Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1987

Date Range To

1995

Materials

BRASS, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

2

Height

3

Diameter

3.5

Description

TWO BLACK PLASTIC SPEED LOADERS FOR .357 MAGNUM. EACH LOADER IS CYLINDRICAL WITH 6 CARTRIDGE CHAMBERS AND CENTRAL LIFT. LIFT HAS STAR SHAPED LIFT AT ONE END AND CIRCULAR HANDLE AT OPPOSITE END. HANDLE RAISED LOGO OF DEER HEAD WITH "SAFARILAND". RAISED AROUND EDGE IS "PAT. PEND." AND "J.F.S. K2".

Subjects

ARMAMENT-ACCESSORY

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

History

SPEED LOADERS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE OPERATION OF ARTIFACT P19960109006, SMITH & WESSON REVOLVER .357. ON 8 OCTOBER 2009, TECH KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED RETIRED LPS/CITY POLICE FORCE CONSTABLE AND ARMOURER ERNIE KREEFT (SERVICE DATES 1 JUNE 1977 TO 4 JAN 2004) ABOUT THE FORCE’S USE OF THE .357 SMITH & WESSON REVOLVER. WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE LOADERS, HE SAID, “THEY WOULD HOLD 6 ROUNDS IN THERE, AND WHEN THEY HAD TO RELOAD, YOU COULD DUMP THE EMPTY ROUNDS OUT OF THE REVOLVER, PUT THE SPEED LOADER IN, PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE BACK AND RELEASE THE 6 ROUNDS INTO THE CHAMBER.” FRANK JAMES BATHGATE WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE AND GREW UP IN THE PARK LAKE AREA. HE APPLIED TO THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE FORCE IN 1951 AND WAS APPOINTED CONSTABLE ON JANUARY 14, 1953. HE WAS THEN PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF ACTING SERGEANT IN 1960, AND IN 1967 PROMOTED TO DETECTIVE IN THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BRANCH, WHERE HE WAS APPOINTED HEAD OF NARCOTICS AND DANGEROUS DRUG SECTION OF THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE FORCE. IN 1971 FRANK WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF DETECTIVE SERGEANT AND WAS THE HEAD OF THE NEWLY CREATED CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT, IN ADDITION TO HIS DUTIES IN THE DRUG UNIT. ACCORDING TO ONE DOCUMENT (PERM RECORD), HE WAS AN INTEGRAL PART IN THE FORMATION OF THE CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE OF CANADA, WHICH DEALS WITH ORGANIZED CRIME AND OTHER AREAS OF NATIONAL INTEREST. IN JUNE OF 1978 HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF INSPECTOR, AND TOOK OVER COMMAND OF THE UNIFORMED PATROL DIVISION. IN AUGUST OF 1979 BATHGATE WAS PROMOTED TO SUPERINTENDENT AND FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER PROMOTED TO DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICE. HE HELD THIS APPOINTMENT UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1988. FRANK BATHGATE PASSED AWAY IN 1996. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW, REFERENCE THE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19960109007

Acquisition Date

1996-12

Collection

Museum

Less detail