Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CAP BADGE

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1963

Materials

NICKEL

No. Pieces

1

Height

0.8

Length

6.3

Width

4.4

Description

NICKEL CAP BADGE. CREST-SHAPED, SURMOUNTED BY KING'S CROWN. MAPLE LEAVES EMBOSSED ON FRONT, WITH "C.D." ENAMELED IN BLUE AT CENTRE, AND "LETHBRIDGE POLICE" IN BANNERS ACROSS WIDTH. REVERSE STAMPED "W. SCULLY" AND "SCULLY LTD. MONTREAL".

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SAFETY SERVICES

MILITARY

History

BELONGED TO FRANK BATHGATE, A MEMBER OF THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE SERVICE FROM 1953 UNTIL HE RETIRED IN 1988. DECEASED 1996. FOR HISTORY PLEASE SEE P19960107001-GA. DONOR IS FRANK'S WIFE. THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE WAS PRODUCED BY GALT TECH KEVIN MACLEAN AS THE RESULT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXHIBIT ON THE POLICE AUXILIARY IN 2009. SOURCES CONSULTED INCLUDED SEVERAL INTERVIEWS WITH SERVING AND RETIRED MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE, A RETIRED MEMBER OF THE CIVIL DEFENCE POLICE, THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD AND THE CITY MANAGER’S RECORDS IN THE GALT ARCHIVES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE REFERENCE THE ARTIFACT’S PERMANENT FILE AND ARTIFACTS P19960112110 AND P19870044001. THE AUXILIARY CIVIL DEFENCE POLICE WAS ORGANIZED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1951 AFTER THE PROVINCE APPEALED TO ALBERTA MUNICIPALITIES TO PREPARE DEFENCES IN CASE OF AN ENEMY ATTACK, INCLUDING A NUCLEAR STRIKE. THE C.D. POLICE WERE NOT OFFICIALLY PART OF THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE. THE AUXILIARY VOLUNTEERS DID, HOWEVER, RECEIVE SOME TRAINING FROM THE CITY POLICE AND WHEN CALLED OUT BY THE C.D. DIRECTOR, CAME UNDER THE CONTROL OF CHIEF CONSTABLE JAMES H. CARPENTER. THE C.D. POLICE DISBANDED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS IN 1963. IN LESS THEN A YEAR, THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE ANNOUNCED ITS INTENT TO FORM ITS OWN AUXILIARY AS PART OF THE CITY POLICE. ON 10 NOVEMBER 2009, FORMER LETHBRIDGE RESIDENT ROBERT (BOB) GARDNER OF SALMON ARM, BC, RESPONDED, BY PHONE, TO FAXED QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY GALT COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN. MACLEAN CONTACTED GARDNER WITH REGARDS TO EXHIBIT RESEARCH HE WAS CONDUCTING ON THE LETHBRIDGE CITY POLICE FORCE’S AUXILIARY IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN WHAT, IF ANY, CONNECTION EXISTED BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS. GARDNER, BORN IN EDMONTON AND RAISED IN LETHBRIDGE, WAS 33 YEARS OLD WHEN HE JOINED THE LETHBRIDGE CIVIL DEFENSE (C.D.) POLICE IN 1960. HIS AWARENESS OF THE C.D. POLICE AND HIS KNOWLEDGE OF ITS “CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS” LIKELY CAME, HE SAID, FROM AN ADVERTISEMENT IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. HIS MOTIVATION TO VOLUNTEER WAS BASED ON HIS PERCEPTION THAT A FUTURE WAR WAS LIKELY TO OCCUR – ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE PERIOD’S EVENTS WHICH, INCLUDED THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. ADDITIONALLY, HIS FAMILY PARTICIPATED IN WWI AND FRIENDS IN WWII, SAYING, THE “THREAT OF WAR WAS ALWAYS IN [HIS] MIND”. HE DID NOT ENLIST IN WWII ON ACCOUNT THAT HE WAS TOO YOUNG. NO TIME COMMITMENT OR TERM CONTRACT EXISTED WITH REGARDS TO GARDNER’S