Freemasonry in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
By Bro. Insp. E. Brokefield-Moore, R.C.M.P. N.W.M.P.
Lodge No. 11, Regina
(Superintendent E. Brakefield-Moore was born in Dixville, P.Q., in 1910. Educated in Sherbrooke schools and at Bishop's College, Lennoxville, leaving with an M.A. degree in 1930. Attended U.N.B. Law School and graduated with B.C.L. in 1939; called to the Bar of New Brunswick in the same year. Joined the R.C.M. Police in 1933 and has since served in 8 of the Provinces of Canada; commissioned in 1943 and promoted to Superintendent in 1952. Is at present Senior Training Officer of the Force, stationed in Ottawa. Made a Mason in North West Mounted Police Lodge No. 11, Regina in 1935.)
Many of the lofty ideals of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are those of Freemasonry and conversely most of the high principles of Masonry are practised daily by all members of the famed FederalForce. The motto of the R.C.M.P. "Maintiens le Droit" means "uphold the law" or "maintian the right." And Masonry teaches that rectitude is one of the fundamental marks of a Mason. Brotherly love, relief, truth-these are the teachings of Freemasonry: they are too, practised by members of the R.C.M.P. and have been followed throughout our 78 year history.
In any body representative of the Canadian democracy as a whole there are persons of many races and creed. This is so with the Federal law enforcement body. Every member of the R.C.M.P. is a citizen of Canada, with vital interests, wholesome training, and a good sense of responsibility. It is only natural, therefore, that from the earliest days of the North West Mounted Police to our present day R.C.M.P. there have been in our ranks members, some of them eminent in various fraternal societies. Each society has high ideals which have appealed to the policeman's sense of responsibility, of social endeavour of moral rectitude, or of esprit de corps.
And so various reputable fraternal societies and organizations have added to the stature of the R.C.M.P., and in return we to feel that the policeman's participation in these groups has furthered their their noble causes. Today we find members of the R.C.M.P. playing a prominent part in Freemasonry, in the Knights of Columbus, in the Oddfellows, the Elks, Rotary, Kiwanis, Kinsmen, Lions, Y.M.C.A. and various other great fraternal or community groups.
The story of the development of the Canadian West is well integrated with the history of the North West Mounted Police. The story of the one is incomplete without that of the other. Among the early settlers of the West were many Masons, of whom W.Bro. William Douglas will speak tonight. As the first members of the N.W.M.P., several of them Masons, performed their duties in the West, our stories will overlap.
The work of the Fathers of Confederation was rewarded in 1867 with the formation of the first four Provinces into the Dominion of Canada. The Psalmist's words "He shall have dominion from sea to sea" was not, however, yet achieved as British Columbia did not join Confederation right away; the building of a transcontinental railway was to be the price of union. Between the new Dominion and British Columbia were the great rolling prairies, for countless years the homeland of Indians and aborigines and then for nearly 200 years the hunting preserve of fur companies. Thus between Canada and the colony of British Columbia was Rupert's Land whose title belonged to "The Governor and Company of the Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay."
The Dominion Government purchased the holdings of the Company in 1870, and so the Hudson Bay Company was no longer responsible for the maintenance of law and order. Unrest developed among the Indians, and they rebelled under Louis Riel. Murder and whiskey smuggling were prevalent; in 1871 eighty-one Blackfeet Indians were killed in drunken brawls. The following year Sir John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada, heard with concern these alarming reports of the North-West. He sent Colonel Robertson, Adjutant-General, to make a reconnaissance of the territory. The Colonel arrived safely in Edmonton (present-day South Edmonton?), and found that things were bad, particularly to the south. He returned east and at once reported to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. As a result, it was decided to send a mobile force, not wholly a constabulary, but a composite troop, to the NorthWest. In April, 1873, a Federal Act was passed for the formation of a mounted constabulary. The command was offered to Colonel French. Commandant of the R.H.A. at Kingston.
Thus was the North West Mounted Police established, and 150 men were sent to the West. They spent that winter at Lower Fort Garry. Col. French soon realized that he had too few men, and so the following year he was joined by 150 more members who came West via the U.S.A. and entered Canada through Fargo, N.D. The enlarged Force travelled over the Old Boundary Commission Trail through Roche Percee, near Estevan, Sask., and on to the foothills of the Rockies. A fort, or barracks, was built at Fort MacLeod. Inspector Brisboy went north to the Bow River and set up "Fort Brisboy"; but when Col. MacLeod came he renamed the location after his birthplace in Scotland-Calgarry.
The Commissioner and half of the men moved eastward from here, leaving Col. MacLeod in command. He and his headquarters staff returned to Fort Pelly, and then Dufferin. Col. MacLeod had his work cut out pacifying the Indians. He and his men routed out the American whiskey traders and smugglers, and assisted in the making of treaties with the Blackfeet, the Blood and other Indian tribes. As a result of trouble on the U.S.A. side, thousands of Indians and Sitting Bull moved northward into Canada. Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain (Sask.) posts were established by the N.W.M.P. at this time.
I am passing over our early history rather sketchily, because in a comparatively short paper such as this, it is impossible to tell the full story. The N.W.M.P. was deployed, rather thinly in places, across the vast prairies, and did much to bring law and order to the territories of the North-West. The scarlet tunics were symbolical, especially to the Indians, of the good faith and fairness of the police who represented their Great White Mother, the Queen. The natural rights of the native tribes to the North-West territories were relinquished by seven great treaties between 1871 and 1877. Five years after Confederation, British Columbia joined the Dominion, and ten years later, as promised, the trans-continental railway, with the protective assistance of the N.W.M.P., had just about forged its steel link between east and west.
At Wascana Creek and the tent town Pile O' Bones, Lieutenant Governor Dewdney decided to set up his new capital of the North-West Territories on June 30, 1882. Almost two months later the railway reached the Wascana crossing, and Pile O' Bones was renamed Regina, the Queen City of the Plains. On May 13, 1883, "The Barracks," headquarters of the N.W.M.P., the Indian offices and the Lieutenant-Governor's residence were established in Regina.
Some three months before the N.W.M.P. barracks were set up in Regina, the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, which had jurisdiction over all the North-West Territories, granted a dispensation for the formation of a Masonic Lodge in Regina; this was Wascana No. 23. Among the members of the N.W.M.P., were Masons; several affiliated with the new Lodge and others were initiated into it. By 1894 there were some 14 Masons at the Barracks. Following the suppression of the second Riel Rebellion in 1885 and the performance of other duties which are now history, there was a period of comparative relaxation, and consequently much thought was given to the formation of a lodge in which the first qualification should be membership in the N.W.M.P.
After careful preparations, the new Lodge was formed on October 1, 1894, and the first officers were duly installed by M.W.Bro. Goggin, P.G.M. It was known as N.W.M.P. Lodge No. 61, G.R.M. I now quote from the historical record prepared by Bros. F. Smith and G. Bates which was included in the first printed by-laws of 1895:
"The history of the first Masonic Lodge organized by members of this force must be a subject of deep interest to all Brethren of the Craft who have served, may be at present serving, or who may become members later on; therefore the following facts are briefly stated for their general information.
"In a large body of men such as the N.W.M. Police, whose members are scattered over such a vast extent of territory, and who are gathered from almost every civilized country in the world, a certain percentage of Masons are bound to be found, and it would not have been consistent with the usual perseverance and enlightened teachings of Freemasonry had the members of the Order failed to organize a Lodge among themselves, and so be in a better position to carry out the precepts and tenets of the Order than could otherwise have been done while so many different Lodges were represented by them.
"A Mounted Policeman's duties are various, and his continued place of residence (with a few exceptions) uncertain. Principally for this latter reason it was thought that a Lodge at Headquarters, Regina, would relieve a Brother from the necessity of continually changing his allegiance from one Lodge to another, and so be the means of concentrating his energies in a more systematic manner towards the good of the Craft in general.
"It is said with truth that 'from small beginnings great things often accrue'. So in the present case the above idea having once been expressed by some zealous brother, it quickly became a source of conversation by many, until finally it was decided to hold a meeting of all members of the Craft then present at Headquarters and discuss the subject in detail.
"The meeting was accordingly held on the 6th of July, 1894. The matter was thoroughly discussed, and some of the preliminary arrangements made; another meeting, however, was necessary before the final steps could be taken.
"A most essential requisite, a suitable room in which to hold our meetings, had to be secured in the first place, and in this matter we are to be congratulated on our successful endeavours.
"Commissioner Herchmer, having been consulted on the subject, very kindly allowed us the privilege of using a large room in barracks, and thereby earned the sincere gratitude of all members of the Lodge.
"At a little later period a lodge of the A.O.U.W. was organized by members of the Force at Headquarters, and the use of an additional room was granted by the Commissioner for an ante-room, to be utilized by the two societies.
"The benefit to the Lodge by these concessions becomes apparent to all when the expenses which would otherwise have been incurred for rent, fuel, light, etc., are taken into consideration.
"Our final meeting to complete arrangements, preparatory to forwarding our application for a Dispensation, took place on the 24th August, 1894, when the following brethren affixed their signatures to the petition, and therefore became charter members of the Lodge:
| Bro.R.Belcher | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.M.H.Hayne | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.H.Des Barres | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.G.Bates | Wascama Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.F.Smith | Ancient St.John's,No.3, G.R.C. |
| Bro.A.Stewart | Wascana Lodge. No.23, Regina |
| Bro.R.Crory | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.J.A.Martin | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.H.T.Ayre | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.P.Wolters | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.J.Ritchie | Lodge St. John, No.175, Greenock, Scotland |
| Bro.E.A.Faulds | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
| Bro.H.T.Otis | Bow River Lodge, No.28, Calgary |
| Bro.S.G.Main | Wascana Lodge, No.23, Regina |
"In the earlier stages of all organizations some prominent figures are always to be noticed as taking the initiative in the work to be done. In the case of this Lodge the names of Brothers Murray Hayne, John Alfred Martin, and others of the charter members, will always stand pre-eminent in this respect, they having worked indefatigably to bring the project to a successful issue.
"The selection of officers, as follows, was made at a meeting held on the 26th September, 1894:
| W.M. | Bro. Belcher |
| S.W. | Bro. Martin |
| J.W. | Bro. Hayne |
| Treasurer | Bro. Stewart |
| Secretary | Bro. Ritchie |
| Chaplain | Bro. Cochrane |
| S.D. | Bro. Main |
| J.D. | Bro. Wolters |
| D.ofC. | Bro. Robinson |
| S. Steward | Bro. Otis |
| J. Steward | Bro. Cummings |
| I.G. | Bro. Bates |
| Tyler | Bro. Faulds |
"All the above were duly installed in their respective positions on the first day of October, 1894, with the exception of Brothers Martin and Hayne, who were presented from taking offices selected for them on account of matters of duty taking them away to other posts. Bros. Smith and Ayre were therefore elected to take the vacant positions.
"The ceremony of installing the first officers of the Lodge working under Dispensation, was conducted by M.W. Bro. Goggin, P.G.M., assisted by W. Bro. Chatwin, the Lodge room having been suitably prepared and nicely decorated by the Brethren for the occasion, and to celebrate the event refreshments were provided after the conclusion of the business, when a couple of hours of social intercourse were very pleasantly passed.
"The instructive and highly interesting address delivered by M.W. Bro.Goggin on this occasion will ever be remembered with pleasure by those who were fortunate enough to be present.
"At this time, when the experience of older members of the Craft was of the utmost assistance to us, the Brethren of Wascana Lodge No. 23, were ever ready with the helping hand, and for their sympathetic and cheerful compliance with our requests they will ever be held in kind remembrance by the members of the N.W.M P. Lodge. The Wascana Lodge has always been closely identified with, the N.W.M.P. in respect to Masonry, more members of the Force having been connected with it than with any other in the N.W. Territories or Manitoba."
Here are a few facts about some of the early members of N.W.M.P. Lodge, the first ten of which were the original officers as mentioned previously:
Regmental No. 3, Robert Belcher, engaged at Lower Fort Garry on Nov. 3, 1873, having previously been a member of a British cavalry regiment: rose through the ranks, was commissioned in 1893, and retired to pension in 1907.
Reg. No. 41. John Alfred Martin, engaged at Toronto from "A" Battery, Kingston, on Nov. 3, 1873; rose to Staff Sergeant, was stationed at Macleod, Battleford, Regina and elsewhere before retiring in 1898.
Reg. No. 869, Murray Henry Edward Hayne, joined Nov. 4, 1882, and later pioneered in the Yukon and Hudson Bay areas; died as S/Sgt. at Fullerton in 1906; was commissioned as Inspector after death but before H.Q. had received word of his death.
