Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MILITARY BADGE

Date Range From

1916

Date Range To

1919

Materials

METAL

No. Pieces

2

Length

4.5

Width

3

Description

A – B: WORLD WAR I COLLAR BADGE THAT HAS “CANADIAN MEDICAL CORPS” STAMPED BRONZE-COLOURED WITH REMOVABLE PIN. THE BADGE DEPICTS A MAPLE LEAF WREATH WITH A SNAKE AROUND THE SWORD AT THE CENTER. THERE IS A CROWN AT THE TOP OF THE BADGE. GOOD CONDITION. THE METAL HAS DULLED AND DARKENED.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

ON NOVEMBER 25, 2015, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH MIKE LEVIN OF OTTAWA, ONTARIO TO DISCUSS A WORLD WAR I COLLAR BADGE THAT HE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM. THE BADGE BELONGED TO HIS GRANDFATHER, DR. JOHN STANLEY WRAY, WHO WAS A MEDICAL PHYSICIAN IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND A WORLD WAR I VETERAN. LEVIN HAS BEEN IN POSSESSION OF THE BADGE SINCE 2009-2010 AFTER THE PASSING OF HIS UNCLE, ROBERT G. WRAY, WHO HAD INHERITED IT FROM HIS FATHER, DR. J. S. WRAY. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT THE BADGE HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT PHONE INTERVIEW: “MY MOTHER’S FAMILY DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES AT ALL… [W]HEN MY GRANDFATHER DIED BEFORE I WAS BORN. I LIVED OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR A LONG TIME AND WHEN I CAME BACK, I RE-ACQUAINTED MYSELF WITH MY UNCLE BOB. HE’S THE ONE WHO DONATED SOME STUFF TO THE GALT BEFORE..." THE DONOR’S UNCLE BOB (ROBERT G. WRAY) PASSED AWAY IN EDMONTON. ACCORDING TO THE INTERVIEW, THIS MILITARY BADGE IS THE ONLY OBJECT THAT EXISTS WITHIN THE FAMILY FROM DR. JOHN S. WRAY’S MILITARY SERVICE. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT DR. JOHN S. WRAY COMES FROM A HISTORY FOUND IN A 1924 PUBLICATION TITLED, ALBERTA PAST AND PRESENT, BY JOHN BLUE: “DR. JOHN STANLEY WRAY, A WORLD WAR VETERAN WHO, SINCE JUNE 1919, HAS ENGAGED IN THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE AT LETHBRIDGE, WAS BORN IN LINWOOD, ONTARIO, OCTOBER 28, 1882, A SON OF GEORGE AND ANN (ALLINGHAM) WRAY, BOTH OF WHOM WERE NATIVES OF IRELAND...” “JOHN STANLEY WRAY IS THE YOUNGEST OF A FAMILY OF SIX CHILDREN. HE WAS EDUCATED IN PUBLIC SCHOOL NO. 21 IN WELLESLEY TOWNSHIP, WATERLOO DISTRICT, ONTARIO, AND LATER HE ATTENDED THE KITCHENER HIGH SCHOOL AND THE EDMONTON HIGH SCHOOL. HE THERE ACQUIRED A LICENSE TO TEACH AND DEVOTED ABOUT THREE YEARS TO THE PROFESSION OF TEACHING IN AND NEAR EDMONTON BUT REGARDED THIS MERELY AS AN INITIAL STEP TO OTHER PROFESSIONAL LABOR. HE THEN ENTERED THE MEDICAL SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO IN TORONTO, CANADA, IN 1905, AND BY REASON OF THE STEADY PROGRESS THAT HE MADE IN HIS STUDIES WAS THERE GRADUATED IN 1909. HE THEN LOCATED FOR PRACTICE AT RAYMOND, ALBERTA, WHERE HE CONTINUED FOR SIX YEARS, WHEN THE NEED FOR AID IN CONNECTION WITH THE WORLD WAR LED HIM TO JOIN THE ARMY AS A MEMBER OF THE CANADIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS, WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN. HE SERVED IN CALGARY UNTIL MARCH, 1917, WHEN HE WAS ATTACHED TO THE ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-FIRST BATTALION IN THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT AND WENT OVERSEAS. HE SERVED IN ENGLAND WITH RESERVE BATTALIONS AND IN HOSPITALS AND WAS FOR A TIME A MEMBER OF A TRAVELING MEDICAL BOARD, THUS CONTINUING IN ACTIVE DUTY UNTIL MAY, 1918, WHEN HE WENT TO FRANCE AND WAS ATTACHED TO THE THIRD CANADIAN AMBULANCE CORPS. LATER HE WAS IDENTIFIED WITH THE FIRST CANADIAN FIELD ARTILLERY AND WAS IN THE BATTLE OF AMIENS IN AUGUST, 1918. LATER HE RETURNED TO ENGLAND WITH A BROKEN ARM AND WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE CANADIAN ARMY ON THE 27TH OF APRIL, 1919. AT THE BREAKING OF THE HINDENBURG LINE ON THE 1ST AND 2ND OF SEPTEMBER, 1918, HE WAS ON DUTY WITH THE THIRD FIELD AMBULANCE. FOLLOWING HIS RETURN HOME HE LOCATED AT LETHBRIDGE FOR THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN JUNE, 1919, AND HAS HERE REMAINED.” ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT DR. WRAY’S SERVICE IN WORLD WAR I COMES FROM HIS SERVICE RECORDS OBTAINED THROUGH THE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES OF CANADA’S ONLINE DATABASE. ACCORDING TO THE RECORDS, DR. WRAY ENLISTED ON JUNE 13, 1916 IN THE SARCEE CAMP IN CALGARY. DR. WRAY AND MARION WRAY HAD THREE CHILDREN: MARGARET ALICE LEWIS, PHYLISS NEILSON LEVIN, AND ROBERT G. WRAY. DR. WRAY PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE DURING 1952 AT THE AGE OF 69 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT, LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES, FULL ALBERTA PAST AND PRESENT ARTICLE, AND SERVICE RECORDS.

Catalogue Number

P20150035000

Acquisition Date

2015-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail