Castings and casings
Alberta Foundry and Machine Co. played an important First World War role
When we think of Medicine Hat’s various wartime contributions, the Great War battalions, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Squadron #34, the Prisoner of War Camp, the Suffield Experimental Station, the contribution of local industry is often overlooked. A notable example of this is the Alberta Foundry and Machine Shop, located in the South Flats.
The company was established in 1911 during the economic boom years in Medicine Hat by J. E. and D. W. Davies of Trois-Rivieres, Harry Yuill and Herbert MacDougall. A favourable land price, gas supply and tax rates were negotiated with the city and included an agreement to alter the channel of the Seven Persons Creek.
The factory’s first incarnation was a onestorey wooden-frame building with central clerestory and clad in metal siding. Business was booming and additions were made in both 1912 and 1913.
The factory initially manufactured engines, boilers, milling and mining supplies, waterworks equipment, building castings, farm implements and structural steel. Proximity to the railroad allowed for raw materials to be shipped in and finished goods shipped out.
In April 1915, the foundry was retrofitted to manufacture 18-pounder shell casings for the British Army. The building evident on the site today was expanded in 1916, a one- and twostorey steel structure with brick exterior, designed by W. D. Lawrence and built by Mort Fulton. To minimize interference with the operation of the factory, the new building was constructed over the existing wooden-frame and metal clad building, and then, once the new brick building was completed, the original factory was dismantled.
Between the two world wars, the company’s business slowed and the factory’s labour force was substantially reduced. The factory was briefly leased to the Canadian Farm Implement Co. for the production of the Canadian Tractor (1920-1921). With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Alberta Foundry and Machine Shop was again converted to munitions production. It employed more than 150 people and operated 20 hours a day. By 1945, more than half a million shells had been manufactured, a substantial contribution to the war effort.
In 1955, the Alberta Foundry and Machine Shop was purchased by T. McAvity and Sons (Western) Ltd., which manufactured hydrants and valves. Five years later that company was purchased by Crane Canada Ltd. and renamed the McAvity Division of Crane. The company continued to manufacture hydrants as well as municipal water and sewer fixtures.
In the early 1980s, the factory underwent a substantial equipment retrofit and a decade later McAvity Division was purchased by Clow Canada, but manufacturing was phased out.
The Alberta Foundry and Machine Co. is an outstanding example of the industrial boom in the early 20th century, followed by retooling for new products and ultimately the decline of local manufacturing in the face of increasing globalization.