True and Fascinating Canadian History
The Mystery Of A Mean Old Staff Sergeant
And The Method by Which He Died
by J. J. Healy
Modern societies can be thankful that severe pain arising from all sorts of illnesses can be well managed by advanced medical discoveries which have become available in recent years to patients in their local hospitals or pharmacies. The application of morphine, for example, as an analgesic can help alleviate severe chronic pain brought on by surgical procedures or cancer.
But there remains all kinds of illnesses which cannot be treated with certainty by drugs, antibiotics or vaccines. An all effective, air tight, sure remedy for the common cold has not yet hit the market. A sure pill to help weight loss has not yet been discovered. And nothing has been discovered to overcome jealousy, rage, greed, laziness or other vices. There are other maladies of the person, for sure which will never be overcome by medicine.
Take selfishness for example. First of all, it is not intended here that I open a wide ranging argument, but since the birth of humans, there remains but two genders under the umbrella of Homo Sapiens; male and female. And a scant glance at either of the two opposites, broadly speaking, will reveal that males can be characterized as being grouchy while the other, the female as more likely to be gorgeous. The characteristics are opposites and very obvious. Hence, the opposite elements of grouchiness versus gorgeousness have always been constants like the poles of a magnet.
This clear distinction between man and woman also had everything to do with an old Mystery which is about to be exposed. The Mystery began to unfold during the period of the North West Mounted Police. At the time, there lived a very unusual, mean and stingy Staff Sergeant. Or, at least that's the way he certainly appeared.
For, the Staff Sergeant had a beautiful daughter but she was forbidden by her father to be seen or be near a certain constable who was also in the NWMP. And the Constable was sternly warned also by the Staff Sergeant to stay clear away from his beautiful daughter.
Oh, for sure the Staff Sergeant was selfish by the way he treated his daugher and her suitor. So, let me tell you what medicine cannot cure. And, I'll also tell you what sad surprise was in store for the Staff Sergeant years and years later. There may be a valuable lesson for all of us after I reveal the method of the poor Staff Sergeant's death.
The Mystery of the mean old Staff Sergeant was told to me by a good friend, Mr Don Light of Battleford, Saskatchewan and the mean old NCO was Mr Light's uncle -- long ago deceased Reg.#2386, NWMP & RNWMP Staff Sergeant Frederick Walter Light.
S/Sgt. Frederick Light joined the North West Mounted Police in 1889 -- and three years later his wife gave birth to a baby girl. The baby Light was given the name of Constance and if her name had any hidden significance it somehow implied to Staff Sergeant Light that Constance would always be present and obedient. Such was the burden carried by Constance from her birth.
As the years passed, baby Constance grew and matured into the world. There was plenty of love in the Light home and as a little girl, Constance admired her father, his work and the fact that he was a respectable senior member of the North West Mounted Police.
Meanwhile, S/Sgt. Light was posted throughout the west, first to 'Depot', then to 'F' & 'K' Divisions. S/Sgt. Light remained with the Force during its transition from the NWMP to the Royal North West Mounted Police in 1904. He was also credited with the opening of Sounding Lake Detachment in Saskatchewan in 1905.
From the beginning of time, there have only been two kinds of intimate love; love of God and love of another. Love of God is full and absolute but love of another sometimes will sadly vary. Staff Sergeant Light loved his daughter but he was reputed to act as an overly protective father. Constance felt smothered by her father's protective armour most especially when she realized that she had fallen in love with Ernest William Bavin. By coincidence, Constable Bavin was also a member of the Force.
Reg.#4719, Constable Ernest William Bavin joined the Force in 1908. He enjoyed a long and profitable career in the Force. His early years were spent in 'K' Division (Alberta). Later, he went overseas with 'A' Squadron in WWI. Upon his return to Canada, he rose in rank and by 1921 he was appointed Corps Sergeant Major. Eventually, he was transferred to 'F' (Saskatchewan) and it was during this time frame that Corps Sergeant Major Bavin met and fell in love with Constance Light. It was obvious to Battleford residents that Staff Sergeant Light did not approve of his daughter's all too cozy relationship with CSM Bavin. The whole thing was meant to end in a stand-off. But, there were some surprises to the story that were yet to become known to anyone.
Eventually, Staff Sergeant Light gave in. His daughter Constance and CSM Bavin were allowed to get married. It's uncertain if Staff Sergeant Light blessed the Bavin couple but in 1921 he retired from the Force. He then moved to Victoria, BC and lived comfortably. For awhile.
Corps Sergeant Major Bavin received his commission to Inspector in 1932. He spent a short time with the newly formed Alberta Provincial Police and he retired from the RCMP in 1941. He and Constance moved back to her hometown of Battleford, SK.
After his retirement from the Force and as the years rolled along, retired Staff Sergeant Light realized that his meager pension was not enough to sustain him. His wife passed away in 1941 and his health began to slowly deteriorate. His options for a peaceful ending did not look promising. He was lonely and depressed. He had no where to turn.
But, an angel's help for Staff Sergeant Light was waiting not too far away.
As it turned out, Staff Sergeant Light's son-in-law, retired Superintendent Bavin held a long time secret which was only known to his wife Constance. The secret had everything to do with wealth. Years earlier, Superintendent Bavin had come into an extremely wealthy inheritance from his father in England. The forture was plenty and it would easily allow Constance and her husband to have Staff Sergeant Light live with them in their home. The Bavin couple called for the mean 'ole Staff Sergeant and he moved in with his daughter and her husband.
At one time, when Constance was in love, Staff Sergeant Light might have been a grouchy 'ole man and somewhat mean to his daughter. But, Constance followed her heart over her father's objections and she married the man whom she loved. Naturally so.
There's a mystery about the way people forgive others. Pride is at fault. In the end, Constance forgave her father and treated him with a daughter's love. She attended to and cared for him in his final days. All the while, he never knew that the man whom he once forbade to be near his daughter actually provided all the resources to care for him in his long sunset years.
Oh, for sure the 'ole Staff Sergeant was selfish by the way he treated his daugher and her suitor. And medicine cannot cure jealousy. But, perhaps there's a lesson here for everyone. Constance and her husband forgave the mean 'ole man. Love and forgiveness overcame years of hurt and seperation. Pride in Staff Sergeant Light's heart melted and dissolved which allowed him to accept his daughter's love.
And the lesson for all of us might be this. Of all the hurdles one faces in living a Christian faith, no doubt forgiveness is the most difficult component to practice. And it's for this precise reason, that He gave us the most famous prayer in the world to repeat and repeat whenever we are in difficulty -- Constance Light was said to say it too -- The Lord's Prayer '...and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...' Constance Light's prayers for peace with her father lovingly said were answered. She was with her father when he passed away in 1964.
Constance Light-Bavin returned her father's body to BC for burial and to be with his friends. Superintendent Bavin and Constance are buried in the NWMP Cemtery in Battleford, SK.
The end.