Reg. No. 400, Alfred Stewart, engaged at Winnipeg May 8, 1875, and rose to the rank of Sergeant Major; at his own request he reverted to Staff Sergeant; died in 1921.
Reg. No. 2734, James Ritchie, engaged at Winnipeg on Sept. 4, 1891: rose through the ranks, commissioned as Inspector in 1904 and promoted Superintendent in 1920, retiring ten years later.
Reg. No. 1204, James Gordon Main, joined in Ottawa on April 27, 1885; rose to Sergeant and was Canteen Manager in Regina; discharged in 1895, and died in 1926 at Winnipeg.
Reg. No. 2429, Paul Wolters, engaged at Regina April 8, 1890; was from Saxony, and had served for six years in the German Army; was Orderly Room Clerk in "Depot" Division; rose to Staff Sergtant in 1893, was pensioned in 1910 and died ten years later.
Reg. No. 2478, Henry Otis, engaged at Medicine Hat July 12, 1890; promoted Corporal in 1893, and later served in Alberta and was stationed in Banff; discharged 1897.
Reg. No. 2299, George Bates, joined at Winnipeg April 27, 1889, promoted Corporal the following year, and Sergeant then Staff Sergeant the next; was Hospital Steward in Regina; also served as Hospital Sergeant in Dawson, Yukon; died at Regina in 1908.
Reg. No. 2664, Edward Arthur Faulds, engaged at Calgary May 5, 1891, promoted Corporal two years later; served in Regina, Calgary and elsewhere; purchased discharge in 1895.
Reg. No. 858, Henry Thomas Ayre, joined at Qu'Appelle July 26, 1882; became Veterinary Staff Sergeant at Regina in 1891, was pensioned in 1903, and died seven years later.
Reg. No. 1034, Herman Des Barres, engaged at Regina May 31, 1884, having previously served in the Prussian Army; stationed in the Yukon, Regina, Calgary and elsewhere; rose to Sergeant Major but asked to revert to Staff Sergeant as he preferred prairie and police work; pensioned in 1904 and died in 1926.
Reg. No. 1888, Frederick Smith, joined in Regina Dec. 18, 1886, having previously served for eight years in "A" Battery, R.C.A., Kingston; stationed in Regina, Lethbridge and Prince Albert; discharged as Sergeant in 1897 and died the next year.
Reg. No. 2496, Robert James Crory, engaged at Regina Aug. 13, 1890; promoted Corporal the next year and Sergeant three years later; purchased discharge in London, England, in 1897.
Among other early N.W.M.P. members of the Lodge were Sergeants C. H. Dee, W. W. Haslett, W. W. DeRossiter and J. Mills, Corporals R.F. Liston and A. Robinson, and Constables E. Cochrane, T. F. Burnett and J. H. Heffernan.
The original altar, pedestals and columns were made at the Regina Barracks by Constable Phillips for $15.00, and were painted white and trimmed with the N.W.M.P. colors blue and god. The pillars were later grained golden oak and may now be seen in the Red Room of the Regina Masonic Temple. The Volume of the Sacred Law was presented to the Lodge in 1894 by Bro. Louis Castellain. The first Worshipful Master's regalia was given by Bro. S/Sgt. J. Martin in 1895. The original sword was presented by Inspector Church who originated the famed Musical Ride; his father had carried the sword in the Charge of the light Brigade at Balaclava. In the Blue Room of the Regina Temple may be seen the original ashlars, hewn by the first members when the N.W.M.P. Lodge was formed. It was not until 1924, howver, that the crest of the North West Mounted Police was officially adopted by the Lodge; permission to use it was granted by the acting Minister of Justice, the late Hon. Ernest A. Lapointe.
With the huge Dominion Government immigration policy starting in 1896, the discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1898, and the Boer War, members of the N.W.M.P. were exceedingly busy serving in all spheres and assuming manifold responsibilities. The number of members at Regina H.Q. became comparatively small, and of these only two Masons remained to keep the Lodge alive. The Grand Master of Manitoba moved to arrest the Charter. But the brethren wished to save the Charter, and to do so relaxed the custom whereby only police members could enrol in the Lodge.
