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 over ten 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.


November 15th

1909– #3827 Frederick Jarvis is promoted to the rank of Corporal in recognition of his outstanding work on the Meese murder case in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan.

1973– The RCMP Patrol Vessel “Centennial” MP100 is launched at a ceremony where Mrs. Higgitt performs the Christening ceremony. The 75’ patrol boat serves on the East Coast of Canada until she is de-commissioned on April 5, 1988.

1978– Canada Post releases a new14¢ postage stamp featuring the RCMP auxiliary schooner St. Roch.

1979– Auxiliary Constable Wayne Bill of Kelowna BC earns his second Commanding Officers Commendation for Bravery. The commendation resulted from a man coming into the front counter of the detachment armed with a rifle and threatening to kill him. Auxiliary Constable Bill leapt over the counter and grabbed the rifle from the man and subdued him until other members could rush to his aid.

1989– Liberal Senator Hazen Argue, is charged by the RCMP with misuse of Senate funds. He is the first Canadian Senator to face criminal charges, but he died in 1991 before his case went to trial.

2004 – The RCMP’s only recipient of the Cross of Valour passed away this day. 57-year old #26112 Corporal Robert (Bob) Gordon Teather died from complications related to diabetes. He was the only member of the RCMP to ever be awarded the Cross of Valour.

The Cross of Valour is awarded for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril and replaces the George Medal which, had served that purpose until Canada revised its Honours System and sanctioned the Cross of Valour in 1972. Only 12 people have received this decoration since it was created in 1972, five of which were posthumously. Corporal Teather was Canada’s 13th recipient. See September26

November 14th

1898– While transporting the first mail from Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Constables #2000 John Richardson and #3078 William Bell were caught on Hootalinqua River when the ice broke up and swept them away. As they were being swept downstream near 8-Mile cabin, 190 miles from Dawson City they saved themselves fromcertaindeath by grabbing hold of some tree branches and climbing up the riverbank. Their lives were spared, but all of the mail was lost.

1901– #3710 ConstableDaniel Holland had his finger shot off by Indian, when he opened the cabin door to make an arrest at Carcross, Yukon.

1953– US President Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses the Senate and House of Commons.

1960– A panel of experts, appointed by Ontario’sAttorney General Kelso Roberts, finds that D.H. Lawrence’s novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover is not obscene according to the Criminal Code.

November 13th

1943– The movie “Northern Pursuit” starring Errol Flynn who plays a Mountie and poses as a traitor in an attempt to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring is released by MGM.

1968– The FLQ plant a bomb that explodes at the Domtar factory.

1971– The Meritorious Certificate from the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem was awarded to Constables #24763 Arthur Carter and #24809 Kenneth O’Brien for saving a life near Regina Saskatchewan.

1972– After he saved three children and their mother from a house fire at Strathmore, Alberta, Cochrane Highway Patrol member #28785 Constable John P. Mills is awarded Testimonial Parchment from the Royal Life Saving of Canada.

1987 – Constable J.A.M. Marien of Chilliwack, British Columbia received a Commanding Officers Commendation for his work and perseverance in investigating and convicting the members of a stolen car ring who were responsible for the theft of numerous vehicles throughout 1985.

2000– The Medal of Bravery and The Commissioner’s Commendation was earned by #44373 Guy Joseph Roger Francis Forcier who, while off duty along with two civilians tackled and arrested jewelry store robber in Langley, BC.

Armed with a 9mm Colt pistol, a would-be robber entered the Golden Tree Jewelers at the Willowbrook Mall, in Langley, British Columbia. The thief ordered the employees to fill a duffle bag with $400,000 in high-end jewelry, while he repeatedly threatened them with the pistol. The brazen robbery was witnessed by several people in the shopping mall, including, mall security officer Mr. Garry Rozak and customer Mr. Clinton Michael Douglas Kakoschke and Constable Forcier who was off duty and unarmed.

As the robber attempted to run outside to join his accomplice who was waiting in the getaway vehicle, the trio chased and tackled him at the mall’s exit. In the ensuing struggle Mr. Kakoschke was pistol-whipped in the head and the robber repeatedly aimed his pistol at the other two officers. Undeterred they succeeded in wrestling him to the ground and holding him until the local police arrived. Mr. Kakoschke was treated in hospital for his injuries, and upon closer examination of the handgun police discovered that the ammunition clip had become dislodged during the attempted escape from the jewelry store.

On June 25th, 2004 the Governor General of Canada,presented the trio with the Medal of Bravery.

2004– Honour Roll Number 205.

#A/9447Auxiliary Constable Glen Evely age 39, was killed when a when the police car in which he was riding was struck by a stolen truck that ran a red lightin Vernon BC.

