True and Fascinating Canadian History
The RCMP National Grave Discovery Database & History Website:
A Unique Canadian Legacy
Welcome to the RCMP National Grave Discovery Database and History Website. Here is a home, a detachment of repose, a depot for deceased members of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Members of the Force, RCMP Vets, family and friends sense an obligation to protect and care for the graves of deceased members.
The website consists of two main parts; the website itself, and a database. Each of these can be navigated by using the tabs to the left.
I. The RCMP Grave Website
Distinct and unique within the police community worldwide, this website consists of over 520 web pages which focus on Canadian history through stories and photographs of deceased members of the RCMP. Their contributions to the early settlement of Canada and the impact of their achievements can be traced back to Confederation days.
The website also lists a catalog of monuments which have been erected in various parts of Canada to commemorate RCMP members killed in the line of duty. The fact that a monument was built by a community of people for a deceased Canadian police officer speaks highly about the overall trust which Canadians have in the RCMP.
Several hundred RCMP lost their lives in the North West Rebellion (1885), in South Africa, in WWI & in WWII. Although many RCMP members are buried in foreign lands their graves have been found and photographed. Hundreds of other RCMP also lost their lives but their bodies were never recovered. Their names were found etched on war memorials which stand in cemeteries all over the world.
A short story is written every month in the Vet of the Month segment of the website which recalls the life and times of a special RCMP Veteran.
II. The RCMP Grave Discovery Database
The RCMP Grave Discovery Database evolved out of an idea which came to me in 2000, but its actual creation was complex, time consuming and costly. The database is a rich source of history for the RCMP -- it allows users from around the world to instantly identify all deceased members of the RCMP, to read about their careers, to read their obituaries, and to identify the location and condition of all RCMP graves -- those in cemeteries Canada-wide as well as cemeteries all around the world. The database is refreshed every day as new material is received from families and volunteers.
Over the years, 190 out of 320 graves of the deceased members of the famous March West (1874) have been found in cemeteries around the world. Nearly every month a new discovery of another March West grave is reported. RCMP Veterans and volunteers deserve all the credit for this important research into Canada's history.
In the database, one will find hundreds of references to the RCMP who were called to WWI including their Canadian Expeditionary Force Attestation Papers, military records, photos of their graves and Monuments.
Hundreds and hundreds of Canadian geographical landmarks have been identified and are linked to the names of pioneer RCMP deceased members.
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The RCMP Honour Roll
Two hundred and forty nine names are listed (2024) on the RCMP Honour Roll -- these members lost their lives in peace and in the line of duty. Over 15 years, all of these graves have been found and inspected and photographed. Priority now turns to the restoration of all these graves.
RCMP Photograph Collection
Over 30,000 RCMP photographs are linked to the website and the database (2024). The inventory includes thousands of old, previously unknown, lost or forgotten gravesites which have been found, clearly identified and entered into the database. Thousands of memorable photos harken back to the earliest days of the RCMP. The deposit has been described as the largest photo gallery of its kind in Canada.
Thousands of obituaries of RCMP members going back years and years can also be found in the database.
It is the hope of Vets that all members' graves will be found, noted, inspected and cared for and that common information about the career and life of each member of the Force will be acknowledged.
History on Parade
Many aspects of Canadian history are interwoven with the times of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and its predecessors the NWMP and the RNWMP. Contained within this website is a history rich in texture, recollections, photographs and deeds of the Force. The stories told here have their origin from the earliest birthdays of Canada and the formation of the Force in 1873 up to today. The history of Canada and the history of the RCMP run along parallel tracks.
The RCMP Grave Discovery Website and Database exists as a testament to deceased members of the Force, their legacy and contribution to Canada's history and especially their dedication and sacrifice towards the development and hope of a peaceful country.
Mission Statement
Veterans of the RCMP are dedicated to the responsibility of locating, inspecting and maintaining gravesites of deceased Members with the purpose of honouring and remembering these men and women who have dedicated their lives to the service of Canada and the Force.
'Maintain Our Memories' has been adopted as the motto of the website. It calls to mind both the official Motto of the RCMP which is; 'Maintiens Le Droit' and our need to remember. The motto pays homage to the Force, to the service of community performed by members and the lives sacrificed by many members killed on duty.
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Goals
The goals of the RCMP Grave Discovery Database and History website are:
1. to create a thorough and accurate record of the burial locations of NWMP, RNWMP and RCMP deceased members,
2. to ensure that the graves of our deceased members are regularly inspected and maintained.
An Invitation
RCMP Veterans, active Members, families and friends are invited to become involved in the RCMP Grave Discovery project. Much data has yet to be collected. Many volunteers are needed to aid the investigation of cemeteries, as well as to assume responsibility for inspections of gravesites as they are found. Input that contributes to this website is welcome. The involvement of many will make the work associated with this project possible.
I am honoured to be involved in the meaningful task of remembering and offering continued respect to deceased RCMP Members.
Site Status:
Web Site refreshed: Every day
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Boyhood aspirations: Junior RCMP J. J. (Joe) Healy
My association with the RCMP goes back to my boyhood days
in St Stephen, NB. 1948
Reg.#23685, 3/Cst. J. J. (Joe) Healy
& a faithful friend, 'Honey'. 'Depot' Stables. 1964
(My horse 'Honey' is on the left)
Superintendent J. J. (Joe) Healy. (Rt'd). Amatuer Historian
M.Ed., M. Ad. Ed.
& a faithful friend, Gracie. Fort Healy. 2012
See: rcmpgraves.com in The Ottawa Citizen: 2023
