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Dorsey, Robert

Robert Dorsey fonds. First accrual. – [192-]-2002. – 46 cm of textual records and other material.

Series 1
Education records. – 1936-1941. – 3 cm of textual records.

Note: Material in this series has been removed from scrapbooks.

Box 1
    
F.1          Middle School Report Cards. 1936-1937.
F.2          Upper School Report Cards. 1937-1938.
F.3          McMaster University Application Acknowledgment. 1938.
F.4          McMaster Handbooks and Directories. 1939-1941.
F.5          Junior/Senior Collation Programmes. 1940-1941.
F.6          McMaster Academic Standing Report. 1940.
F.7          McMaster University Examination Report. 1941.
F.8          McMaster University Programmes. 1940-1941.
F.9          McMaster Song Sheet. [n.d.]

Box 2 [Oversize]
E.1          McMaster University Graduating Class Photograph. 1941.
E.2          McMaster Athletics Certificate. 1941.

Series 2
Certificates and forms. – 1923-1942. – 3 cm of textual records.

Note: Material in this series has been removed from scrapbooks.

Box 1
F.10        Certificate of Baptism. 1923.
F.11        Record of Birth. 1943. [Letter regarding birth of Robert E. Dorsey, 1919]
F.12        Certificate of Military Qualification. 1942.
F.13        Officer Information Card. 1942.
F.14        Officers Training Centre Course Completion Certificates. 1942.

Box 2 [Oversize]
E.3          Sunday School Promotional Certificates. 1927-1929. [2 envelopes]
E.4          Diplomas. 1930-1933.
E.5          Camp Leader Certificate. 1936.
E.6          Certificate of Appointment to Canadian Army. 1942.

Box 3 [Oversize]
E.1          Appointment of a Deputy Returning Officer Form. 1942.

Series 3
Correspondence. – 1942-1952. – 5 cm of textual records.

Box 1
F.15        Lloyd Dorsey [Robert’s brother]. 1942-1944. [Includes letters from Robert]
F.16        Mrs. J.J. Dorsey [Robert’s stepmother, Helen]. 1944. [Includes letters from Florence; many letters removed from Scrapbook B]
F.17        Mrs. R.E. Dorsey [Florence]. 1944-1952. [3 folders; includes Remembrance Day Service programme, letters from Robert Dorsey, his sister, Laura, and from the Imperial War Graves Commission; many letters removed from Scrapbook B]
F.18        John Kettles. 1944. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
F.19        Sergeant “Chuckles” [Charles R.] Wille. 1944-1945.
F.20        Official Letters. 1944-1945. [Includes letter from 10 Canadian Base Reinforcement Battalion notifying Florence of Dorsey’s death, condolence letter from Buckingham Palace, and letters from Ministry of National Defence; removed from Scrapbook B]

Series 4
Scrapbooks. – 1923-[ca. 1944]. – 4 cm of textual records and other material.

Series consists of a facsimile scrapbook. Material removed from the original scrapbook, which consists of photographs, newspaper clippings, forms and certificates, education records, and memorabilia has been arranged in the corresponding series.

Box 2 [Oversize]
Scrapbook A Facsimile. 1923-1942.

Series 5
Photographs. – [192-]-1944. – 8 cm of graphic material [ca. 150 photographs].

Subseries 1
Friends and Family. – [192-]-1944. – 6 cm of graphic material.

Note: Photographs in subseries have been removed from scrapbooks, unless otherwise indicated]

Box 1
F.21        Family. [192-]-1944. [Includes photographs from Dorsey’s childhood, youth, and wedding, and photographs of his son John as an infant]
F.22        Bigwin Inn. [n.d.]
F.23        McMaster University. 1939-1941.
F.24        Group Photograph. 1941.
F.25        Wedding. 1943.
F.26        Robert Dorsey in Uniform. [ca. 1943]. [Photographs of Dorsey with Florence, and with friends; not from scrapbooks]
F.27        Robert, Florence, and Family. [ca.1943]. [Includes wedding photographs]
F.28        Florence and John. 1944. [Not from scrapbooks]

Subseries 2
Canadian Army. – 1941-1944. – 2 cm of graphic material.

McMaster Contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps (COTC). 1941. [Not boxed]

Box 4
F.1          Canadian Army Group Photographs. [ca. 1942-1943].
F.2          Officers’ Training Centre, Gordon Head, B.C. 1942. [Photographs of Platoons 1, 2 and 5; soldiers’ names listed on reverse of No. 2 Platoon photo]
F.3          Dorsey Army Photographs. 1942-1944. [Photographs of Dorsey in uniform with members of platoon in Brantford, standing in front of tents at an army base, and in Scotland, France, and Belgium].
F.4          Dorsey Gravesite and War Memorials. [n.d.]

Box 2 [Oversize]
E.7          Officers of No. 20 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, Brantford. 1942.
E.8          No. 16 Platoon “D” Coy. No. 25 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre, Simcoe. 1943.

Series 6
Newspapers and clippings. – 1938-1991. – 3 cm of textual records.

Box 4
F.5          WWI. 1915. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
F.6          Badminton. [ca. 1938]. [Removed from Scrapbook A]
F.7          Josiah J. Dorsey Obituaries. 1939.
F.8          Events and Announcements. 1941-1991.
F.9          Wedding. 1943.
F.10        War Effort. 1943-44. [Includes clipping sent by Dorsey; oversize clippings in Box 2]
F.11        Obituaries, Poems and Prayers. [Includes death notices for Dorsey and other fallen soldiers; removed from Scrapbook B]
F.12        Vox Lucei Honour Roll Photocopy. 1946.
F.13        Al Dilworth. 1985. [40th Anniversary of VE Day]

Box 6
The Ottawa Journal, December 12, 1945.

Series 7
Programmes and pamphlets. – 1938-1991. – 3 cm of textual records.

Note: Much of the material in this series has been removed from scrapbooks.

Box 4
F.14        Church Pamphlets. [ca. 1938].
F.15        Royal Connaught Banquet Programme. 1938.
F.16        Bigwin Inn Musical Programme. 1939.
F.17        “The Gondoliers” Opera Programme. 1941.

Box 5
F.1          McNab St. Presbyterian Church Badminton Exhibition Programme. 1941.
F.2          Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa Dance Programmes. 1943.
F.3          Here Comes the Army Programme. 1943. [Presented by No. 20 CA(B)TC]
F.4          McMaster Alumni and Commemorative Programmes. 1944-1991.
F.5          City of Hamilton: Welcome and Tribute to Soldiers. 1945.
F.6          Melrose United Church War Memorial Dedication Pamphlets. 1948.

Series 8
Maps. – 1945-1946. – 1 cm of cartographic and textual records.

Box 5
F.7          Caen. [1945]. [Map identifying cemetery plot location, accompanied by letter, 1945].
F.8          Caen and other places. [1946]. [Map identifying cemetery plot location, accompanied by letter, 1946].

Series 9
Notebooks. – 1943. – 4 cm of textual records.

Box 3 [Oversize]
E.2          Manuscript Notebook. 1943.
E.3          Notebook. [n.d.]. [Lloyd Dorsey’s name written on inside cover]

Box 5
F.9          Scrapbook Notes. [n.d.] [Includes handwritten note stating: “These are the pictures Bob was carrying when he was killed.” Photographs were not found with note.]
F.10        Cemetery Location Notes. [n.d.]

Series 10
Awards and Honours. – 1944-1945. – 6 items.

Box 2 [Oversize]
E.9          City of Toronto Roll of Honour. 1944.

Box 3 [Oversize]
E.4          Memorial Bar. 1944. [With accompanying letter from the Minister of Veteran Affairs]
E.5          Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. [n.d.]
E.6          Operation Overlord Medal. [n.d.]
E.7          The Defence Medal. 1945.
E.8          The 1939-1945 War Medal. 1945.

Series 11
Memorabilia. – [n.d.]. – 4 cm of textual records and ca. 16 items.

