to fly a Lancaster airplane from the 207th Squadron stationed near Nottingham. It was an experimental flight with a new navigation system that allowed flying in dense fog. Suddenly, as the crew neared their target, they flew out of the fog into a perfectly clear sky. The plane was easily detected by a German Hienkel fighter plane pilot who quickly opened fire and caused major damage. 



Barry’s crew parachuted out of the plane but Barry stayed and attempted to fly the wounded Lancaster back to England. Another round of machine gun fire decimated the cockpit and Barry was forced to parachute out of the plane, landing in Holland. 



Like many stories from this time, the journey back to Allied territory was treacherous but inspiring. Four members of his crew died, two were captured and incarcerated in a POW camp. Barry was assisted by many people as he escaped from occupied Europe. Some of the good Samaritans who helped him paid for it when they were incarcerated to concentration camps. Barry did make it back to England, via Holland, Belgium, France, Spain and Gibraltar, but he compared his experiences to those of his crew and friends as “a walk in the park”. 



The exhibit will be on view until November 16, including Remembrance Day, Monday November 11th, following the ceremony at the cenotaph.



The Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives is located in the heritage designated Duncan Train Station, 130 Canada Avenue, Duncan.  Please contact curator Kathryn Gagnon at 

(250) 746-6612 or cvmuseum.archives at shaw.ca for more information. Museum hours:  Wednesday to Friday, 11 -4 and Saturday 1-4. Admission is by donation.





Cenotaph in Duncan, BC, with Agricultural Hall in background.

Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives



Kathryn Gagnon 

Curator/Manager

Cowichan Valley Museum & Archives
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20131030/34cb3aff/attachment-0001.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 9467 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20131030/34cb3aff/attachment-0001.jpeg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Cenotaph and Agriclutural Hall, image Gibson studio.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 298585 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20131030/34cb3aff/attachment-0001.jpg