Thus in 1906 it was decided to hold future meetings in the City of Regina. D.D.G.M. Isaac Forbes, himself a member of the Force, reported to Grand Lodge in the following words:
"N.W.M.P. Lodge No. 11 (G.R.S.), Regina. I paid my official visit to this Lodge on MAy 2nd. This being my own Lodge, and attending regularly myself, I take great interest in it. Owing to the fact that all members belonged to the N.W.M.Police, and that the majority of them had been transferred to different places, leaving the Lodge short of members with whom to hold meetings, for the last four years it has been going down hill. I am pleased to say that this is now a thing of the past. The removal of the place of meeting from the N.W.M.P. Barracks to the City of Regina, which took place on October 4th, 1906, has proved to be of great welfare to Masonry. Since the meeting on October 4th the Lodge has increased from sixteen to fifty. The Lodge is now N.W.M. Police in name only, but the name will be a landmark when the Police have gone from the Province of Saskatchewan."
A personal note: I recall with pride during my own raising to the Third degree in 1936, on the occasion of a Police Night, witnessing some of the degree work done by Isaac Forbes, in his R.N.W.M.P. uniform.
In 1904 King Edward VII honored the Force by conferring the title "Royal," so that our service became the Royal North West Mounted Police. The Lodge, however, retained the name N.W.M.P.
I seem to have dwelt at length on the early story of the N.W.M.P. Lodge, but this is because it seems to be indicative of the staunch showing made by early members of the Force as regards Freemasonry. As Masonry builds truly, uprightly and boldly, so did the North West Mounted Police on the great golden plains of Western Canada. But it must be stressed strongly that there were many Masons in the Force attending Lodges at the same time or later in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, Battleford, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and perhaps nearly every Lodge across the Prairies at one time or another. We of the Force, however, look upon Regina as being the cradle of the R.C.M.P. and so it is fitting that the N.W.M.P. Lodge should be regarded as the mother, as it were, of Masonry in the Force. Starting off with its 14 charter members, the Lodge has during the past 57 years initiated well over 500 members and affiliated some 250 others; almost 150 members of the Force own N.W.M.P. as their Mother Lodge, and of course many hundreds more have visited during the time they were stationed in Regina.
Even as the Force grew in stature, privilege and scope of duties, so Masonry flourished, and more and more members of the R.N.W.M.P. became members of the fraternity by initiation. This was a natural development, as the high ideals of the one are similar to and intermingled with those of the other. By 1920 the Force was Canada-wide in scope, and hence it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when the old Dominion Police and the Preventive Service were absorbed. A few years later the Provinces asked the R.C.M.P. to take over their provinial police work. Therefore by 1932 the Federal force had contracts with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to police their provinces. Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949 (as foreseen in 1867), and on August 1, 1950, that Province contracted with the R.C.M.P. for us to perform its police duties. Fifteen days later British Columbia made a similar agreement, and so today former Newfoundland Rangers, Newfoundland Constabulary and British Columbia Police members are proudly wearing the R.C.M.P. uniform as full-fledged members of the great Federal force.
One of the most colorful events in several Lodges is what has become the annual Police Night. This function commenced, as far as I can learn, about twenty years ago. On a Police Night all officers of the Lodge are members of the R.C.M.P. in full dress uniform including scarlet serge; work in the East is done by members who are Past Masters. The work is always done with military precision and clear, meaningful enunciation; the spoken parts are word-perfect. To my knowledge, Police Nights have been held in Edmonton, Calgary, Swift Current, Shaunavon, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and very likely other points. Prominent visitors from all over Canada and the U.S.A. have attended and have been glowing in their praise. I recall two tangible tokens of appreciation: a beautiful American flag and a neon "G" were presented to N.W.M.P. Lodge by prominent U.S.A. Masons; a large portrait of M.W. Bro. Harry Truman, in full regalia, was given to the Shaunavon Lodge following a Police Night there when the ritual was further beautified by an R.C.M.P. male quartet singing the hymns, etc.
The Flag Ceremony was introduced soon after the institution of Police Nights. This ceremony at the commencement of Lodge meetings is indeed beautiful, done as it is with military precision. The words are stirring, and for those who may not have heard them, I quote them here:
"I now present our Flag-the Union Jack-the emblem of freedom and democracy. As its component crosses were successively combined to symbolize the voluntary unions of free peoples, so may it contitue to typify the greater unities of our wider Commonwealth.
"May the red, the color of the sacrificial blood of the martyrs; the white, like the snowy lambskin of Masonry; and the blue of the changeless vault of the sky, symbolically depict Courage, Purity and Truth, blend wherever it floats the wide world round to blaze forth a sure pledge of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all peoples everywhere. Long may it wave. So mote it be."