C.D. VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE. GARDNER’S RECOLLECTION OF THE C.D. POLICE’S ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNANCE AND RECRUITMENT WAS DOMINATED BY THE ORGANIZATION’S DIRECTOR C.W. CHICHESTER. THE C.D. POLICE OFFICE WAS, HE BELIEVED, IN CITY HALL WITH “LECTURES IN THE COURT ROOM AT THE POLICE STATION”. TRAINING WAS “BASICALLY UNDER POLICE CHIEF CARPENTER” WITH “LECTURES BY CARPENTER, INSPECTOR COPELAND AND DETECTIVE R. MICHELSON. THERE WERE NO COMMUNICATIONS OR WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE POLICE FORCE”. ADDITIONAL TRAINING WAS PROVIDED BY RETIRED MOUNTED POLICE MEMBERS BARRY ALLEN AND C.D. INSPECTOR A. DICKSON. GARDNER RECALLED RECEIVING TARGET SHOOTING TRAINING IN THE “BASEMENT OF THE R.C.M.P. GARAGE” WHERE THE MOUNTED POLICE OPERATED A PISTOL SHOOTING RANGE. RELATIONS WITH THE CITY POLICE FORCE DID NOT EXTEND BEYOND THE AFOREMENTIONED WITH GARDNER GOING SO FAR AS TO SAY THAT, “THE FORCE’S COMMISSION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT (C.D. POLICE) NOR [DID THEY HAVE] AN ACTIVE ROLE IN IT. ADDITIONALLY, NO C.D. EXERCISES WERE, TO HIS KNOWLEDGE, DIRECTED BY THE POLICE FORCE. GARDNER COULD NOT IN 2009 RECALL ANY DETAILS PER THE END OF THE C.D. POLICE IN 1963 EXCEPT TO SAY, “[THE] POLICE WAS QUIETLY DISBANDED AND WE TURNED IN OUR UNIFORMS”. AFTER HIS C.D. POLICE INVOLVEMENT, HE SUPPORTED CIVIL DEFENSE ENGINEERING WORK WHICH INCLUDED CALCULATING THE AMOUNT OF SHIELDING REQUIRED FOR PROTECTION AGAINST FALLOUT IN CASE OF NUCLEAR ATTACK. HE RECALLED BEING SENT WITH CITY OF LETHBRIDGE BUILDING INSPECTOR BILL LOULA TO THE C.D. COLLEGE NEAR OTTAWA TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SUCH ENGINEERING MATTERS. IN 1962 HE INCORPORATED SHIELDING CODE STANDARDS (CONCRETE THICKNESS, ETC.) INTO HIS OWN PERSONAL HOME AT 1314 29TH STREET SOUTH. HE, ALONG WITH BUILDING INSPECTOR BILL LANGMEADE, UNDERTOOK TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF FALLOUT PROTECTION RELATED TO THE CITY’S VARIOUS PUBLIC FACILITIES, DETERMINING THAT THE 4TH AVE POST OFFICE WAS THE BEST SITES AVAILABLE. AS BEST AS GARDNER KNOWS, ALL MEMBERS OF THE C.D. POLICE WERE ALTRUISTIC IN THEIR MOTIVATIONS TO JOIN. THEY WERE, HE SAID, “ALL MIDDLE AGED AND STAYED ON DUE TO THE THREAT OF WAR”. HIS FONDEST MEMORIES INCLUDED THE LECTURES BY THE POLICE FORCE, “HEARING THE POLICE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE UP AGAINST DAY TO DAY.” HE STILL REMEMBERS RALPH MICHELSON SAYING, “IF THERE ARE ANY DEAD BODIES, YOU GUYS HAVE TO LOOK AFTER THEM.” HE WAS DISAPPOINTED FOLLOWING THE C.D. POLICE’S DISBANDMENT ON ACCOUNT THAT HE ENJOYED “THE LECTURES, THE OCCASIONAL EXERCISE, THE CAMARADERIE AND THE TARGET PRACTICE – YOU MISS IT”. HE COULD ONLY SPECULATE ON THE JUSTIFICATION BEHIND THE DISBANDMENT OF THE C.D. POLICE, WONDERING IF IT WAS DUE TO UNREST WITH THE POLICE FORCE’S ASSOCIATION. BUT, HE SAID, HE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING OFFICIAL, SAYING HE “NEVER RUBBED SHOULDERS WITH THE RANK AND FILE EXCEPT FOR DET. MICHELSON”. FOR ADDITIONAL, VALUABLE LETHBRIDGE C.D. INFORMATION, INCLUDING HERALD ARTICLES AND DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S FILES (ARCHIVES) AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS ON THE POLICE, OFFERED IN 2013 BY FORMER MEMBER GERRY DEHEER, PLEASE SEE THIS PERMANENT FILE AND PERMANENT FILE P19870044001.

Catalogue Number

P19970094011

Acquisition Date

1998-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail