In Issue 189 and Breaking news (2.12.10) we investigated the origins of this area's corpseless head. Now another Canadian link has been discovered with very similar provenance.
During Doors Open Day yesterday, Spurtle happened upon the totem pole shown right in Abercromby Place.
A plaque states that it was presented to the Royal Scots Club in 1943 by D Company, 2nd Batallion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment – the same outfit who arranged for the shooting, stuffing, mounting and donation of the unfortunate East Claremont Street caribou. They in turn had been presented with the artefact by Prince Rupert, British Columbia in 1939, and had passed it on (presumably because they had an ample sufficiency of totem poles already).
Prince Rupert, as most readers know, is the capital of Prince Rupert Island, the western terminus of the Grand Pacific Railroad and, until the 1980s, 'Halibut Capital of the World'.
It would be interesting to learn what – if any – reciprocal gifts the Royal Scots (and the Club) have sent to their allied regiment in Canada: a ceremonial caber, perhaps, and the head of a ptarmigan. Spurtle is making enquiries.
[img_assist|nid=2186|title=|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=200|height=200]