An OPP officer killed while on duty nearly 60 years ago was honoured during a special ceremony in Powassan.
The Highway 11 overpass at Highway 534 and Clark Street in Powassan is now known as the Const. Patrick Clayton Armstrong Memorial Bridge.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique, members of the Armstrong family, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, OPP officers, and local dignitaries were on hand for the dedication ceremony.
On Sept. 11, 1963, 39-year-old Armstrong and his partner were on routine patrol, travelling southbound on Highway 11 near Callander, when an 1,800-pound bull moose stepped in front of the cruiser. Armstrong, who was behind the wheel, tried unsuccessfully to swerve his car to avoid hitting the moose.
The moose crushed the driver’s side of the cruiser, instantly killing Armstrong.
His partner received only minor injuries.
Armstrong was survived by his wife and four children. The three girls were three, four and 10 years old at the time of his death. Kevin, the baby of the family was 15 months old.
Two of his daughters attended the bridge dedication ceremony in Powassan.
The oldest child, Debbie Smith, recalls the night her father died.
“My mother and I were sitting on the couch watching T.V., and my sisters and brother were in bed. My dad came in and brought me a bag of Mad Hatter potato chips. He told my mom and me a joke, and he left. That was the last I saw of him alive," Smith recalled.
Smith says the dedication ceremony in memory of her father means a great deal to both her and her family.
“It is recognition, that he gave his life for the province of Ontario, and the citizens of Ontario and he did it willingly,” said Smith.
Speaking on behalf of the family during the ceremony was Armstrong's grandson, Brandon Mrasck.
“It is extremely important to remember all fallen officers, not just my grandfather but all officers in general. The fact of the matter is, they put their lives on the line every day and when tragedy does strike, we need to remember them and the sacrifices they made to their community and to the province, whether they’re provincial or municipal," he said.
Armstrong was born in Swastika on Oct. 19, 1924, and spent most of his time in Kirkland Lake.
During the Second World War, he served as a gunner in the armoured division of the Canadian Armed Forces in England. After the war he worked for Northern Telephone and later underground as a miner at Wright Hargreaves Mine in Kirkland Lake.
Armstrong joined the OPP in 1959, serving in Kirkland Lake before transferring to Powassan in 1961.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique sees the dedication as a sign of appreciation and respect.
“These ceremonies are so important for family, but also for officers. Sixty years have passed since Provincial Const. Armstrong lost his life in service, but what has not changed in those 60 years is the impact on his family,” noted Carrique.
“It is really important that his family realizes just how respected he was, how cared for they are, and the gratitude that we have as the Ontario Provincial Police and the community for the sacrifice that he made, and they have lived for the last 60 years. And it is important that our officers see that the community appreciates and respects what they do.”
This is one of many such dedication ceremonies held across the province including other parts of northeastern Ontario since the province passed an Act 21 years ago permitting the naming of bridges and other structures in memory of police officers who died in the line of duty.
“As a gesture of respect, bridge dedications are intended to posthumously recognize police officers that have courageously and unselfishly given their lives in the line of duty to preserve our free and peaceful society. In accordance with the Highway Memorials for Fallen Police Officers Act, 2002, this policy allows for the naming of bridges and other structures on provincial highways in memory of police officers that have died in the line of duty.”