A few years ago on the annual ceremony of the Presentation of Empire Flags in Empire Lodge, Edmonton, by members of the R.C.M.P., I was asked to compose a ritual for each flag. The ritual so written for the Canadian flag has since been used along with that of the Union Jack at Police Night in various Lodges:
"I present the Flag of Canada-the Red Ensign. Canada, as the senior partner of the British Commonwealth of nations, proudly displays the Union Jack on her Flag. The Arms indicate the commingling of the great British and French peoples, and the supporting and unifying Maple Leaves-our national emblem. The red field reminds us of Canada's sons who have shed their blood on the field of honor. Long may this Flag wave over our homeland, our ships at sea, and our territory abroad. So mote it be."
For many years members of the R.C.M.P. have been interesting themselves in the young people of Canada, fully realizing that "the hope of tomorrow is the Youth of today." They have worked with boys and girls, coaching them in sports, teaching them handicrafts, acting as Cub and Scoutmasters, speaking to them in Church and School groups, and so on. In 1946 our Commissioner, S.T.Wood, C.M.G., gave his personal blessing to this fine work and under his direction a comprehensive Preventative Policing among Youth programme was instituted, not in opposition to exisitng youth work agencies, but in full co-operation with them. The work by R.C.M.P., members, working mostly in their spare time, among young people has been phenomenal; as an example talks on citizenship, safety, courtesy, etc., have been given to almost 2 million children during the past five years. The number of juvenile offenders has correspondingly decreased, and already young men of eminence in Canadian affairs today recall with pride that their feet were set in the right path by a Mounted Policeman.
As I hace said, our youth programme is carried out in conjunction with exisitng agenices which work with young people. Therefore it is only natural that from the start R.C.M.P. members threw themselves wholeheartedly into the Masonic Youth Night programme, especially (because I am more familiar with it) in Saskatchewan. These Youth Nights are held in nearly every Lodge in the jurisdiction approximately once a year. A Youth Night as you may know, consists of each Mason bringing a boy, regardless of his race or creed. The ceremony is opened with the presentation of the flag or flags by R.C.M.P. members in scarlet tunic, and a simplified ritual which shows the youths that Masonry is beautiful and sincere. Then ensues the showing of Department of Education, National Film Board or R.C.M.P. made films, concert, games, a guest speaker talking on some phase of citizenship; the speaker is very often a member of the R.C.M.P. The evening always concludes with the growing boy's delight-a hearty lunch.
A year or two ago I was privileged to be invited to visit just about every, Lodge in three Districts in Saskatchewan giving talks at Masonic Youth Nights. These I was able to give during trips inspecting my various detachments, and at one time I was speaker at as many as four Youth Nights in a week. It was exacting work, but as a member of our Grand Lodge Commiittee on Freemasonry and Youth, I had a pace to set. The results are always heart-warming and make any small sacrifices well worth while. And hundreds of R.C.M.P. members are doing exactly the same thing across Canada.
Yes there is a notable commuity of interest and high ideals between Freemasonry and the R.C.M.P. One could not hazard a guess as to the number of Masons in the Force. What we do know is that there are many hundred, perhaps a thousand or more, from Commissioner Wood, himself a 32nd Degree Mason, and our King who is also Honorary Commissioner of the R.C.M.P to many scores of young Constables. In a Sub-Division I commanded until recently we had some 50 uniformed members of the Force; of these 21 were Masons-one a sitting Master, four of them Past Masters, and others were officers of local Lodges.
While N.W.M.P. Lodge, Regina, is the only Police Lodge, but members patronize and do considerable work in various lodges elsewhere in large numbers-Unity Lodge, Edmonton; Defenders Lodge, Ottawa; Lodge of Antiquity, Montreal; Composite Lodge, Halifax, to name but a few. Many Mounted Policemen have become prominent in Masonic circles from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia.
A man who is ever faithful to the grand principles of Freemasonry and to the high ideals of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police cannot help bu be a credit as a Mason, as a policeman, and as a good citizen of the great Canadian democracy. May the Great Architect of the Universe who moved his representative on earth so nobly and firmly to build the Temple, ever guide and aid us in building for Canada, in upholding our Royal Canadian Mounted Police motto "Maintiens le Droit."