MOOSE JAW — Alan McLellan’s passion for collecting stamps over the last 60 years eventually led to him collecting facts and stories about Canadian military history, with that information filling dozens of thick three-ring binders.
The retired veteran began his philatelic hobby in 1967 when he was 10 years old, where he focused on aircraft- and space-themed stamps. He continued to collect thousands of similar Canadian seals during the next several decades, building a compilation that fills nearly 50 binders.
“I’m trying to cut down (because) my wife doesn’t want me to fill the house,” he chuckled.
McLellan’s grandfather served with the 46th Battalion during the First World War, so he followed in those footsteps and joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a transport driver for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1974. However, because of the military’s amalgamation in 1968, which forced everyone to wear the same green uniform, he only received his “air force blues” in 1981.
In the early 1990s, he went overseas to refuel aircraft in Doha, Qatar, during Operation Desert Shield before retiring in 1999 after a 25-year career.
McLellan continued to collect stamps, but around 2004, his focus shifted to acquiring information about Canadian and world military history. Whenever he snagged a military- or war-themed stamp, he researched it and wrote down everything he learned.
For example, he picked up stamps with poppies, so he dug into that symbol’s history and discovered that red represents remembrance, white honours peace and victims of war and purple remembers wartime service animals.
“I’m always thinking big. Maybe I could write a book or something … ,” the retired veteran remarked.
Other interesting stamps that McLellan acquired were from the Second World War and were worth 25 cents. Kids were supposed to collect $4 worth and redeem them for a $5 savings bond. This was to help fund the war effort.
Most stamps that are collectors’ items or valuable are from before the 1940s, but McLellan says he has very few of those. However, he doesn’t necessarily look for the high-value ones but for those that fit with his military-aircraft-space-themed collection.
Meanwhile, McLelland continued to build up his knowledge about Canadian and world military history by reading through old newspapers, books and magazines, carefully documenting everything he read.
For example, during the Second World War, he learned that Canadians played pivotal roles during the battles of Dunkirk and Britain, while Saskatchewan played a role in hosting the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
These efforts led to him filling 30 binders with all the data, statistics, stories, biographies and information he dug up. From pre-Confederation days to forts to the RCMP to both world wars to Afghanistan, McLellan has covered nearly every topic and era.
“Like I say, I’m a history buff, so I like reading history books. And it’s fascinating to look into things with a Canadian or Saskatchewan perspective,” he said.
McLellan hopes that someone might be interested in acquiring all the military-themed binders he has filled. He pointed out that history repeats itself — he sees similar patterns between today and what happened decades and centuries ago — and society needs to learn from its mistakes so as never to repeat them.
“I have the honest belief the Americans are going to have a civil war again because of the stupidity that is going on. That’s my own opinion,” he chuckled.
Military career
McLellan served eight years in Europe during his 25-year military career — including a six-month tour of the Golan Heights in Syria — and recalls a “unique experience” he had while stationed in Germany.
The Canadians were on an exercise with the French where they practised bringing wounded soldiers from the front to hospitals in the rear. However, the latter didn’t realize the Canucks were non-conscripted — volunteers, basically — military personnel and never thought that people would choose a military job for a career.
Afterward, the Frenchmen became somewhat jealous of the food the Canadians received.
“Well, they (the French) had rations, but what they’d (receive) for a whole day’s ration would be just enough for a meal for a Canadian,” McLellan chuckled. “One thing the Canadian military … always had (was) good food. … A lot of foreign countries didn’t mind stopping in to see the Canadians for food.”
McLellan added that he enjoyed his military career and encouraged others also to join.
