Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MILITARY MEDAL GROUPING, 7 PIECE

Date Range From

1914

Date Range To

1945

Materials

RAYON, SILVER, BRONZE, NICKEL

No. Pieces

1 (7)

Height

1.7

Length

18

Width

10

Description

MEDAL GROUPING OF SEVEN MILITARY AWARDS AND MEDALS, MOUNTED TO BLACK FELT-COVERED BOARD. LARGE METAL PIN ACROSS BACK OF BOARD. MEDALS INCLUDE (L-R) AIR FORCE CROSS WITH RED AND WHITE STRIPED RIBBON; DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL WITH CRIMSON AND BLUE STRIPED RIBBON; 1914-1915 STAR WITH WATERED RED-WHITE-BLUE RIBBON; BRITISH WAR MEDAL WITH WATERED ORANGE RIBBON EDGED IN BLUE-BLACK-WHITE; VICTORY MEDAL (FIRST WORLD WAR) WITH WATERED DOUBLE RAINBOW RIBBON; CANADIAN VOLUNTEER SERVICE MEDAL WITH ROYAL BLUE, SCARLET, AND GREEN RIBBON; AND 1939-1945 WAR MEDAL WITH RED-WHITE-RED AND DARK BLUE-RED RIBBON.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

COLLECTION BELONGED TO DONOR'S FATHER, JOHN ENDER "JOCK" PALMER. JOCK PALMER WAS KNOWN AS THE "GRANDFATHER OF ALBERTA AVIATION". HE WAS BORN 28 DEC. 1895 IN ENGLAND, AND MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE AT AGE 10. IN 1916 AT AGE 21 HE JOINED THE ROYAL FLYING CORP AND GRADUATED TWO YEARS LATER FROM THE CENTRAL FLYING SCHOOL IN ENGLAND. AT THE END OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR PALMER RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE WHERE HE MET UP WITH CAPTAIN HARRY FITZSIMMONS. THE TWO BECAME BUSINESS PARTNERS, FORMING THE LETHBRIDGE AIRCRAFT COMPANY IN 1920 AND BARNSTORMING WITH A CURTISS JENNY AIRCRAFT. TWO YEARS LATER THEY MADE CANADIAN AVIATION HISTORY WITH THEIR ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL AIR MAIL FLIGHT IN CANADA, FROM LETHBRIDGE TO OTTAWA. THE PLANE CRASHED IN MINOT, SOUTH DAKOTA AND THE PLANE NEVER REACHED ITS DESTINATION. IN A BRIEF RESPITE FROM AVIATION PALMER ESTABLISHED THE CJOC RADIO STATION IN LETHBRIDGE, WHICH HE OPERATED FROM THE PENTHOUSE OF THE MARQUIS HOTEL FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. DURING REMAINING INTERWAR YEARS PALMER WAS INVOLVED IN FOUNDING SEVERAL LOCAL AIRLINES INCLUDING THE LETHBRIDGE COMMERCIAL AIRWAYS & CALGARY'S GREAT WESTERN AIRWAYS. HE CONTINUED FLYING, FIXING PLANES, AND TEACHING STUDENTS TO FLY. HE WAS CONTRACTED AS ONE OF THE FIRST CIVILIAN INSTRUCTORS AT THE NO.5 ELEMENTARY FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL IN LETHBRIDGE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. PALMER WAS APPOINTED CHIEF FLYING INSTRUCTOR FOR THE SCHOOL AND AWARDED THE AIR FORCE CROSS AFTER HIS 1941 TRANSFER WITH THE SCHOOL TO HIGH RIVER, WHERE HE LIVED UNTIL HIS DEATH ON 19 NOVEMBER 1964. JOCK PALMER WAS INDUCTED INTO CANADA'S AVIATION HALL OF FAME IN 1988. DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO PALMER EARLY IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR DURING HIS SERVICE WITH THE 10TH CANADIAN BATTALION, FOR MACHINE GUN ACTION AT THE BATTLE OF ST. JULIAN WOODS. AIRFORCE MEDAL -- THE HIGHEST AWARD OF THE AIR FORCE IN TRAINING -- WAS AWARDED IN JUNE 1944 FOR "VALUABLE SERVICE RENDERED AS A FLYING INSTRUCTOR" BY THE EARL OF ATHLONE (THEN GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA). TODAY, JOCK PALMER IS CONSIDERED THE GRANDFATHER OF ALBERTA AVIATION AND WAS INDUCTED INTO CANADA’S AVIATION HALL OF FAME IN 1988. PALMER BRIDGE AND PALMER ROAD IN CALGARY ARE NAMED AFTER HIM. FOR ADDITIONAL HISTORY AND 1997 HERALD ARTICLE ON NO. 5 SCHOOL, SEE PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P19980039001

Acquisition Date

1999-04

Collection

Museum

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