ARMBAND

Description: BLACK COTTON ARMBAND, JOINED AT BACK TO FORM CIRCLE BY TWO ELASTIC BANDS AT TOP AND BOTTOM BORDERS. "V.V.R." STENCILLED IN RED PAINT ON FRONT.

History: DONATED BY UNKNOWN DONOR TO LEGION, THEN TO MUSEUM BY LEGION. PRIOR USE AND HISTORY UNKNOWN. COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE VETERANS VOLUNTEER RESERVE DURING WWII WAS DAVID STEVENSON. ORGANIZATION ASSISTED WITH THE AIR RAID PROTECTION PROGRAM IN LETHBRIDGE. FOR HISTORY OF COLLECTION SEE P19970073001-GA. ESTABLISHED BY THE ALBERTA GOVERNMENT IN WWII, THE VETERANS VOLUNTEER RESERVE (VVR) WAS CREATED AS A DETERRENT TO “ENEMY ALIEN” ACTIVITIES. A UNIT OF THE VVR WAS RAISED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1940 AND ITS MEMBERS, MOSTLY WWI VETERANS, WERE SWORN SPECIAL CONSTABLES. IN 1942, THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD STATED THAT THE UNIT WAS, “FORMED AS AN AUXILIARY TO THE CITY POLICE FORCE”, BUT THAT IT WAS NEAR COLLAPSE ON ACCOUNT THAT “THERE WAS LITTLE FOR IT TO DO”. IRONICALLY, SUPPORT FOR THE VVR WAS ON THE DECLINE AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE POLICE FORCE WAS FACING MANPOWER SHORTAGES WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE HERALD, WERE DUE TO MEMBERS’ ENLISTMENT IN THE ARMED FORCES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING HERALD ARTICLES, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE.