Ross Wilson

I was born and raised in the UK and have always had an interest in history. As a boy, summers were spent cycling around the country lanes of Kent with an ordinance survey map, trying to find the Roman and ancient monuments marked on it.

My interest in historic artifacts was sparked when a grade school teacher, who was also an amateur archeologist, brought in some pottery shards from a dig she had been on in Egypt. To this day, I remember that moment – when I held that 2000-year-old piece of pottery in my hand. It spoke to me; of far off lands; of the heat and sun (I was, after all, in rainy, foggy London!); of the Pharaohs; of pyramids and mighty armies. Of course, I wanted to be an archeologist. Instead I became an engineer, but my passion for history and artifacts (and the stories they tell) never changed.

I came to Canada, my father’s country, in the mid-60’s and fell in love with its history - the trappers, traders, soldiers, homesteaders and explorers who settled this land. These were the men and women, natives and immigrants who fought and died for their beliefs and their country and who are the very fiber of this Nation. My interest in the Fur Trade and the arms and accoutrements worn and carried by the Nor’Westers and the Métis (not to mention my engineering skills) found an outlet in the building of Old Fort William in Thunder Bay.

My love of the military history of this continent brought me to spend over twenty years with Parks Canada and the Canadian War Museum. From the foggy battlements of Cape Breton’s Fortress Louisburg to British Columbia’s Fort Rodd Hill, I have been fortunate to taste our history and to handle some of our Nation’s most significant historic artifacts. And whether they are rare, like the Arctic medal awarded to Sir John Franklin or Billy Bishop’s Victoria Cross or as ordinary as a ration book from the Second World War, each tells its own story.

Handling an artifact can tell you so much. You are in touch with a period of time and the person who fashioned it, be they tailor, gunsmith, leather worker or one of a hundred different trades and professions – what they have created you hold in your hands. It can tell you the why, where and how and then transport you to another time.

I had been a fan of the British Antiques Roadshow for years and when I was asked to participate in our own Canadian Antiques Roadshow I was, to say the least, stunned!!
And now, having just finished my fourth season with the Roadshow I continue to be awed by our talented crew and the expertise of my colleagues and the warmth of our guests and the fascinating things they bring to us.

Of course, a large part of the show is giving our guests an evaluation for the item they have brought whether it is worth zillions or mere pennies. Many of our guests bring their family heirlooms, pieces of their personal history and I find that in many cases the evaluation is secondary to wanting to know how to care for and preserve their items, and where they can find more information.

As the Arms and Militaria expert I have all kinds of things brought to me. Whether they are swords, medals, clothing, badges, muskets, documents, photographs and even furniture, crockery and quilts, they all have a military attachment and all have a story. And to me the story can lift an ordinary item with hardly any monetary value at all, into the realms of a priceless treasure. For example a ragged, little canvas bag was brought to me in St.John’s, Newfoundland. Worth only a few dollars at most, it had played an important and significant part in the history of Newfoundland and Canada. On the 1st July 1916, on the first day of the bloody Battle of the Somme at a place called Beaumont Hamel, the 800 officers and men of the 1st (later ‘Royal’) Newfoundland Regiment waited for the order to go ‘over the top’- out of the trenches and charge the German lines. Running through the trenches came a young man with those orders – carried in that canvas bag. The orders arrived, the signal was given and the men, including the messenger, ‘went over the top’, into the chattering machine guns of the German Army, where they were cut down like summer grass. Next morning at roll call only 68 answered, including the young man who carried the orders. Value of that ratty little bag - priceless!!!

An then in Halifax, during our first season, a lady brought in a sperm whale tooth engraved with a wonderful portrait of a British Naval officer and his ship. It was one of the finest pieces of scrimshaw I had ever seen and what made this so unusual was that it was done by a sailor on a warship and not a whaling ship as was usually the case.

As an independent appraiser I am often asked ‘what should I collect?’ and I always say ‘go with your heart’. Go with your interests and learn all you can. Consult other collectors and read, read and then read some more. Always go for the best quality, no matter what your interest. Before you know it you may be afflicted by what we at the Roadshow call ‘The Disease’ – the passion of collecting. It will bring you joy, happiness and, sometimes, heartache but it will instill an incurable curiosity and appreciation for things from the past. And we, the ‘Roadshow’s ‘experts’ will look forward to seeing you and the source of your collecting when we next visit your town or city.

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