1973, London, Canada

[Father Bill]

This was the London Police Pipe Band under the leadership of the late Constable Maurice Coughlin, P.M.



"Moe" was the school safety officer, and so popular with the children that although school safety was under the direction of the Traffic Section of the London Police Department, (Lord only knows why) he was not allowed to direct traffic because little children would run right through traffic into the middle of the intersection to give him a hug.

He was (in)famous for his spiked moustache (not clearly visible here). The Police Act said that an officer could not grow a moustache "beyond" the corners of his mouth. Moe contended that it meant "downward" which was the civilian trend in the 70s and when the sergeant told him to cut off the spikes, he respectfully suggested that the sergeant charge him under the act to see what the judge would say and test the law, which they did. Moe won the case and briefly, spike moustaches became stylish among the police in the province.

While the kids loved him, they also feared him. When he was in a school, he would station himself at the intersection of two or more hallways in the morning and when the national anthem was played during opening exercises, he would bring his boot down hard on the terazza floors and stand rigidly at the salute. Children who were in the halls would stop moving in both respect and terror for fear that they'd go to jail if Cst. Coughlin caught them walking through a hallway during the national anthem.

Good memories... and even a few missing chips in the hallways of some schools decades later. Moe was my friend.