#38034 ConstableFrancois Grenier and Auxiliary Constable Evely were on routine patrol in Vernon BC. Earlier in the evening a stolen pickup truck from Armstrong BC had been involved in a high-speed pursuit, and the chase had been shut down because of the dangerous manner in which the pursued vehicle was driving.

At 3:00 AM the two constables were driving through the intersection of 29th Street and 30th Avenue, when the same stolen vehicle sped through the red light and broadsided the police car. Auxiliary Constable Evely was killed on impact and Constable Grenier was seriously injured.

The two occupants of the stolen truck were injured also and taken to the local hospital. The 23-year-old driver, Michael Douglas O’Brien was later charged with several criminal offenses including criminal negligence causing death. On December 8th, 2004 O’Brien was inadvertently released from jail due to the misreading of court documents. By the time error was discovered, the accused had fled. A Canada wide warrant was issued for his arrest and he was apprehended a few days later in Calgary Alberta. On March 5th, 2005 Constable Grenier awoke from the coma he had been in since the collision.

Glen Evely was married and had two children; he was employed by the B.C. Forest Service and had been an Auxiliary Constable for two years.

2012– Honour Roll Number 231, Cst. Adrian Johann Oliver

#57673 Cst. Adrian Johann Oliver was working the early morn hours, during a twelve-hour night shift in Canada’s largest detachment in Surrey, British Columbia. After receiving a report of a stolen pick-up truck Cst. Oliver proceeded to search for it in an unmarked police car.

At the intersection of 64th Avenue and 148th Street he collided with a semi-trailer truck driven by 57-year-old Harjit Singh Lotay that turned left into his path.

An independent investigation into the crash that killed Cst. Oliver resulted in a charge of driving without due care and attention being filed against the truck driver, Harjit Lotay. But the charge was withdrawn a year later by the British Columbia Prosecution Service. In 2014 the Attorney General of Canada sued both Harjit Lotay and his employer for damages.

Adrian was 28 years old when he died. In 2009 he and his twin brother Ben followed their father’s footsteps and joined the RCMP. Adrian was posted to Surrey and Ben was posted to nearby Burnaby, BC.

At the regimental funeral attended by a sea of uniforms Ben told the crowd in the 5500-seat center, how close he and his twin brother were, “I’ve lost my best friend in the whole world,” Ben said. “In 28 years of life, Adrian and I have only been apart for a total of 12 months. Adrian, thank you for showing me how to be a better son, friend, brother and person. I love you.”

Adrian was not only loved by his family, but by everyone he worked with. So much so, that to honour him they created the Adrian Oliver Memorial Run which, raises money for Honour House a “home away from home and a place for recovery for emergency services personnel, Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families.” In the first six years of the run over $180,000 was raised for Honour House. Adrian’s father Assistant Commissioner Joe Oliver remarked “It has been extremely important to find a way to turn Adrian’s tragic death into a legacy that supports others,”.

November 10th

1896– Honour Roll Number 21.

#857 Sergeant William Brock Wilde was killed by, fugitive murderer Charcoal, near Dry Forks, on the Kootenai River, N.W.T., while attempting to arrest him.

A Blood Indian named Charcoal went on a murderous rampage after he caught his wife having an affair with another Indian. When they refused to stop the affair, Charcoal killed his wife’s lover. “Medicine Pipe Stem” and appeared to go crazy afterwards. He shot and wounded a former farm instructor and on November 2, 1896 shot Sergeant W. Armer while he was watering his horse at the Detachment at Cardston. He continued to brag to his people that he was going to kill the local Indian Agent and Chief Red Crow. A posse was organized and the hunt for Charcoal led to him being spotted near Pincer Creek. On November 5thSergeant Wilde the local Detachment Commander joined the posse and five days later they closed in on the fugitive. As the posse comprised mostly of local Natives closed in on him, Charcoal yell to them that he had no quarrel with his own people and the men stayed back as Sergeant Wilde rode up to him alone. With revolver in Hand the sergeant rode up to him an ordered him to stop, when he was eight feet away Charcoal turned and fired his rifle that was concealed beneath a blanket hitting Sergeant Wilde in the chest and knocking him from his horse. The murderer then stood over the wounded policeman and shot him again in the stomach. Leaving the dead man in the snow, Charcoal rode off on the policeman’s horse.

Two days later Charcoal arrived at his brother’s home and unbeknown to him they had promised the police that hey would turn him in. The brothers and their wives jumped him and tied him up and then turned him over to the authorities.  On March 16, 1897 Charcoal a.k.a. Bad Young Man a.k.a. Johnny Dried Meat was sent to the gallows and hanged.

Sergeant Brock Wilde a ten-year veteran of the British Calvary had joined the Mounted Police to seek adventure. He had served only three years before his murder. He was buried at the Protestant Cemetery at For MacLeod Alberta.

