The Medicine Hat Coin and Stamp Club holds two shows a year at Higdon Hall on the Stampede Grounds – one in the spring and again in the fall.
In recent years, one of our members has designed a special commemorative cover for each show. A show cover generally depicts a theme or event of local significance and the date of the show. The theme for the Spring Show is the HMCS Medicine Hat.
The HMCS Medicine Hat was a Bangor class minesweeper in the Canadian Navy. She was launched on June 25, 1941 and remained in service until transferred to the Turkish Navy November 19, 1957. No ship convoyed by the Medicine Hat was ever “lost at sea through enemy action.”
Throughout her war service, the Medicine Hat made numerous submarine contacts and helped sweep a minefield laid by a U-boat at the entrance to Halifax Harbour in June of 1943. The Medicine Hat received Canadian Battle Honours for the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1942 and the Atlantic in 1943.
The ship’s naval ensign was rescued from “time and decay” by Archdeacon Rev. J. W. Carter who observed the flag’s degeneration in 1953 and surmised that “time is doing what the enemy never could.” His remarks won custody of the flag for St. Barnabas Church. It hangs there to this day.
Only one local man is known to have served aboard HMCS Medicine Hat, “Bud McLane, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack McLane.” He served on her from mid-1943 until the middle of 1944.
Unfortunately, the Spring Show scheduled for April 4 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone wishing to purchase a show cover may do so by contacting the Coin and Stamp Club by email at medhatcsc@live.com This cover will be available at the fall show in September.
Information in this article was sourced from the Medicine Hat Public Library archives.
Dennis Vickery is a member of the Medicine Hat Coin and Stamp Club
