True and Fascinating Canadian History
Vet of the Month: July, 2024
Reg.#6553, Staff Sergeant Percy Reginald Upton
RCMP Vets. Ottawa, ON
Leslie ‘Les’ Kingdon was installed in his new role as the Chaplaincy Office Coordinator for "Depot" & "F" Division in early 2024, and for the past several weeks, he has undertaken one of the most thorough administrative reviews of well over 700 graves in the ‘Depot’ Cemetery. The numerical identifier for every plot has been changed for easier and for more accurate accounting, and Chaplain Kingdon has kindly informed me of all the new and precise plot locations for rcmpgraves.com. His careful work on the ‘Depot’ graves and cemetery project has been simply outstanding.
Every grave in the ‘Depot’ Cemetery has its own story which reflects on the person whom the grave marker memorializes. Staff Sergeant Percival ‘Percy’ Reginald Lupton’s life, and that of his first spouse Eva Lupton was one of personal family loss and sadness. Eva Lupton's grave was identified by Chaplain Kingdon in the 'Depot' Cemetery, and at the same time, the story about Eva Lupton's life and death was recently related to me by Eva Lupton’s granddaughter Kathleen Brown-Cosgrove. I truly thank her.
Percival 'Percy' Reginald Lupton was born in Headingley, Leeds, England in 1895. Upon arriving in Canada, he joined the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) in Calgary in 1916. After a short spell he was transferred to Winnipeg where he found an affordable room in a boarding house, and it just so happened that two young women Eva Bryson and her older sister Stella Bryson, who was a school teacher, also lived under the same roof. It was in Winnipeg that Percy Lupton first and unexpectedly but joyfully met the two Bryson sisters. It was in Winnipeg that Percy Lupton fell in love.
One day, the older sister Stella Bryson invited Percy Lupton to the Bryson family farm for Sunday dinner, and it wasn’t long that Percy was smitten with Stella's younger sister Eva. The feeling was mutual, and the pair immediately fell in love. Eva Bryson was described as a beautiful young woman, and among friends she was reputed to be an athletic sports woman and a very skilful ice skater.
Soon after the Sunday dinner, Mr & Mrs Bryson arranged for the Bryson girls to have their photographs taken in the city. It was necessary for the two girls to travel by train, and upon their arrival at the Winnipeg Train Station, Constable Percy Lupton was waiting to greet them. Percy and Eva were in love, and they decided to elope. Percy was 25 years of age and Eva was 18. In April, 1918 the couple were married, and although Stella Bryson knew of the pair’s marriage, Stella temporarily kept their marriage a secret.
Apparently, the RNWMP did not object to Percy and Eva getting married, and soon the Lupton couple were transferred to Headquarters in Regina. Percy was reputed to be honest, diligent and a hard worker. He held a responsible role in QuarterMaster Stores. Percy was on track to be promoted several times.
While living in Regina, Eva Lupton gave birth to two boys William and Reginald, but in the years to come sadness fell upon the couple. In 1928, Eva died in childbirth having Kathleen Brown-Cosgrove’s mother. It was April 21st, 1928. Eva was 28 years of age. After a Memorial Service in the Chapel, Eva was buried in the 'Depot' Cemetery on April 24th, 1928.
In his grief, Percy Lupton was left to raise three young children on his own -- their two young boys and a newborn. In those days, the neighbours all helped in those days, but Kathleen Brown-Cosgrove however explained that, "...her poor mother was blamed for years for killing her mother."
Eva's parents paid for her grave marker, and it could easily be overlooked in the 'Depot' Cemetery as it also cites her family name "Bryson". The precise location of Eva Lupton's grave in the 'Depot' Cemetery and the photograph of her grave marker was provided courtesy of Chaplain Les Kingdon.
After Eva's death, Percy Lupton was transferred with his young family to the QuarterMaster Stores in Ottawa. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant. As time passed Percy remarried Viola, and after 30 years of faithful service to the RCMP, Percy and Viola relocated to Victoria, BC where he died in 1979. Percy was 84 years of age.
Percy Lupton was laid to rest in the Royal Oaks Cemetery in Victoria, BC.
xR. I. P.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy
July 23, 2024