Box 3 [Oversize]
E.9          Character Reading by Mrs. Symes. [n.d.]. [Published 1903]
E.10        Vi-Tone Company Pamphlets by Josiah J. Dorsey. [n.d.]. [3 envelopes]
E.11        Art Project. [n.d].
E.12        Mounted Portrait of Dorsey. [n.d.]. [Graphite sketch; removed from Scrapbook A]
E.13        Handmade Calendar Cover. [n.d.]. [Removed from Scrapbook A]
E.14        Wedding Invitation for Helen Sybil and Josiah Joshua Dorsey. 1931.
E.15        Crests, Ribbons, and Pins. [ca. 1933-1941]. [9 items; additional fabric crests in preservation; removed from scrapbooks]
E.16        McMaster Fabric ‘M.’ [n.d.]. [Removed from Scrapbook A]
E.17        Postcards, Greeting Cards, Etc. 1939-1941. [Includes handmade greeting cards, dance cards, place cards, and membership cards; removed from Scrapbook A]
E.18        Soccer Champs Crest. 1940. [Removed from Scrapbook A]
E.19        McMaster Contingent of the COTC Military Dance Card. 1942. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
E.20        Postcards. [ca. 1943]. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
E.21        Greeting Card. [n.d.]. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
E.22        On Being a Real Person Book Excerpt. 1943. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
E.23        Lt. R.E. Dorsey Wooden Sign. [n.d.]. [Removed from Scrapbook B]
E.24        Soldier’s Prayerbook. [n.d.]
E.25        The Regimental Officer’s Handbook of the German Army. 1943.
E.26        Salerno Diary, No.65. 1944.
E.27        John Dorsey’s Bronze Cross Pin. 1959.

Box 5
F.11        Tax Receipt. 1942.
F.12        Seventh Canadian Infantry Brigade Group Dinner Menus. 1943. [Includes correspondence from Dorsey to Florence]
F.13        Officer Lists. 1943.
F.14        Médaille du Jubilé Certificate. 1994.
F.15        Poetry by Helen S. Dorsey. [n.d.] [Handwritten and typed]
F.16        “Bob” Song Lyrics by John Dorsey. [n.d.]
F.17        Information about Plaque Honouring the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. [n.d.]

Box 2 [Oversize]
E.10        Hamilton Collegiate Vox Lucei. 1945. [Featuring tribute to fallen soldiers]

Box 6
Baptismal Gown. [1944].
Woollen Tam and Mittens. 1944. [Gift sent overseas by Dorsey for son, John]
Epaulettes of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa
Tartan fabric

Series 12
The “Rocket” Front Line Newspaper. – 1944-1945. – 6 cm of textual records.      

Box 5
F.18        The “Rocket,” Canada’s First Front Line Newspaper. Volume 1. 1944.
F.19        The “Rocket,” Canada’s First Front Line Newspaper. Volume 2. 1945.
F.20        The “Rocket” Front Line Newspaper. 1944-1945.
F.21        The “Rocket” Red Hot Ring Page, June 25, 1944.

Series 13
Additional Material from Family. – [before 2002]. – 6 cm of textual records and graphic material [ca. 30 photographs].

Box 5
F.22        Transcription of 1st Person Account of June 6 and 7, 1944. [n.d.]
F.23        Copy of McMaster Alumni Biography of Robert Dorsey. [n.d.]
F.24        “Your Reflections” Printout of Email Written by Dorsey’s Widow, Florence. 2002.
F.25        “Bob’s Grave” Notes. [n.d.]. [4 photographs taped to back]

Subseries 1
Laura and Cathy Dorsey. – 1943-1996. – 2 cm of textual records and graphic material.
The subseries consists of material from Laura, Bob’s sister, which came via Cathy [Dorsey] Perkins, including correspondence, photographs and clippings.

Box 5
F.26        Laura Dorsey Correspondence. 1944.
F.27        Audrey Dorsey Correspondence. 1944.
F.28        Al Dilworth Correspondence. 1982-1988. [Friend of Robert Dorsey]
F.29        Cathy [Dorsey] Perkins Correspondence. 1983-1996.
F.30        Scrapbook Pages. [ca.1943-1987]. [3-hole punched, lined pages with photographs and clippings related to Dorsey, his family, his wedding to Florence, and his death]
F.31        Photograph of Florence. [ca. 198-]

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Contact: archives@mcmaster.ca
Last Reviewed: 12 December 2018
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