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March Feature

Caps, Badges &patches

I'm not sure where the tradition of service station attendents wearing caps started , but it did--and created another area of collectables for us to find . They are not a easy item to find. Unlike oil cans or road maps , most garages would have only a few caps arround at a time , And like a pair of shoes no one wants to replace them once they are finally "broken - in . Thus caps would be dirty and well worn before a new one was ordered. Even then why would the attendent bother to save a soiled , sweaty and tatored cap. Just remove the hat badge and toss the rest in the garbage.
Service station caps were produced by several uniform suppliers in different styles, but I will concentrate on the ones issued to station and warehouse employees of Canadian Oil Companies Limited.
Caps were usually a two piece item : the band, and the bill (together referred to as "frames') and the fabric top ("covers") . Optional winter covers enclosed the vented head band.

The earliest photo I can find of an employee of Canadian Oil Companies Ltd. wearing an attendants cap shows the above style. The year was 1934 but they may have been in use before that. My photos lead me to believe uniforms were probably worn mainly in the cities and larger towns while dress codes were quite casual in the rural areas , especially when you see realize these were depression years. This example has a black frame with a tan cover, while a friends version has a (once) white cover. Both have a rectangular black patch with the En-ar-co script embroidered in gold. I also have 1937 photos from a warehousemans contest, where the winner would be awarded a new "hat". It appears it was the employees responsibility to purchase their own caps. These caps were round, in comparison to the later 8 point covers. They also had a braided cord, just above the 'visor', probably for decoration but attendents soon found it a handy spot to hold a pencil.

Wartime brought about an increase of female "pump jockeys" and a 1940 photo shows a young girl in a sharp uniform and a peaked (garrison ?) cap -- without a name patch.

The Spring 1942 White Rose News shows the first cap "badge" I've seen. I do not have an example of this version but it can be seen in the illustration at the top of this page. It is round with a yellow background and has a image of the white rose but no lettering. New shirt and uniform patches were created, in two sizes (3 1/2" and 4" dia.).These were yellow and had "White Rose" lettering , horizontally under the image of a rose. Leather bow ties, jodhpurs, and breeks completed the "look".

I have a 1944 invoice from Santhill-Levine , a Canadian uniform supplier, charging a local station for the following: Trousers $6.00 / pair Shirts $1.75 Cap $1.75

1947 shows the first 'encircled rose' cap badge I can find. It is a pinback badge with
the words "White Rose" circling the flower.
    Caps are now the 8-point style , and the frames had a wicker head band for ventilation.
The cap in the photo above has the optional 'winter band' installed, a snap-on strip of fabric which covers the wicker frame to keep your head warmer.

   The photo above also shows a safe driving pin,an award comemmorating the 'tankwagon'
drivers number of years without an accident.
   The safe driving program originated in 1945 but pins were not awarded until 1950.
Bronze pins were issued for the first four years, while five years accident free were recognized
with a silver pin and a wrist watch. Ten years and up got you a gold pin. All had the image
of a white rose and the number of years represented.

In 1951 the company began issuing the first 'encircled rose' uniform patch and the option of a baseball style cap with fold down ear-flaps. (see a later version---below)

In 1953 the "New" wedge logo was introduced and a new flat, metal pin-back badge . Cloth "wedge" style uniform patches appeared at this time.

In 1955 the metal badge was replaced by the plastic , wedge shaped badge.

In 1959 a sewn-on, embroidered crest replaced hat badges. Uniforms now included a regular neck-tie or bow tie, a large embroidered shirt patch, a small ''wedge' logo patch above the jacket pocket, and a shoulder patch with 'Canadian Oil' over a small wedge crest. Round style caps were again available along with the 8-point style (shown above).

A baseball style cap with fold down ear-flaps. These babies are warm !

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