General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Wool and polyster shell with an acetate lining, synthetic name plate and metal buttons and medal.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

64.0 cm

Width

10.0 cm

Height

90.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Clothing

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Logistik

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

British Columbia

Period

ca. 1992-2013

Canada

Lieutenant-Colonel Steven P. Deschamps CD (Ret’d) was born in Cornwall, Ontario in 1956. He served as a Royal Canadian Air Cadet from 1969 to 1974. Deschamps enrolled in the RCAF Reserve in 1975 and in the Regular Forces in 1979. In 1982, Deschamps was discharged from the RCAF for being gay as part of the “LGBT Purge,” the name given to the systematic discrimination by the CAF, RCMP, and federal public service against 2SLGBTQIA+ members from the 1950s until the 1990s. In 1992, the policy that formalized the LGBT Purge in the military was repealed (Ref. 2), and Deschamps rejoined the RCAF as a Reserve Officer, serving with the Air Cadets until his retirement in 2013. In 2022, Deschamps was appointed Honorary Colonel of RCAF 443 Squadron, Victoria, British Columbia. This service dress jacket was worn by Deschamps from 1992, when he re-joined the RCAF, until his retirement in 2013, and represents his time serving with the RCAF, Cadet Instructor Cadre, and Royal Canadian Air Cadets. This jacket is not only representative of Deschamps’ individual career; worn by an openly gay service member in the wake of the LGBT Purge, it speaks to wider social change within the RCAF and CAF.

Function

Worn for a broad range of duties and could be worn unrestricted in public.

Technical

This uniform jacket is part of the blue service dress uniform of the RCAF after the CAF’s return to Distinctive Environmental Uniforms began in 1984 (Ref. 3). The jacket has a single-breasted design with an open collar, allowing users to wear it for their wide range of everyday duties, especially those occurring in public. The jacket’s badges, insignia and award indicate the rank and qualifications of the wearer, Steven P. Deschamps. The three gold arm bands mark Deschamps’ position as a Lieutenant-Colonel. The red and white striped ribbon with the gold medal on the left-breast pocket is the Canadian Forces’ Decoration, which is awarded to all those who have completed twelve years of services with the Canadian Forces (Ref. 4), and illustrates Deschamps longtime service with the RCAF. The wings above the left-breast pocket are the Power Pilot Wings of the Cadet Instructor Cadre and Royal Canadian Air Cadets, which Deschamps became authorized to wear after receiving his private pilot license in 1994 (Ref. 5).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

On the patches at the shoulders: "CANADA"/ On the name tag: "DESCHAMPS"/ On the badge above the medal: "CADET"/ On the front of the medal: "ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA/ CANADA"/ On the label inside the right breast: "LOGISTIK/ unicorp inc./ 8405-21-899-0029/ 2346/ AZOA/01 P/O #: 58520/ MADE IN CANADA/ FABRIQUÉ AU CANADA/ P/ Shell / Exterieur/ 65% Wool / Laine/

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Predominantly blue jacket with gold-coloured buttons, blands at the sleeves, and patches at the sleeves near the shoulder, and a grey-brown lining with a white label. Attached to the jacket are a blue and white name tag, a gold-coloured medal with a red and white ribbon on the left breast pocket, and a black, silver, gold and red badge above it.

Decoration

Canadian Forces Decoration medal has a red ribbon with white vertical stripes and an octagonal gold medal with a relief image of a young Queen Elizabeth II in profile on the proper front. The badge above the medal bears a pair of outstretched wings surmounted by a crown.