[Robert Dabkowski]

Art, I haven't the faintest idea of what happened to "your paintings". I choose to take your comments not as a condemnation of poor museum artifact management but rather of a criminally minded officer corps. Who watches the watchers is my question ? If a Base Commander chooses to steal a militry item is it the curator's fault or the CO's ?

Why don't you forward all the details of the events (which I gather, transpired long before my time) and I'll see what I can find out. Better still, why don't you contact CWM and ask them yourself ? After all, you are the expert, having witnessed it all. You could then update this list on the results !

Who painted them, what were the subjects, the dates ? Are you sure that they came from CWM and not via DND HQ ? If you are so sure that thefts occurred, did YOU file a report with the authorities at the time or just take the easy way out and look the other way, saying nothing ?

"This is not to say that there are no criminals at all in the system ..." was my comment in an earlier posting in this thread. By keep silent all these years you may have allowed a crime to go undetected... and thereby encouraged more.

The are many, many examples in Canada of a grateful Nation presenting its retiring military leaders with reminders of their years of service. I know of Sherman tanks being given, Ferrets, jeeps, firearms, swords, flags, penants and even a WW2 German 88mm (thankfully now back at CWM after sitting in the weeds in a scrapyard for 5 years when his wife sent it there after his passing). Perhaps these paintings were an example of this type of presentation to your retiring CO?

The ultimate example of this type of tribute is seen in the fact that General Worthington is buried in CFB Borden Museum's Worthington Park, amongst his "tank corp". A rare honour. Is this a crime too ? I can just imagine Worthy's comment after being described as a "museum artifact" !!

Robert in Toronto