4 minute read
‘The best thing we’ve ever found’
Former Gladstone resident uncovers unexpected history
By Casper Wehrhahn Neepawa Banner & Press
Passions and hobbies can bring people to doing, and finding, the unexpected. This certainly proved true for Mitch Cuthbert, of Brandon. Formerly from Gladstone, Cuthbert is an avid enthusiast of metal detecting and has actively engaged in the hobby for the past four years. This hobby led him to finding an unexpected piece of history– a World War I medal.
“I was in Russell, Manitoba, for work. In the evenings, rather than just sit in my hotel room, I brought my metal detector with me,” said Cuthbert. “There’s a park there, just behind the old folks’ home, for lack of better term, so I went out there after work.”
Cuthbert added, “I was just doing my thing and I got a good signal. I dug and there it was about six inches down.”
Due to how the signal showed on the metal detection equipment, Cuthbert had originally thought the item would be a silver dollar. Upon seeing the shape of the item when it was dug up, he noted that it struck him as odd, but neat.
“I put it in my pocket and kept doing my thing. Then, when I got back to the hotel, I cleaned it up a little and looked at it a bit more,” said Cuthbert. “[Realizing that it was an old medal], I was kind of excited. It was always on my bucket list to find a war medal.”
Lost without a trace
Cuthbert then texted the unique find to his parents, who also share the metal detecting hobby.
“We went back and forth for a bit and my mom said, ‘This is probably the best thing we’ve ever found’, because it actually has some history to it,” said Cuthbert.
According to the available details, the medal is a silver memorial cross in commemoration of Pte. Nelson Davidson’s passing and would have been presented to his mother, Martha.
Nelson was born at Owen Sound, Ontario on Dec. 19, 1888 to parents William Davidson and Martha J. Burrows. He, as well as his brother, George, later lived in Russell.
Nelson served in World War I, enlisting for service at Brandon on Dec. 23, 1914. He saw action overseas with the First Canadian Mounted Rifles (Saskatchewan Regi- ment) and received the 19151915 Star.
Sadly, Nelson was killed during active service in June of 1916. He was commemorated at the Menin Gate (Ypres) Memorial, located at the eastern side of the town of Ypres (now Ieper) in the Province of West Flanders. The memorial bears the names of 55,000 men who were “lost without trace during the defence of Ypres Salient” in WWI.
A brother, Pte. Robert Davidson, also served in WWI. He was enlisted with the Canadian Infantry
(Manitoba Regiment) in the 78th Overseas Battalion. Robert was also killed in the line of duty, and is commemorated at the Regina Trench Cemetery in Somme, France.
To Be Donated
Cuthbert noted that the discovery of the medal actually occurred in 2024, but he and his family have been working since then to find an appropriate home for it. Having been unable to locate a member of Nelson Davidson’s family to accept the medal, Cuthbert and his family now have a different destination in mind.
“I think we’ll donate it to the Legion or a museum around Russell– somewhere close to where the gentleman was from. We’ve been in contact with Veteran Affairs, and I think that’s the plan,” said Cuthbert. “We’re going to make a nice display table, because we have the guy’s picture. The ribbon for the medal is all rotted away, but the medal’s in good shape and you can get these ribbons from the Legion. So we’ll put it together, make up a nice presentation and donate it somewhere in the area.”
Cuthbert added, “It’s something you want to share, because it’s a big piece of history.
Providing a final comment, Cuthbert reflected on the day of the find and the pending donation of the medal.
“The Lord, Jesus Christ, really blessed me that day. It’s really good for the hobby– it was a good day and I just remember being really excited,” said Cuthbert. “And of course to be able to get that history out there, too. People tend to forget a lot about that. The war and the freedom from it. So being able to put that to light too is really special. It’s a gentleman who died overseas fighting for us.”
