Finding Aid
Mutart Family fonds. 1st accrual. 1916 – 1986, predominantly 1916 – 1945.
Extent: 57.5 cm of textual records, photographs, and textiles. Includes 332 letters, 13 photographs, and approximately 27 telegrams.
This is the first accrual of the Mutart Family fonds, which focuses exclusively on the wartime service of Reginald Francis Mutart (7 June 1897 – 2 August 1929) during the First World War, and of his son Robert Jack Mutart (7 May 1923 – 3 February 1962) during the Second World War. The fonds consists of photocopies of 19 letters sent home by Reginald, as well as several original photographs, postcards, and service-related material. For Robert, the fonds contains 188 wartime letters from Robert to Anne, both before and after their marriage in 1945, as well as 86 letters from Robert to his family, and photographs of Robert during his service and of his wedding. There is also a small number of letters sent to Robert’s family from Vincent M. Curran, a close military friend, on behalf of Robert while he was ill.
Several of the letters sent by Robert Jack Mutart were redacted in part by military censors, with portions of his letters being cut out, often when stating his location or the name of ships other than his own. These letters include but are not limited to: 12 February 1943; March 1943 (date section also redacted); 8 May 1943; 11 May 1943; 16 February 1944, and; 4 April 1945.
Box 1
F.1 Reginald’s service information and paybook, 1916 – 1919. Contains a listing of Reginald’s locations during the war, as well as the original paybook he was assigned. Listing was written after the war, presumably by a descendent.
F.2 Reginald Letters Home (facsimiles), 1916 – 1919. 19 letters.
F.3 Typed transcription of Reginald’s letters, n.d.
F.4 Reginald’s photographs and postcards, 1916 – 1919. 2 photographs and 12 postcards. Only 3 postcards have been written on.
F.5 Robert Jack Mutart’s letters to Anne, 1942 – 1943. 23 letters.
F.6 Robert letters to Anne, 1944. 26 letters.
F.7 Robert letters to Anne, January and February 1945. 9 letters.
F.8 Robert letters to Anne, March 1945. 17 letters.
F.9 Robert letters to Anne, April 1945. 22 letters.
F.10 Robert letters to Anne, May 1945. 12 letters.
Box 2
F.1 Robert letters to Anne, June 1945. 27 letters.
F.2 Robert letters to Anne, July 1945. 27 letters.
F.3 Robert letters to Anne, August and September 1945. 25 letters.
F.4 Robert telegrams to Anne, 1944. 3 telegrams.
F.5 Robert letters to family, 1942. 28 letters.
F.6 Robert letters to family, January – June 1943. 19 letters.
F.7 Robert letters to family, July – December 1943. 9 letters.
F.8 Robert letters to family, 1944. 25 letters.
F.9 Robert letters to family, 1945. 6 letters.
F.10 Robert letters to family, 1947. 1 letter.
F.11 Robert telegrams to mother, 1942 – 1945. 24 telegrams.
F.12 Robert letter to sister Ruth, 22 February 1944. 1 letter.
F.13 School Principal’s letter to Robert, 1 September 1943. 1 letter.
Box 3
F.1 Robert’s Service Information, 1940 – 1986. Contains a facsimile of a leave ticket, a statement of service from Public Archives Canada, a handwritten listing of the ships on which Robert served, as well as an original National Registration Certificate and a certificate granting access to the Private’s Mess.
F.2 Photographs and postcards of Robert’s, 1942 – 1945. 11 photographs of Robert, during his service and at his wedding. 3 postcards.
F.3 Letters from Vince to Robert’s family, ca. 1942. 6 letters.
F.4 Letter from Vince to Robert’s wife Anne, 24 June 1945.
F.5 ‘Welcome Home’ party invitation and marriage announcements, 1945.
F.6 Christmas cards from soldiers, ca. 1942 – 1944. 7 Christmas cards, often with short notes and images of ships the soldiers served on.
Box 4
Box contains objects, predominantly textiles, from Robert’s service during the Second World War and a few items from his subsequent career. This includes:
A navy-blue scarf containing Robert’s initials, from the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE)
A silky white handkerchief with the HMCS Fundy embroidered onto it
Black silky cap ribbon for the HMCS Bittersweet.
Arm insignias for the Royal Canadian Dental Corps
Unknown arm insignias
Red silky kerchief with image of the HMCS Bittersweet
Several military pins
