(Submitted photo)

By Nigel Maxwell

Historical treasures

Historic military camp flag found at flea market, returned home to Prince Albert

Nov 12, 2025 | 11:02 AM

After the Remembrance Day crowd had dispersed, and the sounds of The Last Post were but a faint echo, a loud cheer could be heard coming from a room on the second floor of the Prince Albert Armoury building Tuesday morning.

A military camp flag belonging to the North Saskatchewan Regiment, dating back over 140 years and possibly flown during World War I, was returned home thanks to a Saskatoon man who had found it at a flea market sale there.

Major Ramsay Bellisle was moved by the gesture and noted how earlier that day, they laid some wreaths at the cenotaph at City Hall and at the courthouse, and also discussed how the regiment’s legacy dates back to the 1885 Northwest Rebellion.

“And then to actually have the camp flag of the Prince Albert and Battleford Volunteers, which goes back in history to 1885 with the PA. Rifles, to the Prince Albert Volunteers who made up the 52nd Regiment…to actually have their camp flag back in Prince Albert is deeply moving.”

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

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Bellisle explained the camp flag would have been flown wherever the regimental headquarters was when the unit was on exercise or on operations. He thinks potentially this camp flag flew in World War I in France or somewhere in England.

“Going back 15 years when I was in Afghanistan, we had our regimental current camp flag. I was a senior ranking person with the North Saskatchewan Regiment in 2009 and if someone was killed on tour, our regimental camp flag would have been flown at Kandahar airfield and then it would have also accompanied the casket of the soldier that had died overseas.”

Rod Dignean, a retired Captain and a historical military collector, found the flag a year ago at the Lions’ flea market sale in Saskatoo. It was actually hanging up at a friend’s booth and Dignean didn’t hesitate to ask how much he wanted for it.

“He said to me, ‘Well what are you going to do with it?’ And I said I’m going to take it home where it belongs.”

Earlier this year Dignean contacted Lieutenant Colonel Mike Graver at the North Saskatchewan Regiment and together they agreed to frame the flag and present it back to the unit in Prince Albert. They also agreed Remembrance Day would be the perfect day to do it.

“It’s like a lot of stuff that I stumbled across, it just stops you in your tracks when you realize, oh my gosh, this is an incredible piece of history sitting here, and I know what it is, and I know where it belongs, and to be able to get ahold of stuff like that, and bring it home, so to speak, makes it all worthwhile,” Dignean said.

Upon presenting the framed flag to the unit, Dignean was greeted with applause and a series of firm hand shakes.

“That to me, is the universality of veterans and the military. We know our history and we know our traditions and when something like this occurs, everybody appreciates it.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell