James Galloway
Served 1945-1984
At that point Jim joined the Hamilton Police Department as seen in this 1946 picture of all the Veterans who were hired after the war.
James Galloway (Jim) was born in a bedroom on the ground floor of 41 McAuley Street, near Mary, in the north end of Hamilton. His grandfather William owned the house. William Galloway Sr. was an immigrant from Lancashire, England, and Jim’s grandmother (Hanna), a French Canadian. Jim’s father was also named William and he worked in the Cotton Mills with his wife Doris. There were three children in the family, Thelma, Jim and Dorothy (Dot). Later William Jr. began working for the Hamilton Fire Department and eventually retired from there. Jim attended Bennetto School which was quite close nearby. In every respect Jim was a North End boy, born and bred in “The Hammer”. He went on to attend the Hamilton Technical Institute on Wentworth Street North.
School was a struggle for Jim in many ways so finally in Grade 10 he quit. He first worked in a Bakery and then a Steel Mill when he was only sixteen years old. This was still the Depression and the wages were poor and the work was difficult. He quit one job and tried to enlist in the Navy, but they would not let him join yet because of his age. Then he worked at National Steel Car for about a year.
When he was 17 years old, he joined the Navy as a “Boy Seaman” at .50 cents per day, but they did not call him up for duty. He continued in the foundries for a few months and then finally he was called “for duty” on July 15, 1941.
Jim was still listed as a “Boy Seaman”. He started training at the H.M.C.S. Star so he could easily walk home when they allowed him off base. He stayed there in training, for one year until he turned eighteen years old and became an “Ordinary Seaman”. During this period Jim advanced through his training. He also learned to box with an important fight up at Mount Hope against the Air Force candidate. He had been involved in other fights at school but now he was boxing to represent the Navy.
When he was 18 years old in the summer of 1942 he was promoted to Leading Seaman. He was then sent off with others to Halifax, by train. He arrived on May 1, 1942 and found he was back into a new training regimen with more new people. In July he was assigned to the fleet and his Navy career had begun. His part in the war was long, difficult, dangerous and cold. Initially he was assigned to Escort Duties on Corvettes protecting the Merchant Marine Convoys travelling back and forth to England.
They operated from Scapa Flow in northern Scotland to Murmansk Russia. That was not a pleasure cruise by any means. The Germans were in Norway and they often attacked the passing fleets. There were several naval battles with the Huron involved.
They operated from Scapa Flow in northern Scotland to Murmansk Russia. That was not a pleasure cruise by any means. The Germans were in Norway and they often attacked the passing fleets. There were several naval battles with the Huron involved.
In the summer of 1943 Jim met his future wife Doreen in Manchester during a ‘shore leave’, a very big moment in his life. He continued to work on his Naval duties and to see Doreen when he had the chance. They became engaged and he was finally able to marry her while on a five-day leave, in May 1945.
The Huron and her sister ship HMCS Haida were finally transferred to Plymouth, England. They participated in the D-Day Invasion of France in July 1944 and many other operations. Their actions continued around France and more action occurred, out onto the Atlantic. When the war ended, they returned to Halifax and he was discharged in 1945.
At the time of his discharge on September 25, 1945, he had become an Able-Bodied Seaman and was qualified for the rank of Petty Officer. In fact, they asked him to re-enlist but he decided his wife needed him to be home with her.
He served in the Canadian Navy from 1941 to 1945 and during his service was awarded the following medals: 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star with the France & German clasp, the Defence Medal, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp, the War Medal 1939-45, the Arctic Star, the Ushakov Medal from Russia and the “Chevalier de la Legion D’Honneur” from France.
Jim was officially separated from the Navy on September 25, 1945. Doreen was able to emigrate to Canada and they settled into a small comfortable home near Concession Street. Here Doreen and Jim raised three children, Stewart, Gail and Lynne.
Jim applied to the Police Department and he was interviewed for the job by the late Inspector Fred Eddenden.
Jim appeared before the Police Commission around September 15, 1945 at the old City Hall, along with other new ‘hires’, Charlie Boecker (Haida), Jack Tremblay, Don Peace, Earl Lade (Iroquois) and Jim. The next day Eddenden gave them a copy of the Criminal Code, the Highway Traffic Act and the Liquor Licence Act. They were told to read them in the Boiler Room and that constituted their entire training.
Earl Lade and Don Peace had previously been on the ‘job’ and then resigned to go to war. They were hired as “already trained”. Jim however began walking the Beat, with a senior officer showing him “the ropes” while on probation, that following week. The first night it rained very heavily, and he had not been issued a uniform. It was not a good beginning, but he persevered. After three weeks they gave him a used uniform, and he was issued Badge#51.
After six months on probation, he was accepted as a Police Officer and they issued him two uniforms, both summer and winter. The winter cap was a beaver skin cap with ear flaps. They also bought him a pair of boots.
Officers were not treated well at the time. We do not know the salary for that period, but Constables were promised one week of holiday each year and they were getting some days off. If you made an arrest during the night, you had to stay for Court in the morning without any extra pay. Officers were required to carry their lunch to work in a black bag while wearing their uniform. A change room was not provided at the Station.
Jim tells us that after eighteen months, some of the Officers were assigned to Cruiser Duty but all the cruisers they used at that time were built in the late 30’s. They were only kept running with ingenuity and old parts.
Jim wrote an Autobiography and gave it to his children, after retirement. His children have generously allowed me to read and use his work as a source in this article.
Jim spent about ten years working in his uniform and led an exciting life. He very much enjoyed the work. Eventually through dint of hard work and perseverance he was transferred into the Detective Office and promoted.
He obviously found the work was exciting and satisfying. His career saw lots of action and arrests. He maintained an honest and forthright manner with everyone, criminals, lawyers, police and citizens. Just a few of his many adventures are captured here in photographs from our files.
This first picture here occurred in February 1955 when the late Detective Sergeant Claude Barrett and Jim made a swift arrest after a Bank Robbery.
About 1951 Jim saved the life of a suicidal man, after he tried to jump from a bridge.
In another incident in 1951 Jim and Constable Charlie Lorimer arrested a burglar in the act of the crime.
Eventually both Jim Galloway and Claude Barrett became partners in the Detective office and worked well together. That may well have been because they were both Hamiltonians and both Naval veterans. At any rate they were together for about ten years. Finally, they were promoted to Detective Sergeants and went on to different careers in the Department.
Jim eventually was placed in charge of the Juvenile Section, dealing with a staff of about 15 people. His role included a lot of liaison with a number of Social Service Agencies including the Children’s Aid Society, Probation Office and the Family Court Judges. He was able to handle all these competing demands on his time and patience with great success.
In this picture we see him giving a television interview with Dan McLean from CHCH TV about Juvenile Crime.
INDIAN SUMMER by William Wilfred Campbell
Along the line of smoky hills
The crimson forest stands,
And all the day the blue-jay calls
Throughout the autumn lands.
Now by the brook the maple leans
With all his glory spread,
And all the sumachs on the hills
Have turned their green to red.
Now by great marshes wrapt in mist,
Or past some river’s mouth,
Throughout the long, still autumn day
Wild birds are flying south.
Jim obviously memorized this famous Canadian poem for some reason in Public School. He quoted it often to both his family and to his police partner, Claude Barrett. This drove Claude crazy of course so he always promised Jim that when he died, Claude was going to put some Red Sumacs on Jim’s grave.
Claude became ill in the early 70’s and his daughter Lynda was a Police Officer by that time. He made her promise that if he died before Jim, she would undertake to fulfil his promise and put the Red Sumac on Jim’s Grave. She did make good that promise in 2019.
While still working in the Juvenile Section Jim volunteered to assist uniformed officers with a call for a barricaded man on Nightingale Avenue. This was not his job but still he wanted to help. In the end Jim spent a great deal of time with the suspect, who was pointing a gun at him, in the apartment. Eventually Jim was able to disarm him and other Officers were able to break into the apartment and assist him.
Jim finally retired in 1984, after serving for 39 years as a Police Officer. He sacrificed a lot for his City. He hurt his back during a simple fraud arrest in the early 60’s and underwent two back operations. He sacrificed family time, while walking the beat on nights and going to court during the day. He always did what he felt was the right thing.
After retirement, Jim became involved with the Hamilton Police Retirees Association, marching with the Parades and sitting on different committees and playing Euchre with his friends. His death was a loss to the Members. He is shown here marching on Parade with other Retirees (front right corner) around early 2000 and obviously in great pain.
He passed away on August 13, 2019 at the age of 95 years.
By Dave Bowen, Retired Inspector, Hamilton Police Service