RARE & Beautiful 1880s Silver Suspension Fire Badge for Brant Hose Co of Brantford Ontario

This is a rare and beautiful circa 1880's Brant Hose Company suspension fire badge from Brantford, Ontario, Canada in silver. The center part was made from a coin; the front has an image of an Indian and reads "Thayendanagea - Captain Joseph Brant Born 1742 Died 1807". The back side has an image of a monument and reads "Brant Memorial Unveiled At Brantford, Canada 1886".

This story would appear to date the badge between 1886 and 1888, during the bitterest rivalry between the Brant Hose Co. No.1. and a new Victoria Hook and Ladder Co. No.1

Things went along very smoothly until the year 1865 when the Victoria Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 was organized, and some time later they absorbed the Undaunted Hook and Ladder Co., the entire membership being 50 members. Their Motto was, "Ever Ready-Day or Night". In the year 1870 there developed considerable jealousy and trouble among the different Fire Companies, so that in 1871 the Town Council took a hand in trying to settle the differences, with the result that a reorganization took place, and from this reorganization emerged the Brant Hose Co. No.1. and a new Victoria Hook and Ladder Co. No.1. Things went along for some years without event, until both the Hose Company and Ladder Company started to compete in the Volunteer Firemen's Tournaments. Both of these teams were rated about the best in the country, and it got so that they would compete against each other for various trophies, and it became a regular habit for them to appear in the finals against each other for the best drill corps and the best dressed corps prizes. For a while the Hose Company would win and then the Ladder Company would win until eventually the Hose Company began to beat the Ladder Company in tournament after tournament.

In July 1888, in Berlin (now Kitchener) they again met in the final of the Drill Competition (and both teams had been training secretly), and when the Judges handed down their decision, the Hose Company were again victorious.

There now developed a great bitterness between the Hose and Ladder Companies until it developed into fighting and hindering each other both going to and at fires. The situation became so serious that late in 1888, the City Council abolished the Volunteer Companies, and passed a By-law creating a Permanent Fire Department, and so we had the inauguration of the Permanent Department with three paid men and twenty-five "runners". The three paid men were Chief G. D. Calder, D. J. Lewis and Sandy Bremner.