Tribute: Trumpeter George Cutting

July 8, 2013

Based on the two recent webpages on the top of Force trumpeters, Ric Hall received the following message from Veteran Joe Collinson:

“I read your previous article and it tweeked my interest in that my friend, George Cutting (Reg. #10980), joined the Force in 1931 as a Trumpeter. He was always perturbed when it was suggested that it was bugle used by the Force.

I did some research and found that the item the Calvary used looked much like a current day bugle but was in fact a trumpet. If you asked most people these days about the difference between a bugle and a trumpet they would probably say that a trumpet has buttons.

George is not doing too well these days. I did a quick write-up I did on him.”

Window-Gazing With George
Featuring George Arundel Cutting
Retired R.C.M.P. officer, Veteran
Age: almost 99
June 11, 2013
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

George was born on August 14, 1914 in the Royal Northwest Mounted Police detachment at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan. His father, Percy, was a member of the Force.

George joined the RCMP at Regina in 1931 as a trumpeter. As a trumpeter, at that time, he could be called upon for as many as 35 separate trumpet calls per day. In 1935 he was in the Mounted Troop and was in Vancouver for the riots. At around this time he was on the Musical Ride that performed at Portland,Oregon. In 1938 he was transferred to Edmonton, then on to Vegreville, Vermilion and, subsequently back to Regina to be on the 1939 Royal Tour Mounted escort. After the tour he was on the Musical Ride at San Francisco, Ottawa, and Toronto. While in Toronto war was declared and he was sent back to Regina.

On arrival in Regina he volunteered for Military Service and, as a result, is an original member of 1st Company Canadian Provost (RCMP). The Company was shipped to England and George found himself on English soil by December 1939. He was to remain there for the next three and a half years except for a short sojourn in Brest, France when a Detachment from the Company was sent over there before France fell. (I don’t imagine that there are too many Canadian Army Veterans still remaining who can make that statement).

His war time experiences are quite extensive from doing convoy escort duties on dark, wet, roads in the United Kingdom, shooting at low-flying Nazi aircraft from slit trenches, to being on the invasions of Sicily and Italy. His Provost service was as a motorcycle rider which included escorting convoys, delivering dispatches, and traffic control while his last duty was as an escort rider for General Chris Vokes. He was in an accident and suffered a broken back. After a lengthy convalescence he was returned to Canada where he re-entered normal RCMP duties. He served in Calgary, Brooks and Three Hills, Alberta before returning to Regina where he spent his last eleven years in the Force on the Horse Riding staff (as a well-respected “Rough Rider” and instructor.).

When he left the Force he was the curator of the Fort Macleod Museum for a short time and then went with the Alberta Liquor Control Board. He retired completely in 1976 and has spent his years in Calgary, Alberta; Penticton, British Columbia; and Sherwood Park, Alberta. He was happily married to Ida for 47 years. She passed away in 1988. They had two daughters and a son. He is now in the Kipnes Center in Edmonton, Alberta.

George is the only surviving member of the 1st Company Canadian Provost (RCMP).

He quit riding his motorcycle in 2001 and was last on a horse in 2010.

When I was there, his refrigerator was stocked with Glenfiddich scotch.

This is what he looked like in his younger years.

There are 2 comments in this article:

Friday, July 5, 2013 Dan Lemieux says:

George was a Riding Instructor at “Depot” and I have known him since 1954. He was a very colourful member of the Force and there are many amazing stories about him and his motorcycle. He was an outstanding rider of both horses and motorcycles. In the 50′s, there was a single track for street cars to come from Grey Nun’s Hospital on Pasqua to a loop at the end of Dewdney before it crossed Wascana Creek. It was regularly used by members going down town from the barracks. George would ride his bike between the rails behind the street car. The space between the rails was evenly spaced ties (no pavement), so it was a bumpy ride. There are other escapades involving his motorcycle that are extremely funny,but almost impossible to believe. One involved using ladders to ride onto the roof of the riding stables, and using other ladders to transverse from one roof to another of the original four old stables that were used before the riding school was erected. He attended many RCMP Vet’s AGM’s and would ride his motorcycle both ways. I asked him why he stopped riding his bike and he said one day it fell over and he couldn’t pick it up. He was 86 when he made his last motorcycle trip to the AGM in Regina. He is a legend in the Force and a real character, but he is also a real gentleman.

Friday, July 5, 2013lschulz says:

I hope I’m still in shape to ride a motorcycle at 86! Thank you for sharing those stories. It was a pleasure to meet him for this photo.

Ric’s Comments: If you wish to add comments to Joe’s webpage on George Cutting, here is were to go..