Fonds 272 Legion of Frontiersmen, D Troop fonds

Legion of Frontiersmen, D Troop fonds. — 1961-1998. — 39.5 cm of textual records.

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Agency History

The Legion of Frontiersmen was founded in Britain in 1904 as a patriotic organization meant bolster the defensive ability of the British Empire. Their official crest reads “God Guard Thee”. In 1904, Roger Pocock, a former North West Mounted Police constable organized a Legion of Frontiersmen in Canada with retired RCMP service personnel who had fought in the Boer War as his first squadron. An official charter was issued by the Dominion of Canada. By 1914, these men became a large part of units such as the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the first Canadian troops to serve in the First World War, and the 19th Alberta Dragoons (later the Loyal Edmonton Regiment). All Frontiersmen were volunteers.

By the end of WW1, the Legion of Frontiersmen had ceased activity and was revitalized in the 1930s with a field training headquarters established east of Edmonton and an affiliation with the RCMP announced. When WWII broke out, Legionaires enlisted individually in army, navy and airforce while others became involved in patriotic duties on the home front. Post WWII, veterans and younger men were recruited. They formed a uniformed, self-governing, self-supporting group who assisted any governing authority whenever called upon for emergencies, civil or military. Members trained in St John Ambulance work, traffic control, security policing and assisted in times of floods, fire and crowd control. The formation of the “D” Troop in Grande Prairie came about October 24, 1961, with the swearing in of three members: Sam Dunbar, Jack Roy and Willmot White under Cpl. Joe DeRoover. In 1960, there were Women’s Auxiliary groups to Frontiersmen units existing but with no official recognition. Eventually, a delegation of ladies from the Regina units drafted proposed rules for their organization, and the Alberta group followed suit. By 1975, D Troop, had a recognized Ladies Auxiliary.

In 1982 they disbanded as an Auxilliary and became Frontiersmen. The Frontiersmen were very active in the 1970s, volunteering regularly to assist at events such as the County Fair, Beaverlodge Pioneer Days, the Hot Air Balloon events, and Grande Prairie’s Chuckwagon Stompede. They provided crowd control for visiting dignitaries such as the Queen Elizabeth II and Pierre Trudeau and for events such as the Stompede, the Circus and the County Fair. They parked cars for Kinsmen bingos and joined the Legion members and cadet groups in honoring Remembrance Day ceremonies at Jublilee Park. Every year they sponsored a Christmas party for children at Peace School of Hope, and they held card parties, children’s picnics and an annual fall banquet for their own members. But old traditions were fading and by the late 1980s memberships were difficult to maintain.

In 1998, The Legion of Frontiersmen, D Troop, disbanded.

Custodial History

The records of the Legion of Frontiersmen, D Troop, were presented to the South Peace Regional Archives by representatives of the former membership in February, 2005.

Scope and Content

The Frontiersmen fonds consists of executive records (1964-1999), membership records (1961-2001), financial records (1962-1998), activities scrapbooks (1961-1996), correspondence, Ladies Auxiliary (1974-1981), and records from associated organizations of the Alberta Provincial Command and the Canadian Division of Frontiersmen.

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