True and Fascinating Canadian History
In Memory of Reg.#26112, Corporal Robert Gordon Teather CV.
Died While Serving
Good Friends and Acknowledgements
I sincerely thank all RCMP Veterans, Members of the Force, families and friends of the Force from around the world who have contributed information, photos and stories about deceased RCMP members.
I would like to acknowledge these friends especially:
Merle Armstrong (right) of the London, ON RCMP Veterans Association. For years and years, Merle has walked, and explored cemeteries and researched RCMP graves in every possible corner of the internet.
Merle's photo contributions number somewhere in the range of 4,000 photos (2021 estimate) and the RCMP Graves Discovery Project has been the recipient of Merle's work. His interest in genealogy has been expertly devoted to the RCMP Graves Discovery Project and I am indebted for his friendship, dedication and support.
Veteran Jack O’Reilly (in red blazer) of our Toronto RCMP Vets Association has devoted his life since retirement to researching, locating and caring for Vets graves.
Jack has been thoroughly committed to the Graves Discovery Program and he deserves unlimited recognition. From the inception of this website and the database, Jack has collaborated closely with me by providing material and by proofreading data. I rely on Jack and his wife Diane every day for help, encouragement and great ideas. Jack's photos of graves and obituaries also number in the thousands.
Gerry Vullings (right) friend and retired teacher, for his computer wizardry, technical problem-solving, advice and endless patience. Gerry helped me with the design of the database and with solving glitches which arise frequently with a large National Graves database. Gerry could easily win the title 'Guardian Angel of Databases'.
Vet. Wayne Barry of 'O' Div. (immediate left) also deserves a heartfelt vote of thanks for his help with our Program. Wayne and Jack O'Reilly work well together and they continue day after day 'to sleuth' through obituaries, newspapers and web searches.
BC Veteran, author and historian Don Klancher (right) for his expert advice about materials and literature which provide readers with rich insights into the early days and the lives of the North West Mounted Police. I thank Don and I value his authoritative, researched suggestions about the history of the Force.
RCMP Historian Glenn Wright for his friendship and for responding to the tough questions about the early history of the Force.
Here's Glenn (left) speaking with Mr. Don Cherry (centre) of CBC's Coaches Corner. Mr. Cherry discovered that his paternal grandfather (Sub-Constable John T. Cherry) was one of the early members to serve in the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) on the March West in 1874.
Mr. Reg Keatley, Friend of the Force in Calgary, AB has provided several hundreds of photographs of graves from Alberta, Saskatchewan and from other regions of Canada. Reg passed away in Calgary, AB in 2019. I miss Reg'skindess, his friendship and his frequent research contributions.
Mr. Keatley (left) has also unearthed graves which were thought to have been lost. In one case, he scratched around the base of a tree and uncovered a grave of a long deceased member. He has also found valuable data in libraries which required his persistence. Thank you Reg!
RCMP Veteran AJH 'Joe' Collinson (right) in Edmonton, AB is a very loyal friend and a valuable researcher for our Graves Discovery and Maintenance Website.
Joe has also provided hundreds of photos from 'K' Div. especially from the Edmonton area and northern Alberta. Joe Collinson has also found hundreds of memorials to RCMP members who were killed overseas including war in South Africa, France, Belgium and Italy. Thank you Joe for your great support! Here's Joe from years ago on his RCMP Harley Davidson hog!
Ottawa Veteran John Henderson has been a friend going back to 'Depot' days in 1975. John has kindly provided our Program with a thoroughly researched list of RCMP members who left the Force to join the Royal Air Force or the Royal Canadian Air Force before or during WW II. Many of these members gave their lives for Canada in the line of duty. Due to John Henderson's research skills and long interest in the history of the Force many of these former members have now been identified. John, Thank you!