1918        -One hour before the doctor arrived and his son Arthur was born #4091 Sergeant Robert White died of the Spanish Influenza. He was one of many victims of the great flu epidemic of 1918.

1969– An extensive ground search was conducted by three Dogmaster’s for the occupants of a private aircraft that had crashed into a mountaintop on Roderick Island midway between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy BC.

Mr. Edward Hadgkiss, and his passenger Katherin Rheaume, were flying in his from Whitehorse to Vancouver when they survived the crash of his Harvard (CF-XEN) airplane. Instead of staying with the wreckage to wait for a rescue, the two decided to try and hike down to the coastline. When search and rescue personnel located the crash scene and found evidence that the pair had left the wreckage dog master’s #19000 Dale Marino, #20836 Laurie Marshall and #27147 Brian Boleen were brought in to search for the survivors. The trio conducted extensive searches of the area and found equipment the survivors had being carrying as they tried to walk to the beach. But despite their efforts, no remains of either victim were ever found. The 1989 book “Missing in Life” by Jane Gaffin recounts the mystery.

1992– RCMP Commissioner Norman Inkster is elected to a four-year term as President of Interpol, the international police organization.

November 11th

1918– WWI ends. When the war to end all wars began the Canadian Government granted permission to the RNWMP to allow 200 members to transfer to the Canadian Expeditionary Force where they were organized into “A” squadron a cavalry unit that saw action in France and Belgium.

At least five members were killed in action during the war:

#6886 Everett Kirkpatrick

#7171 Vernon Ward

#7273 William Alexander Pearson

#7501 William John Henderson

#5818 James Edge

#5065 (CEF # 58085) former Constable Frederick Joyce who had served briefly in the RNWMP in 1910 was killed in action on the final morning of the war. He is buried at the British Cemetery, in Auberchicourt France.

1936– #11456 Sergeant R.H. Purdy was awarded the St. John Ambulance Society Certificate of Merit for saving three people from drowning in the Little Smoky River on May 31, 1936.

While off duty, picnicking with friends, Sergeant Purdy swam to the aid of three individuals who were attempting to rescue Miss Loreen Hunt who had stepped into deep water and had been carried away by the current. After rescuing the victim and one of the exhausted rescuers, he recovered the body of a third rescuer and then revived him by performing artificial respiration. Unfortunately, the father of the victim drowned attempting to rescue her and his body was recovered a few days later.

1980– Commanding Officers Commendations were for bravery was earned by Constables #25686 Ronald Wagg and #35793 S.R. Ivany after they responded to a family dispute complaint in Lower Northfield, Nova Scotia. Upon their arrival they found a woman holding onto the barrel of the shotgun her husband was pointing at her. Constable Wagg rushed in and wrestled the weapon away from the gunman and then assisted by Constable Ivany who had only been out of basic training for12 days had to defend themselves from other family members who turned on the police officers.

November 12th

1894– #3063 Constable Samuel Knight is brought up on charges of neglect of duty and then summarily dismissed from the Mounted Police by the Commissioner. Constable Knight’s crime was, allowing a barrel of beer to be stolen while he was in charge of the guard. His career was brought to an abrupt end after only seven months of service and resulted in a dry spell in the canteen!

1971– Brandishing 54 sticks of dynamite and a shotgun, Paul Joseph Cini hijacks an Air Canada flight over the prairies but is subdued and arrested.

1979 – Honour Roll Numbers162 and 163.

Twenty-six-year-old #30749 Constable Gordon Alfred Brooks and # S/623 Special Constable Ningeoseak Etidloi age 41 drowned near Cape Dorset, Baffin Island N.W.T.

Constable Brooks along with Special Constable Etidloi set off from Cape Dorset in a twenty-four-foot freighter canoe powered by a 50 hp engine, accompanied by Inuit hunters in four other freighter canoes. Brooks was going to conduct an investigation while Etidloi and several other Inuit hunters were going to hunt walrus. Later in day, the weather turned bad and the canoes became separated in the rough sea, when they tried to regroup they discovered that the canoe with the two constables and two Inuit hunters had capsized in the storm. Searchers found the capsized canoe along with several pieces of floating gear and evidence that they had succeeded in getting a walrus. An extensive search of the area only located the bodies of the Cst. Brooks, Special Constable Etidloi’s body and the two Inuit hunter’s bodies were never found.

Gordon Alfred Brooks joined the RCMP in 1973 he was married and had a seven-month old daughter. He is buried in the Eagle Valley District Cemetery at Sicamous, British Columbia.

Ningeoseak Etidloi joined the RCMP in 1972 and was married with two children.

1992– Auxiliary Constable S.I. McCormack of the Souris PEI Detachment was honoured with a Commanding Officer’s Commendation for his observation skills. McCormack observed suspects fleeing from a break and enter in the nearby community of Montague. The resulting arrest of the suspects led to the solving of 85 unsolved crimes in the area.