Finding Aid
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 [Roberts brother]. 1942-1944. [Includes letters from Robert]
F.16 Mrs. J.J. Dorsey [Roberts 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 Dorseys 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 Dorseys 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 Dorseys 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 Soldiers Prayerbook. [n.d.]
E.25 The Regimental Officers Handbook of the German Army. 1943.
E.26 Salerno Diary, No.65. 1944.
E.27 John Dorseys 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, Canadas First Front Line Newspaper. Volume 1. 1944.
F.19 The Rocket, Canadas 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 Dorseys Widow, Florence. 2002.
F.25 Bobs 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, Bobs 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-]