Neil Christoffersen (photo left) is a valued researcher who hails from the RCMP Veterans in Manitoba. His research into the early history of the Force is meticulous and his ability to successfully find old obituaries and certificates of death are highly prized and deeply appreciated. Neil specilizes in searching for graves of the men of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) especially those who once rode on the March West of 1874. His systematic approach to research has lead Neil to discover several old and forgotten graves across Canada as well as across America. Neil is truly an integral part of the RCMP Grave Discovery Team.
For many years, RCMP Veteran Dave Ward (photo right) from Fredericton, NB has been a faithful contibutor to the RCMP Grave Discovery Database. He is blessed with the ability to conduct ardent research about the early lives of the RCMP, and he does not give up easily. Dave has gained a network of volunteers thoughout the Maritimes to help him locate, photograph and inspect RCMP graves. As well, he is a huge contributor to the world wide web grave collection respository at FindAGrave. His labours on the RCMP Graves Discovery Database are highly cherished and appreciated.
Veteran Robert Mead and Dave Tipple representing Newfoundland and Labrador, Vancouver Veterans Sheldon Boles and Ric Hall as well as RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brian Brennan of Nova Scotia also deserve sincere thanks for providing support to the Graves Discovery and Maintenance Information Website. These friends have successfully collected hundreds of deceased RCMP names and photos from their research fields; Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. To each of them, I sincerely say thank you.
I would like to acknowledge BC Veterans Jim Forsyth and Frank Richter for helping to spread the word and solicit assistance for the RCMP National Graves Discovery Database and Website.
To my New Brunswick nephews Sean Healy (CPA left) and Gregory Healy (P. Eng. right), both graduated from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) for devoting countless hours to inputting data, designing a dynamic website whilst being subjected to Uncle Joe’s 'soothing' Sinatra music.
IN MEMORIAM
Kamloops, BC RCMP Veteran Jack White (photo left) who provided endless help to me by phone and by e-mail.
Jack was a marvellous friend, an author, a great researcher and an RCMP Historian. He regularly sent me a little gem or nugget of data which helped to fill gaps in the database.
I first met Jack in Burnaby, BC. Our friendship went back to about 1965.
A couple years later we met again under unique circumstances. After Burnaby & Pattullo Bridge, I had been posted to Ridge Meadows Detachment (Haney, BC) for three years beginning in 1967.
One day, I received a call that a car had been found in a remote Pitt Meadows field by hunters. The car had been stripped of its functional items and deliberately set afire in an attempt to destroy evidence and its identification.
I could find the luxury car's manufacturer's name but the car's VIN was missing. Or, at least I thought it was destroyed. Corporal Jack White responded to me from New Westminster RCMP Sub Division.
Jack was the original inventor of secrets. According to my notebook, Corporal White asked me to turn my back while he scoured the burnt out car meticulously. He would not disclose to me where he found the VIN, but his help with the car's identification helped me determine that it had been stolen from America.
I noted that Jack was a keen, astute, observant police officer and investigator.
One Sunday afternoon years ago, I called Jack at his home in BC. I had hoped that he would allow me to interview him by phone. At first, our conversation was about his wife and family and his research projects.
He was easy to talk with, gracious about his successful police career and very happy to be living back in western Canada.
At one point in the conversation, I asked Jack if I could ask him a few direct questions about his career -- I thought his responses would enable me to complete the notes which I already had gained. Jack tersely turned me down, he said "Joe, there's no story there."
I required no explanation for what he inferred. In certain matters, Jack was a very private person. He had beenthe main police investigator when three RCMP were shot and killed in Kamloops, BC on June 18th, 1962. It was the last time we spoke, but I recall him fondly.
Hundreds of names found in the National RCMP National Grave Discovery Database were given to me with Jack's very generous verbal and written permission.
Jack joined the Force in 1950. He served in BC and NL Divisions and he retired in 1985 at the rank of Chief Superintendent. Jack, along with retired William J. Hulgaard were authors of Honoured in Places. 2002., Heritage House Publishing Co., Surrey, BC
Jack passed away February 22, 2011. R.I.P.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy
