BADGE, COLLAR

Description: A: A PRINCESS PATRICIA CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY COLLAR BADGE. THE DESIGN IS A FLOWER ENCLOSED IN A CIRCLE, WHICH READS “PRINCESS PATRICIA’S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY”. AT THE TOP OF THE CIRCLE IS A CROWN AND THERE IS A SMALL DESIGN EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM. ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE BADGE ARE TWO LOOPS – ONE AT EITHER SIDE. B: DOUBLE-PRONGED METAL PIN HORIZIONALLY THROUGH THOSE LOOPS. PIN IS 3.9 CM IN LENGTH. OVERALL CONDITION: METAL HAS DARKENED.

History: DONOR PATRICIA SASSA’S FATHER, OKINAWAN TOMOMI OKUTAKE, WAS ONE OF 222 JAPANESE CANADIANS TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE IN 1916, SERVING IN THE INFANTRY. LANDING IN CANADA VIA VANCOUVER IN 1907, OKUTAKE WORKED FOR THE CPR BEFORE MIGRATING WEST TO LETHBRIDGE TO WORK AT THE NO. 6 MINE, WHERE HE SETTLED IN HARDIEVILLE IN 1911 – CONNECTING WITH OTHER OKINAWANS ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE COMMUNITY. FROM THERE, HE MADE THE DECISION TO SUPPORT HIS NEW COUNTRY, CANADA, IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR. IN 1919, OKUTAKE RETURNED TO HARDIEVILLE TO CONTINUE HIS WORK IN THE MINES AFTER THE WAR – RIGHT UP UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT. OF THE JAPANESE CANADIANS WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR THE CEF, 55 WERE KILLED DURING WW1. FOR A MORE DETAILED HISTORY, PLEASE SEE P20170001001. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS, SERVICE RECORDS, COPIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS, AND LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES.