Larry Burden’s This Day In The RCMP

The achievements and contributions of the Force have been built upon the individual contributions of many past Veterans. These contributions have largely been forgotten.

Veteran Sgt. Larry Burden (#35982), who served  in “E” Division for 20 years, has spent many years researching and summarizing these achievements by specific date.  Nearly every day, Larry sends out an email message with a selection from his work in progress manuscript “This Day In The RCMP” to individuals interested in these historical notes.

In an effort to share his research to a large group, Larry has agreed to permit us to develop a webpage on our website. Each webpage will post Larry’s historical notations over the past week.

If you wish to contact Larry Burden or provide additional information about his research, please email him at larryburden8@gmail.com.

August 17

1885 – #1456 Constable John Boyd’s career in the Mounted Police was cut short when he was thrown and then trampled by his horse resulting in a badly fractured leg. He was hospitalized until January 26, 1886 after which he took some annual leave. His hopes of returning to active duty were dashed when he was hospitalized again in Ottawa for another operation on his leg. He was never able to ride again and was invalided from the Force.

1896 – Acting on a tip from Canadian prospector Robert Henderson, George Washington Cormack, along with his Native brothers in-law; Tagish Charlie and Skookum Jim staked a gold claim in the Rabbit Creek tributary of the Klondike River. According to Carmack, the gold veins were “thick between the flaky slabs, like cheese sandwiches.” He ripped some bark off a tree, and wrote on it: “I name this creek Bonanza. George Carmack” and started the Klondike gold rush.

1967 – Honour Roll Number 137

# 25094 3/Cst. Robert William Varney age 20 was killed in a police car accident, near Raymond, Alberta

Two days after his twentieth birthday Constable Varney came into the Lethbridge Detachment on his day off and offered to do some voluntary overtime. While enroute to serve a summons to a man in Stirling Alberta he responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Highway 5 near Lethbridge at approximately 9:20 p.m. He never arrived. Traveling at a high rate of speed he lost control of his vehicle over-shot the “T” intersection and his car landed upside down on its roof crushing him.

When he did not respond to radio calls, members of the detachment spent the rest of the night searching in vain for him, until a local farmer called the detachment and reported finding a severely damaged police car in his grain field.

Constable Robert William Varney had less than one-year service with the Force. He was buried in his hometown of Courtenay, British Columbia.

1982 – A rather routine shift changed rapidly when an armed and dangerous man in the middle of the street confronted constables #30062 Glen F. Saunders and #36305 P.A. Marsh of the Campbellton, NB Detachment. The gunman was successfully arrested and the policemen were awarded the Commanding Officers Commendation for using restraint under duress.

1993 – Despite great personal risk, #38297 Constable L.S. Davidson rushed into a burning house in Surrey, BC and on his third attempt succeeded in physically subduing and rescuing an emotionally distraught man who had set his bedding on fire in an attempt to commit suicide. For his courage, Constable Davidson was awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery.

August 16

1895 – When a four-horse team strayed from their herd near Writing On-Stone, Alberta #2000 Corporal John Richardson was dispatched to find and retrieve the horses. Eventually the trail crossed the border into the United States and Richardson, dressed in civilian clothing entered a mining camp at Middle Butte, Montana to search for them. When he asked some miners who were drinking about the horses, a drunken miner named William A. Long decided to pick a fight and struck the Mountie who immediately returned the blow knocking him to the ground.

The drunken miner then pulled a gun and shot Richardson in the hip. A bystander came to the assistance of the wounded policeman and put him in a wagon and drove him back to his detachment in Canada saving his life.

William Long later decided that he was not finished with the Mountie so he went looking for him and eventually arrived at the Christian Brothers’ Ranch sometime between 8 and 9 o’clock. Sunday evening thinking the wounded policeman was there.

Seeing one of the brothers watering a horse and believing it to be Cpl. Richardson’s, he produced his gun and demanded to know where the corporal was. Long also suspected that Ira Brown the Justice of the Peace was at the ranch and in his rage he stated he wanted to kill him. Bill Long had previously threatened to kill Ira Brown because of a previous dispute over money that he felt should have been paid to him.

On being assured that the policeman was not there, Long proceeded to move on when he suddenly changed his mind and went to the ranch house and pointed his gun at the brother and demanded the whereabouts of Ira Brown and the policeman. When he saw Justice Brown sitting in the room near the back door of the house he made a rush for him, exclaiming, “There’s the man I’m looking for”. When Ira Brown saw Long coming at him with a gun in hand, he grabbed a shot gun and fired, hitting the gunman in the chest. The wounded man fell outside the door, and when approached, said: “I have got what I was looking for,” and exonerated Brown for any blame in the matter. He was taken to Shelby, where he died the following morning.

A coroner’s jury ruled “that Long came to his death as the result of a gunshot wound from a gun in the hands of Ira Brown, and that such shooting was justifiable, being in self defense”.

Bill Long had a history of violence and was feared by the residents of the area. The local newspaper of the day “The Montanian” wrote about Brown and the incident; “Ira Brown, the justice of the peace who shot Long, is one of the most upright and law abiding citizens in Montana. He is a quiet, unpretentious man, but the facts demonstrate that he has plenty of nerve in the hour of need. He has a host of friends in Teton and Choteau counties who regret that he was drawn into the affair”.

Corporal John Richardson recovered from his gunshot wound and his ability to avoid death saved him again in 1898 when he and his dog sled team fell through the ice in the Yukon and were swept down river (see November 15, 1898). Richardson took his discharge from the North West Mounted Police in 1899 after eleven years service.

1897 – NWMP Superintendent James Morrow Walsh 1843-1905 was appointed Commissioner of the Yukon by the new Yukon Administration responsible for law and order headed by a commission of six; creation of Yukon Judicial District.

1916 – As a result of the Migratory Bird Treaty being signed between the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada) to provide protection for birds migrating between the U.S. and Canada. In 1918 the RCMP was tasked with enforcing it. Since then other countries including Mexico (1936) Japan (1972) and the Soviet Union now Russia (1976) signed on as well.

1947 – First flight of de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver bush plane was conducted in Toronto. The all-metal Beaver with its high-lift wing and flap configuration had very good short take-off-and-landing capability even with heavy loads. Not only did it become the workhorse for the RCMP Air Division it was used by the US Army and US Air Force in Korea.

1965 – Prince Rupert, BC constables #20751 Floyd Dahl and #22752 Ronald Stucky earned commendations after they responded to a complaint about a man causing problems at a local bar. When they arrived at the bar they found Robert Dammeyer armed with a loaded .32 caliber pistol looking for a former drinking companion. As the two policemen attempted to reason with the gunman, he suddenly raised the gun to his head and shot himself.

1979 – Canada’s 13th Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker (1895-1979) dies. He served as the Conservative Prime Minister from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963, and was the party leader to lead the Tories to power between 1930 and 1979, doing so three times.

1992 – #43091 Donald Daigle of the Woodstock N.B. detachment earned the Commissioner’s Commendation after he risked his life rescuing three children in a runaway boat at the junction of the Tobique and Saint John Rivers near the Tobique Reserve.

August 15

1901 – The “SS Islander” loaded with over $6,000,000 in Klondike Gold sinks after hitting an iceberg.

The 240’ Canadian Pacific steamship “Islander” was by all accounts a beautiful ship. She had been constructed at Yorker, Scotland in 1888 for the Inland Passage to Alaska. The 1495-ton, steel, twin-screw steamer was the favorite ship on the gold rush line for business tycoons and miners alike.

On August 14, 1901 the Islander departed Skagway, Alaska bound for Victoria, British Columbia, filled with a crew of 62 and 100 passengers and allegedly $6,000,000 in Klondike gold.

Aboard the ship were two North West Mounted Police Constables, #3408 James L. Cotter and #3344 Edmund Henry Waller. Contrary to popular belief they were not assigned to guard the gold that was stowed in a locker on the port side of the forward well deck,

Shortly after 2:00 am on August 15, with only one officer on the bridge and steaming at a speed of 14 knots, the ship struck what was believed to be an iceberg while in the narrow Lynn Canal south of Juneau and tore a large hole in her forward port quarter.

The captain tried in vain to steer the ailing ship to shallower water at nearby Douglas Island but the outgoing tide and weight of the water rapidly filling the ship’s forward compartments prevented her from making any headway. Within 15 minutes the weight of the water forced her bow underwater and lifted her stern completely out of the water, exposing her rudder and propellers. Before the entire ship’s company could be abandoned the forward section of the ship broke away and the wreck of the SS Islander settled at the bottom of Stephen’s Passage, at 58°15’N 134°30’W.

The two constables were reportedly the last to escape the sinking ship and spent a cold night ashore.

The official record recorded that 16 crew members including the ship’s Captain and 23 passengers perished. But other unconfirmed sources claimed that there were 42 casualties out of possibly 183 people aboard.

Initially the inquest into the sinking cleared the Captain and crew of negligence but eventually reports surfaced about how the crew did not wake all of the passengers and fled the ship in half filled life boats leaving many behind to fend for themselves.

With such a large amount of gold on board, salvage attempts began immediately, but little progress was made due to the deep depth and the antiquated diving equipment of the era. The wreck was finally located in 1921 in 110 meters of water.

 In 1934, a salvage team succeeded in lifting most of the wreck to the surface but after they cleaned out the aft section of the ship and located the Pursers safe they only found $75,000.00 worth of gold dust, gold nuggets and paper money. The gold bars they were hoping to find were stored forward 60’ section of the hull that had been sheared off.

The bow section was finally located in August 1996 using side-scan sonar and a remotely operated vehicle but salvage efforts became bogged down in court over who had the salvage rights to the “Islanders” gold. The matter was resolved in the US Court of Appeal on March 7th 2000 and maybe someday soon she will yield her gold.

It is unknown what the effect of surviving the sinking of the SS Islander had on the two policemen but neither constable stayed in the Mounted Police after their terms expired. Waller resigned in 1903 and Cotter in 1904. Edmund Henry Waller died in Nanaimo BC in 1970 at the ripe old age of 92.

1950 – At the request of the Province of British Columbia the RCMP assumed responsibility for provincial policing and absorbed the members of the British Columbia Provincial Police Force into its ranks. The first Commanding Officer of “E” Division is Assistant Commissioner Allen T. Belcher, who headed up the largest RCMP Division in Canada with a policing area of over 366,255 square miles!

1967 – Malcolm Francis Aylesworth Lindsay becomes the thirteenth permanent Commissioner and serves until September 30, 1969.

2000 – Honour Roll Number 216 and 217

Two members were killed in a plane crash at Teslin Lake, British Columbia.

After dropping off 17 members of the Terrace, Prince Rupert and Whitehorse emergency response teams for routine bush-training exercises. The RCMP’s 1985 Cessna Caravan “C-GMPB” piloted by #32787 Sergeant Edward Mobley, became grounded on a sandbar. After several hours of digging the plane was eventually freed and was then inspected by flight engineer #S/3863 Special Constable Tim Nicholson who had arrived by boat from Teslin.

Once the plane was cleared for flying, both Sgt. Mobley and S/Cst. Nicholson proceeded to fly home around midnight. After the plane lifted off the water it circled the members on the ground and began a steep climb, but the plane stalled and then plunged nose first into the lake near the mouth of the Jennings River. Both Sgt. Mobley age 49 and S/Cst. Nicholson, age 48, were killed upon impact.

Sgt. Mobley had 25 years service and joined the RCMP in 1975. He was transferred to Air Services in 1994 and had been posted to Prince Rupert at the time of his death. His wife and daughter survived him.

S/Cst. Nicholson had seven years service with the RCMP and was stationed in Ottawa but had been on temporary assignment in Prince Rupert filling in for the regular flight engineer who was on annual leave. His wife and two daughters survived him.

2005 – The detachment commander in Chase British Columbia #35772 Frederick Bott responded to a complaint of shots fired at the Mountain View Mobile Home Park in Chase. As he approached the front door to make an inquiry, a shotgun was fired at him from inside the trailer. The blast was close enough that he felt the pressure wave between his extended arm and his side. He quickly took cover and he and other members returned fire and called for the emergency response team. A 17-hour standoff ensued and suddenly, 67 year old Ronald Ivan Brown walked out of the trailer and was arrested. Brown, who was slightly wounded, was found to be suffering from mental illness, and had murdered his 78 year old neighbor and friend Melvin Pugsley the previous evening.

August 14

1908 – Honour Roll Number 33.

#3566 Sgt. Ralph Morton L. Donaldson age 30, drowned after his police boat was attacked by a walrus, off of Marble Island, Hudson Bay, N.W.T. (Now Nunavut)

Members posted in the far north often had to conduct hunting expeditions to supplement their food rations. It was on one such trip that Sergeant Ralph Donaldson lost his life.

He was in charge of a patrol consisting of # 3347 Cpl. F.W. Reeves, #S84 Special Constable Henry Thomas Ford and two native guides Pook and Tupearlock that left Churchill Manitoba aboard the Police Vessel “Mactavish” loaded with supplies for the detachment at Fullerton. After encountering heavy weather they anchored in a cove at Marble Island. There they sighted a herd of walrus on a small island approximately one mile from their vessel. Special Constable Ford departed in a dinghy for the herd and returned later reporting that he had shot ten animals. Later Sgt. Donaldson, Cpl. Reeves and Special Constable Ford rowed back to the island to butcher the slain walrus.

As darkness fell Donaldson and Reeves headed back to the “Mactavish” with the intent of sending the natives back to assist Ford. Rowing in the dark towards the lights on the larger vessel, they were suddenly attacked by a large walrus that rammed his tusks through the hull leaving a large hole in the hull below the waterline and knocking one of the oarlocks from its socket. Sgt. Donaldson was overcome with fear and unable to respond to Cpl. Reeves instructions to retrieve the oar and start rowing before they sank. As the dingy took on water Cpl. Reeves attempted to plug the six inch hole with his jacket while he tried to retrieve the oar but the dingy quickly filled with water and both men soon found themselves in the frigid harbour.

Instead of swimming towards the near shore, Sgt. Donaldson attempted to swim back to the far shore that they had departed from. Cpl. Reeves called out to him in the dark to swim in the other direction but Donaldson did not answer. He was never seen again. Cpl. Reeves managed to make the shore alive and alert the others of the tragedy. A search party scoured the area for several weeks, but Sgt. Donaldson’s body was never recovered.

Originally from London Ontario, Ralph Morton Donaldson joined the Northwest Mounted Police in April 1900 and served in Regina, Moose Jaw, Ottawa and Churchill Manitoba. He had no family other than a sister in Ontario.

1945 – VJ Day (Victory over Japan) celebrations break out as Emperor Hirohito calls upon Japan’s war council to surrender unconditionally thus ending the Second World War. The total cost of World War II to Canada is $11,344,437,766 and 42,000 dead.

1983 – RCMP Summer Student Constable Barbara Gushulak from the Winnipegosis Manitoba Detachment won the Manitoba Ladies Arm-Wrestling championship for the 135lb and over weight class.

August 13

1954 – While stationed at Nakusp British Columbia, Corporal Donald A. Pye (Reg. #16406) and two companions, Robert McGilvray and Jack Molyneux departed from the community of Arrowhead around 7:30 pm, in a 16 foot boat for a 40 mile trip on the Upper Arrowhead Lake back to Nakusp. Cruising at over 25 miles per hour,

Molyneux unexpectedly moved from his position in the stern of the small craft and the sudden shift in weight caused the boat to heel heavily and tossed McGilvary into an enclosed window, causing it to shatter and allow water to violently rush into the boat. Shortly thereafter the boat filled with water and capsized, spilling the trio into the lake. Cpl. Pye, being the only swimmer in the trio, assisted the other two men by pulling them to the overturned boat where they tried to climb onto the hull.

Unfortunately the capsized vessel could not support the combined weight of the three men due to the weight of the heavy engine attached to the stern and their gear that was still strapped inside the hull. Cpl. Pye made repeated attempts to retrieve some life jackets that were stored inside the forward cabin but he could not reach them. He then attempted to right the craft, but the weight of the boat was too great for him to turn. While he attempted to turn the boat over the two non swimmers lost their hold on the boat and began to drift away. Pye managed to pull the men back to the boat and then made a desperate attempt to unfasten the outboard engine from the stern. While he was underwater struggling with the engine, a cold and tired Molyneux lost his grasp on the hull and drifted away. When Pye surfaced he saw his friend struggling some 20 feet away and began to swim to him. But before the exhausted rescuer could reach him, Jack Molyneux slipped below the surface and descended in over 800 feet of depth.

After the loss of Molyneux, Cpl. Pye held onto the hull for over two hours because the boat could only support one man. As his legs began to cramp, Pye realized they were in serious trouble and decided to go for help and try swimming to shore over a mile and a half away, while his friend McGilvary rested on top of the keel. Miraculously Pye eventually made it to shore and then shouted encouragement to his friend in an attempt to keep his spirits up, and then he attempted to walk to the small settlement of St. Leon. Due to his high level of exhaustion and exposure he wasn’t able to progress very far through the heavy forest undergrowth and eventually collapsed into unconsciousness.

He eventually awoke and continued to yell encouragement to his marooned friend until the sun came up the next morning. Shortly after sunrise a search party who had set out from Nakusp to search for the overdue boaters found the pair. The body of Jack Molyneux was never found due to the extreme depth of the lake.

On September 26, 1955, Cpl. Donald A. Pye was awarded the Royal Canadian Humane Society’s Bronze Medal for his heroism. Sergeant Pye, originally a member of the BC Provincial Police, retired from the RCMP in 1965.

2002 – It was nearly deja vu all over again when two members of the “E” Division Underwater Recovery Team responded to an overturned fishing boat at the mouth of the Fraser River in British Columbia. Twenty years before Corporals #26112 Bob Teather CV and #26483 Tim Kain MB responded to a similar emergency earning Teather the Cross of Valour and Kain the Medal of Bravery (See 26 September 1981)

This time the boat was the Fishing Vessel “Cap Rouge II” that suddenly capsized in the treacherous waters at the mouth of Fraser River. The Coast Guard hovercraft had responded to the scene and rescued two survivors from the vessel but safety regulations would not allow them to enter the capsized vessel. #35868 Sgt, Douglas Gambicourt, assisted by Cpl. #40867 Laurie Jalbert using surface supplied air diving gear, entered the partially submerged vessel and recovered the body of a young girl. Twenty years before, this type of diving equipment was not available and Cpl. Teather nearly drowned rescuing the occupants of the “Respond”. Both Sgt. Gambicourt and Cpl. Jalbert received the Commissioners Commendation for Bravery for this recovery mission.

August 12

1883 – A large crowd cheered as the first Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) construction train puffed into the settlement of Calgary. At the time Calgary was nothing more than a tent city whose only permanent structures were the barracks of NWMP Fort Calgary and the stores of the Hudson’s Bay and the I.G. Baker trading companies.

1979 – While working at the Cavendish PEI Summer Detachment, #33758 Constable John .M.G. Trickett helped save the life of a swimmer. Nearby Mayfield resident Preston Simpson was swimming in the frigid waters off of Cavendish Beach when he nearly drowned. Trickett along with some members of the public rushed to his aid and rescued him. Constable Trickett was awarded the Red Cross Life Saving Award at the 15th annual presentation at Government House in Charlottetown.

1998 – Honour Roll Number 194.

#37348 Corporal Graeme Charles Cumming age 37 was killed when a drunk driver crashed into his police car while he was investigating an accident near Kipp, Alberta.

What started out as a relatively normal day for Cpl. Graeme Cumming and truck driver Daniel Entz resulted in both of them being killed in a fiery crash caused by a drunk driver. Entz was driving in the left lane of divided highway #2, when his load of hay shifted and began spilling onto the roadway. Cpl. Cumming attended the scene and had positioned his police car behind the spilled hay with his emergency lights on along with a flashing arrow to direct traffic to pass on the right. While he was in the process of issuing a traffic ticket to Mr. Entz, who was sitting in the police car with him, another tractor trailer came upon the scene and without warning smashed into the back of the police car as it attempted to pass. The force of the impact demolished the police car, which burst into flames killing both men instantly.

The driver of the second tractor-trailer, Darren Roderick Buckley, was charged with two counts of impaired driving and impaired driving causing death. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that Buckley was wanted in British Columbia for an earlier impaired driving offence.

Buckley was convicted on April 13, 1999, and sentenced to a 32 month jail term and received a 5 year driving prohibition.

Graeme Cumming was born at Glasgow, Scotland, and joined the RCMP in November 1981. He served most of his 17-year career in Alberta, with postings in Gleichen, Medicine Hat, Fairview, Fort MacMurray, Airdrie and Lethbridge. His wife of twelve years and a member of the RCMP, #38594, Cst. Marina A.F. Cumming survived him. Hundreds of peace officers from across Canada and the United States attended his funeral on August 18th in Lethbridge Alberta.

1999 – Family disputes always have the potential to become dangerous and this dispute was nearly deadly.

Constables #42239 Joel MacKown, #45392 David Gerrard and #35790 Douglas Mylie attended to a family dispute in the town of St Albert, Alberta. When the police arrived on scene the suspect opened fire on them with a shotgun and Constable MacKown was hit in the back of his legs by the gun blast. Cst. Gerrard and the wounded officer then returned fire as Cst. Mylie helped MacKown find cover from the gunman.

Shortly after the shooting began two more members, #37331 Cst. David Halbach and #35891 Cst. Kenneth Fitzgerald arrived and helped contain the scene while Constable MacKown was taken to the hospital where his wounds were treated. After the emergency response team arrived on the scene the gunman surrendered and was taken into custody. Constable MacKown recovered from his wounds and later returned to active duty.

August 11

1934 – The Commissioner promoted Constable #7576 Edwin Tutin to Lance Corporal in recognition of his conspicuous courage and tenacity of purpose, for his role in apprehending two men in Ottawa who had stole Senator Murphy’s car.

Daniel Nigra and Maynard Richardson stole the car and then held up Blair’s Drug store and made off with cigarettes and $50. Constable Tutin was patrolling the Island Parkway on his police motorcycle, when he recognized the stolen car approaching him at a high speed. When he began to follow the suspects rolled down the rear window and began shooting at him, one bullet grazed his left breast pocket and passed between his arm and left side. Constable Tutin then drew his revolver and fired at the fleeing vehicles rear tires hitting one and rendering the tire flat. The suspects then bolted from the stolen car and fled into the woods. Ottawa Police later captured them.

Tuntin continued to serve and was eventually promoted to Sergeant Major and served with the Provost Corps in Europe during the Second World War.

1943 – Prime Minister Mackenzie King welcomes English Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the opening of the Quebec Conference.

1981 – Honour Roll Number 167.

#25876 Corporal Ole Roust Larsen was shot and killed at Climax, Sask.

Two days before he was murdered Cpl. Ole Larsen had attended a family dispute involving Keith Sipley and his estranged wife Jamie. After a lengthy argument, an angry and distraught Sipley was removed from the home and sent on his way. Everyone assumed it was the end of the matter.

Larsen was in charge of the two-man detachment in Climax Saskatchewan, a quiet rural farming community located 14 miles north of the Montana border. Two nights after the domestic dispute at approximately 11:40 pm, Keith Sipley drove by Cpl. Larsen’s home and made a number of squealing power turns in front of the house in an effort to draw attention to him. Larsen recognized the vehicle and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt got into his police car and went out to confront him. Unfortunately Larsen was unarmed. Initially Keith Sipley ignored Larsen’s attempt to stop him as he raced through town with the patrol car’s siren and emergency lights flashing, but then he stopped suddenly in front of the local Climax Hotel.

As Larsen exited his patrol car, Sipley armed with a .22 caliber rifle, exited his vehicle and shot him several times at point blank range. Severely wounded, Cpl. Larsen staggered back to his vehicle to call for help, but the gunman calmly walked over to the wounded officer and in front of two witnesses shot him two more times.

After shooting Cpl. Larsen, Sipley returned to his car and fled towards the United States. Traveling cross-country through backfields to avoid the border crossing, in the process he damaged his vehicle’s transmission and his car broke down. Sipley then walked across the border and into a farmer’s yard, where he stole a pickup truck. Instead of simply leaving the farm unnoticed he began driving erratically around the farm yard waking the owner, Scott Anderson from his sleep. Anderson jumped in his car and began to chase after his stolen truck, and when the vehicle eventually stopped he found Sipley sitting with his head back, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot to his forehead.

Before killing himself, Keith Sipley recorded a rambling message on a portable tape recorder, stating that he didn’t know why he killed the Mountie and that he wished to God it hadn’t happened.

Ole Larsen died in the local eight-bed hospital as the medevac airplane was landing to transport him to hospital in Regina.

Larsen was born in Varde, Denmark and his family immigrated to Canada when he was 13 years old. He was raised in Galt, Ontario and joined the RCMP on July 12, 1967. He left behind his wife Lindsey and their two young daughters Kristen and Karen. Cpl. Ole Roust Larsen was buried in the RCMP cemetery in Regina with full military honours.

2018

Constable Cortney Clay Vincent Hodges, M.B.

Heavy rains in the Cache Creek area of British Columbia resulted in numerous mudslides trapping motorists in their vehicles in thick debris and high rapid flowing water. #63160 Constable Cortney Hodges, of the Ashcroft Detachment  rescued multiple victims after he walked through thick debris and high water to reach a family trapped on the second floor of their residence. Climbing on top of a parked vehicle, he helped the victims climb out of the window, before safely bringing them to a neighbouring residence. He was then advised of 12 motorists trapped by swift water, trees and rocks flowing over the highway. With the assistance of a bystander, he used ropes and electrical cords to guide each victim over the landslide, and then went into the dangerous situation and carried a small child on his back to safety. 

In September 2022 he was awarded the Medal of Bravery for his actions.

August 10

1881 – Canada’s fourth and youngest (age 33) Governor General of Canada, John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll commonly known as the Marquis of Lorne, met in council with the Blackfoot Confederacy at Blackfoot Crossing during a tour of the Northwest Territories.

The Commissioner had only been informed of the Vice Regal tour a few weeks before the event was set to occur and that an escort of North-West Mounted Police would be required. #O.37 Superintendent William H. Herchmer was appointed to command the escort that required assigning additional men from headquarters. In addition, supplies of forage, and food and other supplies had to be delivered along the 1,229-mile long route. The Vice Regal tour was of special significance to residents and Natives of the region and for his wife, Princess Louise, the daughter of the Great White Mother herself, Queen Victoria.

Several councils were held with native Nations at Fort Ellice, Fort Qu’Appelle, Fort Carlton, Battleford, Blackfoot Crossing, and Fort Macleod. During the meeting at Blackfoot Crossing Chief Crowfoot (Isapo-Muxika) of the Blackfoot First Nation addressed the Governor General and his entourage and held up an empty tin cup to symbolize the destitution of his people as he pleaded for him to do something about their plight. Nothing was done about the deplorable conditions resulting in several First Nations joining the Métis rebellion in 1885 but Crowfoot and his people were not among them. In 1887, artist Sydney Prior Hall depicted the meeting in one of his sketches.

1890 – Honour Roll Number 14.

#487 Sergeant Albert Ernest Garland Montgomery age 28 was killed when his horse stumbled on August 7th, 1890 and he was thrown to the ground hitting his head.

Life as a schoolteacher was too dull for this adventurer who had joined the fledgling NWMP on September 22, 1880. He saw service in the North-west Rebellion and became an expert horseman. Ironically he lost his life during a routine mounted drill practice at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan after he stopped to help #2186 Constable Henri Gravel who was having trouble remounting his spirited horse. After climbing back on his own steed that he had been riding for six years, Montgomery proceeded back to his unit when suddenly his horse stumbled and fell, throwing the Sergeant head first into the hard ground. He never regained consciousness and died three days later.

Sgt. Albert Ernest Garland Montgomery was buried in the St. Mary’s churchyard in Prince Albert Saskatchewan.

1913 – Two prisoners escaped from the Moosomin jail on August 1st 1913, and were re-captured across the border in Westhope, North Dakota by two RNWMP Constables. #5114 Richards of Carnduff Detachment and #5434 Wheeler of Lampman Detachment who picked up the fugitives track at Butler, Manitoba, and what the local newspapers dubbed an exciting chase, eventually captured the fugitives on the railway track at Westhope. Inspector George. L. Jennings, the officer commanding Regina District, was so impressed he penned a letter of congratulations to the two members, expressing his appreciation along with a newspaper article about the capture.

1984 – #33631 Constable Michael Buday of the Terrace British Columbia Detachment faced down a deranged man who was pointing a loaded shotgun at him. After a lengthy period of negotiations Buday overpowered and disarmed the gunman. The B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police posthumously awarded him a commendation for bravery on November 27, 1986. Michael Buday was killed on duty a year before. (See March 19, 1985)

1985 – While relaxing at home on his day off in Ottawa, #36729 Constable Pat Egan noticed a commotion in his neighbor’s yard. When he went over to investigate he discovered that their infant child was in convulsions and turning blue. Eagan immediately took control and sent the panicked parents to call an ambulance. He then began CPR and successfully revived the child. He later received a Commanding Officers Commendation for his actions.

August 9

1926 – #9754 Constable Herbert Lee had been sent north to establish detachments on Ellesmere and Bylot Islands. On this day in 1926 #4314 / O.194 Inspector Charles Willcox officiated at opening of the Bache Peninsula Detachment on Ellesmere Island opening the most northerly Detachment Mounted Police ever established.

1970 – Commercial fisherman Cyrille Dugay would likely have drowned in hold of a vessel after it overturned near Shippagan, New Brunswick had it not been for #27105 Constable E.A.M. Arsenault coming to his rescue. Cst. Arsenault was awarded the Royal Canadian Humane Society Award of Merit.

August 8

1941 – As a result of Japan’s involvement in the second world war Federal Minister Ian Mackenzie declares that because it is a national security matter under the War Measures Act he orders the RCMP to begin registering all Japanese Canadians in British Columbia. At a later date all of them are moved inland to detention camps.

1958 – #16087/O.610 Corporal Hugh Feagan was awarded the St John Meritorious Certificate after he saved the life of Earl Carl in Kamloops BC. Cpl. Feagan rushed into a smoke filled service station where he located the body of the unconscious man and dragged him from the burning building and then performed artificial respiration until the fire department arrived on scene.

August 7

1903 – As a result of concerns from the Canadian Government over possible American territorial ambitions in the arctic The North West Mounted Police (NWMP) establish a detachment at Herschel Island Northwest Territory. For several years American whalers had used the location as a winter base so they didn’t have to make the long journey back to American waters. The new detachment staffed by #2218 / O.156 Sgt. Francis Fitzgerald (see December 21, 1910) and Constable F.D. Sutherland was nothing more than sod huts which they had to live in until a detachment building could be constructed.

1920 – Honour Roll Number 43.

#6096 Cpl. Ernest Usher, age 25 was killed in a shootout with two train robbers in a restaurant in Bellevue Alberta.

Three Russian men held up the Canadian Pacific Railways train number 63, on August 2, 1920. The trio jumped off the train and fled into the bush near Sentinel Alberta and a manhunt ensued shortly thereafter. It didn’t take authorities very long to identify the culprits as George Akoff, Alex Auloff and Tom Basoff who had come to Lethbridge from Great Falls Montana. When the trio was spotted in Coleman Alberta the combined force of Alberta Provincial Police, RCMP and deputized civilians closed in. On Saturday August 17th, the local Justice of the Peace, Joseph Robertson spotted two of the fugitives in the mining town of Bellevue. After grabbing his pistol and heading for the police office he encountered Cpl. Usher and Provincial Police Constables Frewin and Bailey. The three officers then confronted the men in a local restaurant and a shoot-out erupted when George Akoff pulled a Lugar pistol out of his coat.

Corporal Usher and Constable Frederick Bailey and were shot as they backed out of the restaurant by Akoff even though Constable Frewin had emptied his revolver into him. Tom Basoff then came out of the restaurant armed with two handguns and shot Cst. Bailey in the head at point blank range and fired several shots into Cpl. Usher until he was dead. He then put a bullet into his partner’s head to put him out of his misery and fled as the Justice of the Peace fired at him from behind a telephone pole.

Basoff’s escape was short lived and when Canadian Pacific Railway Police detectives arrested without incident four days later near Pincher Creek. He was tried and convicted for murder and hanged on December 22, 1924 in Lethbridge.

Alex Auloff was arrested in1924 and extradited back to Canada from Butte Montana and was sentenced to seven years in prison but died in April 1926.

Both policemen were buried in a joint military funeral at the Protestant cemetery in MacLeod Alberta. Corporal Ernest Usher joined the RNWMP on September 14, 1914. He was single and his closest family was his sister Maud, who lived in London England.

1943 – During WW2, many prisoners of war (POW) camps were established across Canada. Among them, Camp 132 at Medicine Hat and another at Lethbridge, Alberta. All POW camps had a hierarchy within them and the camps in Canada were no exception only it was the Nazis within the camps ruled the German prisoners and dished out their own punishments on those who did not conform. On this day August Plaszek was murdered by a mob of fellow prisoners because he was believed to be disloyal to the Nazi cause. Before the war Plaszek had served in the French Foreign Legion and like all Legionnaires who returned to Germany in the 1930’s he was subjected to Nazi ideology and then forced into the German army. Because he was an ex-Legionnaire Plaszek was assigned to Erwin Rommel’s 361st African Regiment, which was nearly wiped out at Tobruk in 1943, resulting in his capture by the British.

Within the pecking order of the POW camps the Nazis despised the Legionnaires because they felt they didn’t fight hard enough for the Fatherland. In addition they were suspected of being the leaders of the communist sympathizers. The camp leader believed that the ex-legionnaires group was planning to overthrow the camp leadership so they decided to interrogate four of them. After one of the men was interrogated he made a dash to the warning wire and was taken into custody by camp officials. Having escaped a mob of nearly 600 POW’s the angry men forced their way into the interrogation room and dragged August Plaszek out and took him to the recreation hall where they severely beat him and then hanged him.

Because he was fluent in German, #8281 Sgt. George Krause was transferred from Stony Plain Detachment to work in the Intelligence section and assigned to the case. His 26 month investigation resulted in the two Nazi ringleaders; Werner Schwalb and Adolf Kratz, being tried and convicted of murder. Kratz avoided the hangman’s noose by having his sentence commuted but Werner Schwalb was hanged for his role in the crime. When asked if he had any last words, Schwalb said, “Mine Fuhrer I follow thee.” He was hanged on June 26, 1946 at Provincial Gaol, in Lethbridge, Alberta.

His skills in investigating POW murders were called upon again in 1945 (see December 18, 1946) when POW Dr Karl Lehmann was murdered by hanging in Camp 132.

George KRAUSE served in the Force from 1919 – 1954 and died in 1989.

1948 – Honour Roll Number 106. #14890 2/Cst. James Boyd Henderson drowned in the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque Ont.

Twenty-three year old Constable James Boyd Henderson joined the RCMP on May 1, 1947 and was quickly transferred to Marine Division. He was assigned to the 50’ Patrol Vessel “Carnduff” in Kingston Ontario patrolling the St Lawrence River under command of #12866/ O.472 Corporal Kenneth Creaser. While returning from a regatta at Gananoque Ontario, Cst. Henderson’s career and life were suddenly cut short. As the boat neared Howe Island under full throttle and in calm sea conditions, Cst. Henderson went aft to dump some garbage from a pail. A couple of minutes later the skipper, Cpl. Creaser looked back from the wheel and realized that the pail was on the deck but Cst. Henderson was missing. He immediately turned the vessel and retraced its route to where he found the floating garbage and searched the area for several hours until dark. The area was searched for several days to no avail, ten days later his body was found on the banks of the St. Lawrence.

Cst. Henderson’s body was returned to his parents in Oshawa Ontario where he was buried in the Union Cemetery. The cause of his death was never determined, but he is believed to have lost his balance and fallen overboard, possibly striking his head on a boom at the stern of the vessel.

August 6

1958 – Honour Roll Numbers 97, 98, 99.

Three members #10880 S/Sgt. Stanley Samuel Rothwell age 49, #14740 Cst. Richard William Green age 35 and #10410 S/Cst. Joseph Edouard Cormier age 39 were killed on duty in an airplane crash, along the East Shore of Skaha Lake, BC.

The Vancouver Air Section DeHavilland Beaver float plane CF-FHW piloted by Staff Sgt. Stanley Rothwell arrived in Penticton to assist in the manhunt for an American fugitive and murder suspect, who had shot Cpl. George Brown of the Summerland BC Detachment (see August 4). The pilot along with Engineer S/Cst Joseph Cormier and local detachment member Cst. Richard W. Green, a spotter with local knowledge set out from Skaha Lake and spent most of the day looking for the fugitive. At approximately 13:40 pm, the low flying aircraft crashed into a hillside orchard nearly five miles north of Okanagan Falls. The cause of the crash was never determined but it was believed the plane stalled due to a sudden down-draft. All three members were killed on impact and the subsequent crash ignited a forest fire that eventually covered 80 acres of land. This tragedy was further compounded when the original witness who reported seeing the suspect in the area, admitted to police that he had made a false report of the sighting “just to see some excitement”.

All three men were Second World War veterans, Rothwell and Cormier had served in the RCAF and Green in the Royal Canadian Navy.

S/Sgt. Stanley Rothwell a native of Arden Manitoba was survived by his wife, Helen and their son. He was buried in Valleyview Memorial Gardens in Newton BC.

The remains of S/Cst. Joseph Cormier a native of Moncton NB was returned to his mother and he was interred in Notre Dame du Calvair cemetery in Charterville, NB.

Cst. Richard Green was from Rencontre West; Newfoundland and was survived by his wife Shirley and their two children. He was buried in the Municipal Cemetery in Chemainus BC.

This was the RCMP Air Dvision’s first ever-fatal air crash using Force owned planes since its inception in 1937.

1966 – The British Empire Medal for Gallantry and The Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery were awarded to #22807 Constable Joseph Emile Gilles Potvin age 25, for rescuing three people from a submerged aircraft.

Constable Potvin was competing in the 12th International Swim Meet at Lake St.John Quebec on this day. After swimming for three hours he had to withdraw from the competition for medical reasons and was talking with his wife at the finish line near Roberval, when he was advised that a small aircraft had crashed into the lake nearby. He rushed to the scene in a boat operated by Marcel Guay of St. Felicien and observed the tail section sticking out of the water and a large gas slick had spread across the surface. Constable Potvin then dove in, and swam underwater to the wreckage. Though he could not see he managed to find the door to the cockpit and wrenched it open freeing two occupants, Gilbert Gaudreault and Marthe Trudel. He then swam inside the plane and found the lifeless body of Colombe Lamontange and pulled her free and swam her body to the boat. The unconscious victim had two broken legs and was bleeding from her mouth, so Potvin used the Shaffer method of artificial respiration and after five minutes succeeded in reviving her.

1967 – While boating on the St. Lawrence River near Charlottenburg Park Ontario non-swimmer Hector Menasce stood up in a paddleboat to take a photograph and he and his wife Lucie fell overboard. After a short struggle he slipped below the surface of and descended in 18 feet of water.

32-year-old J. Donald Sauve happened to hear the cries for help from shore and rushed to the scene and dove in the water and retrieved Menace’s body. Long Sault detachment members #19175 Corporal Lorne D. Poulin and #24023 / O.1310 Wayne Wawryk were patrolling nearby and observed several boats gathered together 100 yards from shore. When they investigated they found the lifeless body of Menasce on the bow of a boat. Corporal Poulin then used a pocket knife to pry open the victims mouth so that Constable Wawryk could insert a plastic rescusitube and begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a couple of minutes the victim was revived and transported to hospital.

As result of their efforts in saving the life of Hector Menasce the Royal Canadian Humane Society awarded a parchment certificate of bravery to Mr. Suave and certificates of Merit to the two policemen.

1976 – At approximately 9:30 p.m. Air Division pilot #23861 Staff Sergeant Lynn F. Kendel, along with detachment members #21786 Corporal John Matthews, and #29434 Constable G.R. Pritchard responded to what they thought was a routine domestic dispute in Inuvik NWT.

Upon arrival they found themselves embroiled in a barricade situation with an armed man who was holding his children hostage and was repeatedly shooting at them with a rifle. The standoff lasted for several hours and all attempts to reason with the gunman failed. The event was brought to a conclusion when one of the hostages managed to open a door to the house enabling S/Sgt. Kendel and Cst. Pritchard to enter the residence unnoticed. While Cpl. Matthews kept the gunman distracted, the two policemen rushed in and disarmed him. All three officers received the Commanding Officers Commendation for their courage in apprehending the gunman without anyone being harmed.

1990 – While on routine patrol in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT #37077 Constable Thomas H. Roy, witnessed an intoxicated woman attempting to slash people with a knife. When he intervened, the woman turned the knife on him. After a brief altercation he succeeded in subduing her. For his bravery and composure he was awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery.

August 5 

1934 – #9072 Sergeant J. D. O’Connell won the coveted “Prince of Wales Silver Cup” at the New Brunswick Rifle Association Meet in Sussex. The cup had been awarded to the best rifle shot in New Brunswick since 1861. Shooters were required to fire seven shots at 600 yards, seven at 200 yards and ten shots at 900 yards.

1958 – #14064 Cpl. Albin R. Nelson of Blaine Lake Sask. saved the life of a four-year-old boy, Stephen Wawryk after he found the boy unconscious and not breathing. The child lost consciousness and stopped breathing after he consumed a quantity of “home brew” that he had found. Cpl. Nelson revived the boy after he performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and was later awarded the St John’s Ambulance Meritorious Certificate award.

1960 – Canada’s 9th Prime Minister (1920-21 and 1926), Senator Arthur Meighen dies in Toronto at the age of 86. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation.

1984 – #32202 Constable James Baker earned a Commanding Officers Commendation after he and three members of the public, E. Redekop, D. Redekop and W. Boulanger rescued six people after they were thrown from their boat during a storm on Little Shuswap Lake, near Chase, BC .

1986 – Medal of Bravery – Arthur Ross Lewis MB

Upon arriving at the scene of a house fire in Big River, Saskatchewan, #28114 Constable Arthur Ross Lewis was advised by a neighbor that an elderly man was inside the burning shed. While the neighbor sprayed the shed with a garden hose, Constable Lewis wrapped a wet towel around his face and entered the building in an attempt to locate the victim. Shortly thereafter he was forced from the blaze by the intense heat and thick smoke. By then Ross and Chad Dunn had arrived on scene, and with Ross Dunn leading, he and Constable Dunn re-entered the building but again were forced to retreat. Joined by Chad Dunn the trio holding hands re-entered the blaze and found the severely burned unconscious man in a rear corner of the building.

Once they had removed the victim, Cst. Lewis applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and continued to do so while he and the victim were transported to hospital. Unfortunately 85-year-old Alonzo Gallant.

On June 10, 1988 Constable Arthur Ross Lewis was awarded the Medal of Bravery.

August 4

1896 – #416 / O.83 Inspector Frank Harper along with Game Wardens Wilson and Ashley recovered the body of Philip Abbot, off of Mount Lefroy near Lake Louise in the first Mountaineering fatality in North America.

Philip Abbot was part of a group of the Appalachian Mountain Club members, who were attempting to be the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount LeRoy. Abbot, a Harvard educated attorney, was considered to be one of the best mountaineers in the United States and had previously made history when he along with climbers, Charles S. Thompson, and Charles Fay, completed the first ascent of Mount’s Hector and Stephen in 1885.

On August 3, 1896 the trio were joined by George Little and they were only 600 meters from the summit, when Abbot un-roped so he could climb ahead of the group on his own. Shortly thereafter, he slipped and fell to his death.

The summit of Mount LeFroy is at 423m (11231ft.) and is located on the border of Banff & Yoho parks, on the Alberta/BC border. Charles S. Thompson, and Charles Fay conquered it the following year, along with seven other climbers.

1933 – The crew of the RCMP Cruiser “Chaleur” rescued the schooner “Glacier” which was in distress, and drifting ten miles off of the Wolves Island near Grand Manan NB. The schooner had been struck by lightning on July 31st, which had split her foresail and torn her mainsail beyond use. In addition the ship was leaking badly and the crew was exhausted from having to pump continuously since the incident. The Chaleur tied alongside and she was towed to Saint John, New Brunswick.

1958 – A murder investigation was initiated when the naked body of a young woman was found in a fruit picker’s shack near Kaleden, British Columbia. Soon, the prime suspect becomes a transient fruit picker, Donald George Stevens who is known under several aliases.

The following day #14827 Corporal George Ralph Browne, from the nearby Summerland Detachment stopped a suspicious looking man on a rural road and when he proceeded to question him, the man pulled a gun and shot him three times and then ran off towards Giant Head Mountain. Fortunately Corporal Browne survived his wounds to the neck, hand and arm and a massive manhunt ensued and led to the deaths of three police officers (See August 6th) before Stevens was eventually captured at Tonasket, Washington, after he was spotted crossing the American border.

A joint US –Canadian Posse was organized and Stevens was arrested by #16889 Cst. Stewart Langdon when he found him hiding in bushes on the Okanagan River forty miles south of the border. When Langdon ordered him to come out of the bushes, Stevens attacked him with a rock and in the fight that ensued, the fugitive attempted to take the policemen’s gun. Langdon gained control of Stevens after he shot him in the buttocks. Stevens was returned to Canada to face criminal charges but the charges were dropped when it was proven that he had escaped from an American mental hospital and was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial. He was returned to the United States where he died in a mental institution in 1968.

George Ralph Browne, recovered from his gunshot wounds and eventually returned to duty. He retired as a Staff Sergeant in 1976. Stewart Langdon retired as a Staff Sergeant in 1980.

1960 – The House of Commons votes to approve the new Canadian Bill of Rights proposed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s government. The new charter sets out rights and freedoms accorded all Canadians.

2001 – Two Mounties receive the Medal of Bravery

Constable Josephee Frederick Baines, M.B. and Constable Robert Glenn Wolfenden, M.B.

While working general duties in Iqaluit, Nunavut, #47141 Cst. Josephee Baines and #50434 Cst. Robert G. Wolfenden responded to a report of a fire at a residence where they found two intoxicated people screaming for help from a second floor window. Without hesitation, the two constables rushed inside the burning building but were forced out because of the blinding smoke and toxic fumes. The two men then wrapped several wet towels over their faces and went back into the inferno and fought their way through the smoke and flames, until they located the two heavily intoxicated victims in the living room.

After convincing the uncooperative woman that her children were safe and not inside the burning house, the constables gave the two victims their wet towels and then escorted them from the residence. All four individuals were then transported to hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

On April 30, 2004 both policemen were awarded Canada’s third highest award for courage, the Medal of Bravery.

August 3

1990 – While on patrol near Bow Island, Alberta, #30389 Constable Ross S. Gilmore found himself in a high-speed pursuit with an intoxicated suicidal man. When the chase ended the man produced a 22.caliber rifle and threatened to kill him. Constable Gilmore stayed calm and was able to disarm the gunman and take him into custody. As a result of his courage and quick thinking he was awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery.

1991 – When Constables #36174 Thomas G. Power and #36489 A.B.M. Campbell arrived at the scene of a house fire at Iqaluit, NWT, they were advised that a woman was still inside the burning building. Both men rushed into the building, but were driven back by the intense heat and smoke. They then made a second attempt and despite the smoke and heat, found the unconscious woman and carried her out of the blaze, where she was revived later at the Baffin Regional Hospital. As a result of their heroism both men were awarded the Commanding Officer’s Commendation.

August 2

1973 – Retired Sergeant Major #06316 Henry Webb Stallworthy O.C. is invested with the Order of Canada at Government House by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. His citation states “For his pioneer service in the Canadian Arctic as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and his contributions to the exploration of the remote northern regions.”

Harry Stallworthy as he was known throughout his life was one of Canada’s greatest barely known northern explorers. His accomplishments in the north are legendary and include leading one the longest arctic dog sled patrols in RCMP history in search of a missing German geologist, Dr. Hans Kruger, to establishing Canada’s sovereignty claim to Ellesmere Island. His biography entitled “Red Serge and Polar Bears” written by William Barr was published by The University of Alberta Press in 2004 is a worthy read for anyone who wants to know what life in the Mounted Police was like for a man who spent over twenty years in the real north.

1978 – #31001 Constable Jean F. Bourke of Grand Rapids, Manitoba found himself confronted by a highly intoxicated man armed with three weapons threatening to shoot him if he didn’t leave the scene. Bourke remained calm and after several minutes of talking to the gunman, he convinced him to drop his weapons and surrender. For his courage and sound judgment he was awarded the Commanding Officer’s Commendation.

August 1

1874 – The March West column was regrouped and split. “A” Division consisted of 32 men commanded by Inspector W. D. Jarvis set out for Fort Edmonton nearly nine hundred miles away from La Roche Percee (near Estevan Sask.) with 55 sick horses, 74 oxen and cattle, 57 ox carts, 26 wagons and more than 25,00 pounds of flour.

 1885 – Louis Riel is sentenced to be hanged for treason by Judge Hugh Richardson after a jury of six English-speaking Protestants found catholic Riel guilty but recommended mercy. During the trial Riel gave two lengthy speeches where he demonstrated his powerful rhetorical abilities and fought attempts by his defense counsel to prove he was not guilty by reason of insanity.

1900 – #O.44 Aylesworth Bowen Perry, C.M.G. becomes the fifth Commissioner of the Force and serves until March 31, 1923.

1931 #3588 / O.240 Sir James Howden MacBrien, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. becomes the seventh permanent Commissioner and serves until March 5, 1938 and becomes the first Commissioner to die in office.

1950 – The Newfoundland Rangers, Newfoundland Preventive Service and some members of Newfoundland Constabulary are absorbed into the RCMP when the RCMP enters into a contract with Newfoundland and Labrador to provide policing to Canada’s newest Province.

1994 – #32642 Corporal Leonard V. Desautels earned a Commanding Officer’s Commendation for courage and presence of mind when he apprehended a suicidal man with loaded rifle at Far Reserve, near La Ronge, Saskatchewan.

1995 –  #26352 Cpl. Patrick M. Shaw, a member officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who served in major crime investigations, drug investigations and criminal intelligence duties throughout most of his career. On retiring from the Force in 1988, he joined the Saskatchewan Government as Director of Protective Services, where he remained until his appointment as Sergeant-at-Arms on August 1, 1995