New Acquisition

Taking a slight detour from my usual postings, I wanted to show one of my most recent acquisitions in my collection. I recently attended an auction here in London where I was very fortunate to be able to purchase a set of World War One and interwar medals, identified to an Lt. Col. H.N. Streight.

Lt. Col. (later Colonel) Harvey Newton Streight was born in Kemptville, Ontario in 1887. In 1904, he came to Winnipeg and later enlisted with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in World War One. Eventually achieving the rank of Lieutenant, Streight began a career in law. He also served as the president of the Manitoba Conservative Party from 1934 to 1938. Remaining in the militia in the inter-war years, Streight progressed to the rank of Colonel. In 1931, while with the 10th Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Corps in Winnipeg, Streight was awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (medal on the right) for twenty years of service (service during WWI counted as double).

When World War II broke out, he briefly served as the Commanding Officer of the Winnipeg Grenadiers but, in 1940, he joined the regular force and was posted as the District Judge Advocate General for Military District 10. However, in 1941, Streight was appointed the Director of Prisoners of War in Canada. Responsible for all internment operations in Canada, Streight was kept very active in these years, maintaining correspondence with all internment affairs, including those in Manitoba. He remained at this post until his retirement in 1945.

Streight passed away on June 2, 1960 and is buried in Winnipeg.

Needless to say, I am very pleased to have this medal grouping in my collection and it will certainly form one of the centerpieces of my Prisoner of War Collection!