True and Fascinating Canadian History
Vet of the Month: February, 2018
Reg.#10834 & Reg.#12955,
Constable Rudolph August Christian Peterson
RCMP Vets. Ottawa, ON
It is often said that life is full of surprises, and in anyone's day a pleasant surprise is like a burst of unexpected and exciting news especially if it brings friends together and renews memories of a person who was loving and very dear. The following short story took me by total surprise -- it is a fascinating story of a quite rare Canadian -- the only RCMP member in the modern era who is known to have two Regimental numbers!
Constable Rudolph August Christian Peterson joined the Force not just once but twice -- he once joined under his real name and then he was discharged. Years passed, then he joined the RCMP a second time by using an alias -- a chopped down or amputated version of his real name.
In recent weeks, Constable Peterson's daughters have written to tell me a story about their loving father, and the honourable life which he led after he was discharged from the RCMP. Constable Peterson's daughters said, "Our dad was a wonderful, non-judgmental guy, who was respectful of people regardless of who they were, what they did, or where they were from. He taught my sister and myself that being prejudice against anyone for any reason was wrong." Throughout his long life, Rudolph August Christian Peterson also never forgot the Force.
Constable Rudolph August Christian Peterson first joined the RCMP in July, 1930. After a short spell at the RCMP's Training Academy in Regina, he was posted to Canada's northland and to Whitehorse. In those days, there were enough manual chores to be performed around the Detachment by RCMP members including endless chopping of wood, laundry cleaning for prisoners, and gathering supplies for their daily subsistence. Any time left over, was devoted to police duties and the writing of reports.
Constable Peterson must have been a person of some trust as his first and primary assignment was that of Detachment Chauffeur -- he ran personal errands and performed administrative chores for the Inspector In Charge. In addition to all his other chores, it seemed that he was also responsible for escorting prisoners. But unexpectedly, a sad twist entered into the life of Constable Peterson.
One day, Constable Peterson apparently failed to sufficiently guard a prisoner and the suspect fled away from the Detachment. The Inspector In Charge was an intolerant sort, and Constable Peterson was marched into Service Court and he was summarily discharged from his post. At the time, it appeared that his RCMP career was in shreds if not totally finished. Yet, persistence and determination played a huge role in the life of Rudolph August Peterson, and he never forgot the RCMP or his friendships while he was on the outside.
In 1937, he came up with the creative idea to join the RCMP a second time but in a different form. He dropped his first two given names (Rudolph August) & he rejoined the RCMP under the name of Christian Peterson. For the time being, luck was on his side. Christian Peterson was assigned a second Reg.#12955. Time passed.
It was in September 1937, and out of the blue when Constable Peterson's correct identity was discovered. Once again, he was marched into Service Court and sentenced to 14 days hard labour. Nearby, there was an endless pile of wood to chop and then he was dismissed from the RCMP once again. For all the time which he had devoted to the RCMP he had little left over except for some memories and two spent cavalry regimental numbers -- Reg.#10834 and Reg.#12955.
After the RCMP, Rudolph August Christian Peterson moved to Winnipeg, MB. where he owned and operated a construction company. According to his daughters, former Constable Peterson was very talented; he played the piano and violin, he sang in the church choir, he wrote poetry and he could draw, in fact, he was a self taught architect and a builder, he built a number of apartment blocks in Winnipeg which still exist today.
At home, Rudolph Peterson was a loving father. His daughters recalled their home life. They wrote, "Our dad was the kind of person you could always trust to support and love you unconditionally -- Dad was the one you went to if you were in trouble for something, because although he’d get mad or disappointed, he was always understanding, fair and supportive."
Rudolph Peterson never forgot the valuable lessons he learned during his stint with the RCMP especially dedication and commitment. One of his daughters said, "My sister is a retired nurse and I am a retired Social Worker. We both credit our father and mother for our choice of professions and our positive outlook on life. Mom and Dad only wanted the best in life for each of us."
Rudolph Peterson's time with the RCMP was not a secret to his family. His daughters said, "Our father always told us about his service in the RCMP. We knew he joined twice and that he had left due to letting a prisoner escape while guarding him. He always said he had been sick at the time." Down through all the years, he often and fondly mentioned the RCMP.
It was very easy to detect the love which the Peterson daughters expressed for their Dad. They concluded their little story by saying, "Our parents married in July 14, 1940 and they were married until our father's death from brain cancer. Our Dad passed away on January 20, 1984. He was interred at Glen Eden Funeral Home and Cemetery, West St. Paul, Manitoba. Every day, we fondly think of our our parents and the pride they instilled in both of us."
One has to admire the persistence which Rudolph Peterson displayed throughout his life. Inretrospect, perhaps Rudolph Peterson was not treated all together fairly -- after all, it was not the first or last time that a prisoner walked away from an RCMP Detachment only to be recaptured shortly afterwards. But, there are rules. Constable Peterson honestly paid his dues and there's no doubt that he ever held a grudge against the Force. There are lots of reasons for wanting to admire him.
I would like to express my appreciation and affection to Judy and Susan for helping mewith this short piece about their parents, and also for the memorable photos of their Dad, Rudolph August Christian Peterson.
He was the famous RCMP officer with the two Regimental numbers.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy
February 23, 2018
