FRIDGEN, G.W. ((George William (Bill) Fridgen))
The Gallery
The Nameplates
Pillar Location: Pillar: 05 - V, Row:20, Column:F
Troop Number and Year: SQ. P 1941
Pillar Location: Pillar: 05 - V, Row: 20, Column: F
Troop Number and Year: P Squad
The Bricks
The Stories
On the 27th day of April 1917, in the era of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, George George William (Bill) Fridgen was born to pioneering parents who had arrived in Canada in the early 1900’s. Bill was born with the assistance of a neighbor and midwife Mrs. Henry Draves on the family homestead located at NW1/4 24–33–22–W3 near the present day Ermine power plant in west central Saskatchewan and he was schooled in Revenue. He was very good with math and an excellent problem solver who dreamed of going off to university to become an architect or engineer. However, the great depression and lack of funds rendered this dream unreachable.
However, it just so happened that the Fridgen homestead had a long standing relationship with the Battleford Detachment, whose members used the homestead as a stopover and meeting place. There was always one or more Mounted Police horses stabled in the Fridgen barn and the presence of Members over time made for lots of stories around the kitchen table. These stories sparked a new dream for Bill and in 1936, at 19 years of age, he and a buddy headed to Battleford, wrote the RCMP exam, both passed and were sent home having been advised that their names “will be placed on the list of applicants with all the others who today count over 1,000, some of whom have university degrees”. Not a comforting message for the two lads as they returned home. However, Bill took whatever work was available, including cutting and threshing grain, working on a CPR section gang, handling heavy timber from dray wagons & flat-bed cars, temporary work as a carpenter with the Saskatchewan Pool Elevator Co., constructing grain storage annexes. In his final two years of “waiting for the call” he had doubled his pay from 25 to 50 cents an hour and then he got his call!
Bill stepped off the train in Regina on New Years Eve, went to the nearest barber shop, then over to Depot. He was sworn in, two days later, on January 2nd 1941, Regimental #13967 and began his First Part Training as a member of P Squad. Four months later he was transferred to “O” Division and posted to Sarnia and Niagara Falls Detachments where Border patrol was a major responsibility (the war years)! From there he was posted to “N” Division in Rockcliffe, Ontario to complete Part 2 Training. Upon graduation he was posted to “L” Division, served in Charlottetown and then transferred to Summerside in September 1943.
During his time in Summerside, Bill would experience significant changes in his life beginning in 1944 as a key player in uncovering and successfully concluding a conspiracy investigation, resulting in a CO’s commendation and a synopsis of the case being published in the RCMP Quarterly. The case later found its way into a book. Constable Bill Fridgen also fell in love but regulations forbade him getting married so he chose not to re-engage on his due date of Jan 1st 1945. He married Mary Kennedy on December 31st 1944 and Bill & Mary Fridgen settled down in Summerside where they would add three new family members over the coming years, two daughters and a son.
Bill then joined the RCNVR and also secured employment as an advertising salesman. That lasted until he was called to duty by the Navy and posted to Halifax. Mary stayed behind. On returning from naval service near the end of 1945 Bill returned to the Pioneer newspaper, this time in a management position and he also established his own paper distribution business. A couple of years later Bill became the Advertising Manager at Smallman’s Limited (where quality comes first) and where he made some significant contributions to the store and community. Unfortunately the business ran into tough times and in 1950 Bill was laid off. Job offers quickly came from as far away as New York and northern Ontario. Bill Chose to remain in Canada, loaded the family into his little Austin and headed west in February 1951, stopping in Ottawa along the way.
Whilst in Ottawa, Bill got together with some of his former RCMP buddies before continuing his journey. However, his buddies convinced Bill to stay in Ottawa and re-enlist. And so he did! The family settled in on Riverside Drive and Bill was posted to “A” Division. In 1952 the family grew by one more with the birth of their second son. In 1953 Constable Bill was assigned to provide personal security to the visiting President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1957 the Family was posted to “Depot” Division in Regina and five years later, in 1962 Bill was transferred to HQ Division and the family moved back to the nations` capitol.
By this point in time Bill’s problem solving and math skills were laser focused on supporting operations as Quartermaster NCO. In the mid 1960s he secured the Pakenham farm for the breeding of Musical Ride horses, he addressed the requirements for the arrival of women in the Force and one of his last duties was addressing the housing needs for members serving in Canada’s north. On Dec. 30th 1974, Bill retired and joined the RCMPVA Ottawa Division. Bill & Mary purchased an 87 acre farm in Iroquois, Ontario with a large apple orchard. Bill went back to school to learn the trade. After nine years of growing Macintosh apples and upgrading the farm they switched to growing “saw logs” for lumber which provided a better return for their labour. In his spare time Bill was also a Zoning Administrator for three neighboring municipalities, auditor for the Kingston Archdiocese Marriage Tribunal and Financial Secretary for the local Knights of Columbus. Mary kept busy with her flowers and vegetable gardens.
In 1996 they switched their tree crop once again, this time to black walnut trees combined with a sprinkling of spruce and butternut trees. Early in the new century Bill and Mary did some traveling back to their western and eastern roots. Bill lost his life partner in August 2008 when Mary passed away. Bill stayed on at the farm and still owns it today, just shy of his 104th birthday in April. In 2014, forty years after retiring from the Force, Bill returned to where his life’s journey began, the prairie homestead. He had a photo taken with the granddaughter of the midwife who delivered him. At “Depot” Division, he was treated to a special VIP tour conducted by Sgt/Major Tammy Patterson. In 2017, in celebration of his 100th birthday, Bill, accompanied by the President of the Ottawa Division, was transported via horse drawn carriage to a special performance of the Musical Ride where he took the first salute before the Ride began its 2017 tour.
On Wednesday, May 11th, 2022, Life member of the RCMP Veterans’ Association, Ottawa Division, Veteran, George William (Bill) Fridgen, of Iroquois, Ontario, peacefully passed away at 105 years of age. Bill will be interred alongside his wife Mary at the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Cardinal, Ont. Bill lived a long, productive life and leaves behind a legacy of memories as a proud family man who served his country honourably with an energetic and enthusiastic work ethic. Regimental Number 13967
George William (Bill) Fridgen, Staff Sergeant (Retired) will be long remembered as a long standing, PILLAR OF THE FORCE!
Divisions Served: O, L, A, Depot, HQ
Medals and Honours: RCMP Long Service Medal
Pillar Location: Pillar: 05 - V, Row: 20, Column: F
Regimental Number: 13967
Training Division: Depot, N
Troop Number and Year: P Squad
Home Town: Ermine, SK
Engagement Date: Feb 02, 1941
Regimental Number: #13967
Troop Number and Year: SQ. P 1941