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Local History Collection Bill Marks West Gwillimbury
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Walter Reeves - Badge Collection

This collection of pins, medals, and badges, once owned by Walter Reeves, comes to us in digital format from his descendant, Bill Marks. They were collected from Walter's career as Chief of Police for the Town of Bradford, his participation as a Lacrosse player in the 1909 championship, and his St. John's Ambulance badges.

The Ontario Provincial Police began to operate in the area in the 1930s as a motorcycle patrol, working in conjunction with the Chief of Police of the Town. Walter "Gunch" Reeves assisted the first constable posted to the area, I.R. Spencer, in many of these cases. The first OPP detachment office in West Gwillimbury opened on January 1, 1949, where they worked from the second floor of the township building under Corporal D. Adair.

Walter Arthur Reeves was born in England in 1886, and moved to Bradford when he was 13 years old. He was known as a lacrosse star as he was part of Bradford's 1909 O.A.L.A. Intermediate Lacrosse champion team (medal which is included in this collection). He married Sarah "Sadie" Saint in February 1909. He was a train inspector, and was appointed Town Constable in 1929, a position which he served until his death in 1946 from a heart attack.

Bill Marks

St John's Ambulance badge

St John's Ambulance badge

Fabric badge for the St John's Ambulance, part of the Walter Reeves, Town Constable collection

Bill Marks

OPP pin

OPP pin

Fabric badge for the OPP detachment, owned by Walter Reeves as a Town Constable.

Bill Marks

OPP badge

OPP badge

A recent fabric badge for the OPP detachment, acquired in memory of Walter Reeves as a Town Constable.

Bill Marks

Marks House

Marks House

When this photo was first printed, the negative was flipped (so the fence would be on the right side of the photograph). We have corrected the photograph here to show how the house was meant to look.
Dorothy (Reeves) Marks is in front of the house, located at 89 Holland Street East. Additions have since been added on to the house, and the trees no longer exist.

Bill Marks

Drury Street Fire

Drury Street Fire

The photograph depicts the ruins of a fire on Drury Street in 1910. B.B. Collings is featured in it with the fire department.

Bill Marks

Auxiliary OPP badge

Auxiliary OPP badge

Fabric badge for the Auxiliary OPP detachment, attached to the Walter Reeves badge collection. The Auxiliary OPP Force came into practice in 1960, after Walter had died, so it could have been acquired as a memento to his work.

Bill Marks

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