Canada's Penitentiary Museum
555 King Street West K7L 4Y8 Kingston, ON, Canada

Canada's Penitentiary Museum has an extensive collection, and there are many objects in it with uncertain provenance or origins. We simply don't know the stories behind them! So it is pretty exciting to discover more about a specific item. In this case, the Museum has a fake or dummy pistol - probably used in an escape - that has been occasionally on display since the 1960s. The dummy pistol is made from 9 layers of 3mm shoe leather with a couple of small pieces of metal pipe...Continue reading

This week, we thought we would try something different by presenting an artefact from our collections. THE WARDEN COLONEL A.G. IRVINE BOWL The staff of Kingston Penitentiary presented this silver bowl, manufactured by P.W. Ellis & Company of Toronto, to Warden Colonel Acheson Gosford Irvine, Imperial Service Order (ISO), on August 1st, 1914. While in office at Kingston Penitentiary, for just over 1 year, he had previously been Warden of Manitoba Penitentiary at Stony Mount...ain for 21 years (1892-1913). Under Warden Irvine’s tenure, Manitoba Penitentiary was renowned as the best-managed federal penitentiary in Canada and a model for other institutions to follow. The bowl is inscribed with the following: *PRESENTED TO COLONEL A.G. IRVINE, ISO* BY THE STAFF OF THE KINGSTON PENITENTIARY ON HIS RETIREMENT *AUGUST 1ST 1914* Prior to joining the penitentiary service, Colonel Irvine had been Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) from 1880 to 1886, and played a significant part in the Riel Rebellion of 1885. (Gift of Catharine Evans-Cocks. Canada’s Penitentiary Museum # 2014.017). -------------------------------------------------------------- Cette semaine, nous avons pensé essayer quelque chose de différent en présentant un objet de nos collections. LE BOL DU DIRECTEUR COLONEL A.G. IRVINE Le personnel du pénitencier de Kingston a offert ce bol en argent, fabriqué par P.W. Ellis & Company de Toronto, au colonel Acheson Gosford Irvine, Ordre du Service Impérial (OSI), le 1er août 1914. Alors qu'il était en poste au Pénitencier de Kingston, depuis un peu plus d'un an, il avait été auparavant directeur du pénitencier du Manitoba à Stony Mountain pendant 21 ans (1892-1913). Sous la direction de M. Irvine, le pénitencier du Manitoba avait acquis la réputation d’être le pénitencier fédéral le mieux géré au Canada et d’être un modèle à suivre pour les autres institutions. Le bol porte l'inscription suivante : *PRÉSENTÉ AU COLONEL A.G. IRVINE, OSI * PAR LE PERSONNEL DU PÉNITENCIER DE KINGSTON À L’OCCASION DE SA RETRAITE *1ER AOÛT 1914* Avant de rejoindre le service pénitentiaire, le colonel Irvine avait été commissaire de la Police à Cheval du Nord-Ouest (PCN-O) de 1880 à 1886, et avait joué un rôle important dans la rébellion de Riel en 1885. (Don de Catharine Evans-Cocks. Musée pénitentiaire du Canada # 2014.017)

During the First World War, hundreds of federal prisoners were paroled to serve in the Canadian military. At first, these were voluntary releases to enlist, but by 1917 inmates were examined and conscripted like other Canadians. One such individual was Alex Rose. A former railway worker, armed robber and escapee from prison in 1908, he was serving a life sentence at Kingston Penitentiary when he was released to serve in the No. 2 Skilled Railway Employees (later the No. 13 L...Continue reading

When news of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, reached Kingston Penitentiary: The convicts at the penitentiary did not know the news until after 7 o’clock on Monday morning, when the guards going on day duty broke the news to them, and immediately there was great rejoicing. On Monday night the convicts had a ‘sing-song’ when they sang patriotic and popular songs by the score. - November 12, 1918. Daily Whig, Kingston... ---------------------------------------------------------- Lorsque la nouvelle de l'armistice du 11 novembre 1918 est parvenue au pénitencier de Kingston : Les condamnés du pénitencier n'ont appris la nouvelle qu'après 7 heures le lundi matin, lorsque les gardes en service de jour leur ont annoncé la nouvelle et il y a eu immédiatement de grandes réjouissances. Le lundi soir, les condamnés ont chanté des chansons patriotiques et populaires sur le thème de l'amour. - Le 12 novembre 1918. Daily Whig, Kingston

John Lucas Higginson (born 1885) was the son of Fleet-Paymaster Montagu Higginson, Royal Navy, of Cheshire, England, and was married to Margaret B. Higginson; both settled in Edmonton. In 1914, he was appointed Steward of the Alberta Penitentiary, where he was considered an exemplary officer with the highest respect of the staff and the Warden, Capt. J. C. Ponsford. As Steward, Higginson was responsible for the institution’s food services. When war broke out, he was given... leave from the penitentiary, along with fifteen other officers, to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Made a Captain in the 51st Battalion, Higginson led the first reinforcing draft of 250 men to the Western Front in summer of 1915. While serving in the trenches with the 4th Battalion in the Ypres salient, he was killed by shelling on November 15, 1915, aged 30. Higginson was buried at St. Quentin Military Cemetery, one of the first Canadian correctional officers to fall in the line of duty during the First World War. Higginson is in the back row, third from right, in this group shot of the 51st Battalion officers in Edmonton. #canadaremembers .................................................................................... John Lucas Higginson (né en 1885) est le fils de Montagu Higginson, directeur de la flotte de la Royal Navy du Cheshire, en Angleterre, et est marié à Margaret B. Higginson ; tous deux se sont installés à Edmonton. En 1914, il est nommé intendant du pénitencier de l'Alberta, où il est considéré comme "un officier exemplaire" avec "le plus grand respect" du personnel et du directeur, le capitaine J. C. Ponsford. En tant qu’intendant, Higginson était responsable des services alimentaires de l'établissement. Lorsque la guerre éclata, il reçut un congé du pénitencier, avec quinze autres officiers, pour s'enrôler dans le Corps expéditionnaire canadien. Devenu capitaine au sein du 51ème bataillon, Higginson a dirigé le premier contingent de renfort de 250 hommes sur le front occidental à l'été 1915. Alors qu'il servait dans les tranchées du 4ième Bataillon dans le saillant d'Ypres, il fut tué dans un bombardement le 15 novembre 1915, à l'âge de 30 ans. Higginson est enterré au cimetière militaire de Saint-Quentin, l'un des premiers agents de correction canadiens à être tombé dans l'exercice de ses fonctions pendant la Première Guerre mondiale. Higginson se trouve dans la rangée arrière, troisième à partir de la droite, dans ce tir groupé des officiers du 51ième bataillon à Edmonton. #LeCanadasesouvient

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH #4 October is Women’s History Month in Canada. It is a time to celebrate the women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada. This month we will be posting some interesting facts related to women from our Correctional past who have made a difference. FIRST ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON FOR WOMEN...Continue reading

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH #3 October is Women’s History Month in Canada. It is a time to celebrate the women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada. This month we will be posting some interesting facts related to women from our Correctional past who have made a difference. The FIRST FORMAL STAFF TRAINING COURSE AT THE PRISON FOR WOMEN, 1960... In November 1960, the first formal training course for women staff at Canada’s only Prison for Women took place. Prior to this time, training consisted largely of learning on the job, augmented by occasional specialized courses. From 1835, when Mrs. Ann Elmhirst began to supervise women inmates at the Provincial Penitentiary of Upper Canada in Kingston, the term Matron was used to refer to women correctional staff. By the 1960s, that term had become somewhat antiquated, and the more professional title Correctional Officer came into play. The accompanying article about the course appeared in the Kingston Whig-Standard. .................................................................................................. MOIS DE L'HISTOIRE DES FEMMES #3 Octobre est le mois de l'histoire des femmes au Canada. C'est le moment de célébrer les femmes et les filles de notre passé et de notre présent qui contribuent à un Canada meilleur et plus inclusif. Ce mois-ci, nous publierons des faits intéressants concernant les femmes de notre passé qui ont fait une différence. Le PREMIER COURS DE FORMATION DU PERSONNEL À LA PRISON POUR FEMMES, 1960 En novembre 1960, le premier cours de formation officiel pour le personnel féminin de la seule prison pour femmes du Canada a eu lieu. Avant cette époque, la formation consistait essentiellement en un apprentissage "sur le tas", complété par des cours spécialisés occasionnels. À partir de 1835, lorsque Mme Ann Elmhirst a commencé à superviser les femmes détenues au "Pénitencier provincial du Haut-Canada" à Kingston, le terme "Matron" a été utilisé pour désigner les femmes membres du personnel correctionnel. Dans les années 1960, ce terme était devenu quelque peu obsolète, et le titre plus professionnel d' agent de correction est entré en jeu. L'article qui accompagne le cours est paru dans le Kingston Whig-Standard.

October is Women’s History Month in Canada. It is a time to celebrate the women and girls from our past, and our present, who are contributing to a better, more inclusive Canada. This month we will be posting some interesting facts related to women from our Correctional past who have made a difference. This week we take a brief look at THE K.P. ANGELS In the late 1940s and 1950s, Socialization programmes became a focus in Canada’s penitentiaries. Key among these programm...es were organized sports leagues, and the leader amongst those was Softball. In 1950, the K.P. Angels became the first Girl’s Softball team in a Canadian Penitentiary according to the K.P. Telescope magazine of July, 1951. Also known as, the K Gals, the Angels represented the pick of the sports talent at the Prison for Women, and they played exclusively against visiting teams from the outside community. Despite their continually changing roster, due to players being released, they were a formidable opponent, albeit with a home field advantage. These pictures show the first team in 1950 and the 1953 edition, complete with new uniforms. The Angels team name continued in use for all kinds of other sports at PFW into the 1970s.