True and Fascinating Canadian History
Vet of the Month: October, 2024
Reg.#3011, Constable John Henry Kingscote
RCMP Vets. Ottawa, ON
Death is like an aggressive, persistent panther. It roams, stalking silently, evaluating its victim, and then cautiously selecting the perfect moment to spring upon its unsuspecting prey, sealing its fate, and the inevitability of life’s end. Death stalks too. It leaves survivors feeling shocked, confused and without an explanation. This short story is about a few members of the RCMP who died very suddenly. One, Constable John Henry Kingscote was unexpectedly killed after receiving a horse kick to his chest. Another NWMP was killed by lightening. Families and friends were left in total disbelief.
Godfrey Parks was a member of the March West. He died of typhoid in 1874. Parks was the first NWMP to die in police service following the March West. Parks was a young man, but his precise age is not known. Reg.#o247, Frank Baxter was also a member of the famous March West. He froze to death in 1875 near Fort Kipp, AB after getting lost in a snowstorm. Baxter was 19.
Reg.#335, Constable Marmaduke Graburn was the first NWMP to be killed on duty. It was November 17th, 1879. Graburn was shot by a person or persons unknown. His murder took place near Fort Walsh, N.W.T. The case was never solved. Graburn was 19 years of age.
Prior to his engagement with the NWMP, Reg.#1065, Constable George Arnold had once served in the US Calvary. In March, 1885, he was shot during the Northwest Rebellion at Duck Lake, SK. Later, he died of his wounds at Fort Carleton. He was 24.
Reg.#1339, Constable William Edward Gilfoy drowned in July, 1885 at Fort Osborne, MB. Gilfoy was accompanied by his chums in a small boat which overturned on the lake. He was off duty at the time of the accident. Gilfoy was 16 years of age.
In September, 1895, Reg.#3011, Constable John Henry Kingscote died suddenly after receiving a horse kick to his chest. He was born in Newport, County Mayo, Ireland on March 13th, 1873. After Basic Recruit Training at ‘Depot’ Division, Kingscote was transferred to Wapella, SK which is located about 200 KM east of Regina, SK. Constable Kingscote’s obituary appeared in the Leader Post on September 26th, 1895. The death notice provides an excellent summary and the circumstances of Kingscote’s death. It came about this way.
On the afternoon of September, 19th, 1895, Constable Kingscote and a lady friend, Miss Tudge, were riding a pair of civilian horses near Wapella. Apparently, Miss Tudge complained that something was wrong with her stirrup which caused Kingscote to dismount. It was after fixing Miss Tudge’s stirrup, and while he was mounting his own horse that the fatal horse kick was delivered. Although he was injured by the horse kick, Kingscote managed to walk back into town. He died the same evening. He was 21 years of age. Kingscote was buried in the ‘Depot’ Cemetery. His name is also listed on the Kingscote Family Memorial in Kingscote Churchyard, in the United Kingdom.
In 1900, Reg. #3380, Harry Hammond Clements died of enteric fever in South Africa while serving with the Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was 29 years of age.
One day in 1919, Staff Sergeant George Henry Leopold Bossange, left the home of a local farmer in the Spirit River area whom he had been interviewing. It was pouring rain. Both he and his horse were found dead later that night. It was obvious that the pair had been struck by lightning and had died instantly. Bossange was 56 years old at the time, and he is the second oldest officer killed in the line of duty. No one else in the history of the Force had been killed by lighting, in spite of the fact that the NWMP had been patrolling the prairies on horseback since 1874. Staff Sergeant Bossange was buried in an unmarked grave.
In 1898, Reg.#3215, William Buchanan died of meningitis while on duty with the NWMP at Fort Macleod. He was 19. Reg.#8922, Constable Cecil Boyd's life was also cut short in 1921 by spinal meningitis. He died in Ottawa, ON at the age of 18 years.
Special Constable Charles Richard Alden suffered from epileptic seizures. In 1920, the basement in his home sprung a water leak, and when he went downstairs to inspect the damage, Alden fell to the floor and was drowned. He was 42.
In 1902, Reg.#2853, Joseph Francis Doris, was serving as Troop Sergeant Major with the South Africa Constabulary when he was killed accidentally after falling from his horse. He was 33.
Reg.#5032, Harvey Barnes served honorably in WWI. In 1933, he was shot by his landlady in Midland, ON for undisclosed reasons. He was 44.
Any discussion about death simply reminds us that we are temporary tenants on earth. As short-time occupants, one should be prepared for the last day. God simply asks that one is a good person, and that one lives his or her time on earth according to the Golden Rule -- respect and love one's neighbour.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy
October 23, 2024
