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The
Strange Case of the City Hall Flag
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by Phil Hennings & Glenn Copp |
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| Here’s a delightful tale from
the corps’ early days back in 1958. This is an
eye witness account by Phil Hennings who was
right in the thick of the action.
Recently, Glenn Copp went
looking for the flag and learned a lot of
background information. After Phil's article you
find some additional information which Glen
discovered in his search for the flag.
If you have an
anecdote about the corps that you’d like to see
here, please write it up and send it along
(including photos, if possible). |
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In the Fall of 1958, after
winning the Canadian National Championships, we
were invited to march up Bay Street to the Old
City Hall and meet the then Mayor of Toronto – Nathan Philips, for whom, incidentally, the new
City Hall square is named.
Marching up Bay Street in a parade was usually
limited to Stanley Cup Hockey Team winners and
Football Champions. Therefore, it was a
privilege to be honoured in this way. The
Toronto Optimists Executive and the Mayor gave a
congratulatory speech and the mayor presented
the corps with The Toronto Flag (as far as I
know this flag was never given to any other
corps.
This flag was carried by the colour guard to
represent Toronto. It was black with a gold
fringe and in the centre was the City’s Coat of
Arms. As Drum Major, I greeted the Mayor and he
presented the Toronto flag to me in a canvas
bag. Reporters were asking the Mayor and myself
to show them the flag but (very quietly) Mayor
Philips leaned over to me and whispered in my
ear, “Don’t open the bag, son.” |
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I asked, “Why?”
And he said, “There is no flag in the bag. It’s
still being made.”
The reporters were very puzzled because they
wanted to take pictures of the presentation of
the flag.
This is one of my proud moments with the Corps.
We paraded up Bay Street many times after that
1958 appearance, having won the Canadian
Championship for 12 years. |
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P.S. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE
THIS FLAG IS TODAY?
A little bit of history from a long time corps
member. |
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MORE ON THE HISTORY OF THE
CORP'S CITY OF TORONTO FLAG, SEPTEMBER 1959
(by Glenn Copp, added May 4, 2007)
We have been looking at the possibilities of
replacing or reproducing some of the Corp's
original flags. While doing this we came to meet
and speak with Mr Ken Spink of what used to be
Dominion Regalia. They manufactured most of the
original flags.
He told us that the idea of the Corp's being
presented with and carrying this flag was
entirely the product of Al Baggs, our founding
director's rather fertile mind. It seems that
when Baggs first approached the Mayor and the
City, although agreeable, the City had a
problem. The City did not have an official flag.
And so, Baggs, the City and Dominion undertook
the task of designing the first and original
flag.
When the Corps and Phil Hennings attended the
official presentation, Phil was told by the
Mayor not to open the canvas sleeve because the
flag had not even yet been made. In fact, the
flag had probably not even been designed at that
time. The Press were disappointed because they
had brought their photographers. And so, our Mr
Baggs had been instrumental in the creation of
the official flag for the City.
Furthermore, only three such flags were
originally made: one for us, one for the City
and one which was retained by Dominion. When the
City moved into the new City Hall, the City's
one and only flag disappeared. Dominion then
made a fourth. This was the last to be made. The
one that Dominion had has also disappeared in
the intervening 48 years. The City presumably
still has theirs. So who's got our's? |
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