Robert Whitfield Burns

Divisions Served: “N,” “D,” “K,” “Depot”

Pillar Location: Pillar X, Row 18, Column F

Story: 

My father, Robert (Bob) Whitfield Burns, was born on September 18, 1928
in Calgary, Alberta to farming parents. When he spoke about his youth,
he would say that he had lived the idyllic life while growing up in
farming communities throughout Central and Southern Alberta. On
November 18, 1946, at the age of 18 and having completed Grade 11, Bob
applied to the RCMP. His application letter states, “As I am applying for

enlistment in the RCMP, I wish to write and tell you my reasons for doing so.

First, I want a chance to keep law and order in the Dominion of Canada.

I believe that in years to come that there will be more need for RCMPolice

in every town with a population of 500 or over….”. 

On February 14, 1947, in Calgary, Alberta, Bob Burns was enlisted
as a Recruit Special Constable #9420 due to his young age of 18 years.
Bob’s engagement documents read, “Your engagement can only be made
provided you are still a single man. If you are now married, please
advise this office accordingly. In connection with marriage it is
pointed out that should you be engaged in the Force, you will not be
eligible to apply for permission to marry until you have completed 5
years’ service with this Force, after being appointed as 3rd Class
Constable, and this must be clearly understood. Your engagement provided
of course, you are accepted, will be in the capacity of Special
Constable at a salary of $2.50 per day, plus board and lodging,
uniforms, medical and dental attention, and all other benefits afforded
regular members of this Force. At the age of 21 years, you will be
appointed to the rank of 3rd class constable, with pay at the rate of
$2.75 per day …. Service under the age of 21 will count towards pension
but not marriage privileges.”

After Bob was “sworn in”, he caught a CPR train out of Delia, Alberta

heading to “Depot” Division, Regina, Saskatchewan to begin training. On
the first of March 1947 he was transferred to “N” Division training facilities in

Rockcliffe, Ontario. From Rockcliffe, he was posted on June 14th, 1947, to “D”
Division serving in Winnipeg and Hodgson Detachments. On December 5th,
1947, he was transferred to Edmonton Detachment arriving back at “Depot”
Division on February 14, 1948. From there, he was sent back to “D”
Division arriving in Flin Flon, Manitoba on the 12th of June 1948.

Documents show that Bob was raised to 3^rd Class Constable, Reg #15242,

on September 1, 1948 as he approached his 20th birthday, at a daily salary of $3.25.

Bob told many stories of his time working in and around Flin Flon and
made lifelong friends the area. Flin Flon is also where Bob met his future wife,

a nurse at the local hospital. On August 11, 1949, Bob wrote to the Officer

Commanding Dauphin Subdivision requesting permission to purchase his discharge

 from the Force as he did not wish to wait the required five years to get married. He was
discharged from the Force on August 31, 1949.

In 1950, Bob joined Calgary City Police where he served for 32 years.
In March 1951, the RCMP wrote a letter to Bob requesting he re-engage

at the rank of 2nd Class Constable, with pay at $200.00 per month, and to

“perform general duties in Ottawa and guard government buildings”.

Bob had just married and was living in Calgary, Alberta. He responded stating

his interest in re-engaging if he could be posted in one of the Western Provinces.

His request was denied.

Unfortunately, the RCMP lost many young men due to the marriage policy
of the day but I am certain many of those men, like my father, still
held a strong affinity to the Force and would have had stellar careers
in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The excerpts, below, were taken from S/Cst. Burn’s own private letters
to his parents and provide some insight into training and the Force in 1947:
“Depot” Division, Regina, Sask
Feb 16, 1947
“As soon as I arrived had to get my hair cut and was issued blankets but
no uniform till tomorrow….
I helped clean up the officer’s mess this morning. There are 14 of us
in this room and mostly Alberta fellows.”

February 23, 1947
“Got issued fatigue uniforms, fur caps and everything Monday. Everything
but our dress uniforms. As soon as we get to Ottawa (Rockcliffe) we
get those…….On weekdays we get up at 5:50, shave, dress and report for
roll call at 6:30. Get out of that at 6:40, then make our beds before 7
o’clock because at seven we get breakfast. At 8:30 we report to the
sergeant major’s office to be given fatigue work until 11:30. Then we
change back into civvies for dinner. After dinner back to fatigue
uniforms and again at 1:30 we go to work until 4:30. Change again and
have supper at 5:00…. Our work consists of cleaning stables, helping
carpenters, scrubbing floors, etc. Just little jobs that get monotonous……

I am beginning to like this life a little more now. Didn’t like it at all the first

couple of days but now I’m getting used to it.”
February 28, 1947
“We are leaving for Ottawa in the morning…. We don’t get paid until the
end of March. It is going to be a long while to wait especially when
you only have $2.00 to last the whole month.”
“N” Division, Rockcliffe, Ontario
March 5, 1947
“We were issued revolvers yesterday. It’s a lot bigger than that .38.
This is a .45. We haven’t been issued our dress uniform yet, though……
We started a new squad today “34” …. We start out classes at 8:30 AM, 1
hour off for noon until 4:30 PM. At nite we are supposed to study our
notes, so we haven’t very much spare time. We get two 1:30 AM passes a
week…… I only have .15 cents left and I’ve been living on canteen
tickets which isn’t too bad…. The meals here are even worse than those
at Regina, but I’m beginning to get used to them now.”
March 7, 1947
“Well, here it is the end of another hard day. We had one hour of PT
today, also we had handling of prisoners, writing reports, typing and
one or two others…. We had an inspection this morning by the CO which
took a bit of fixing up. I’m in a room with 33 squad but yet I’m in 34
(squad) so it makes it rather bad being in with a bunch of strangers.
We expect to have a room of our own by the end of this month… I expect
that I’ll just be staying down here for 3 months and then go out on a
detachment for a few months and then maybe back to Regina for the next 3
months because they have no swimming pool here so they can’t teach us
to swim……One of the fellows in 33 squad got dunked in the horse trough
this morning because he was keeping the squad from going ahead fast
enough.”

March 19, 1947
“I had to help in the mess after supper to-nite polishing the floor
because I didn’t have my holster polished good enough…. The only thing
I’m finding rather hard is drill, I can’t seem to understand it.”
March 20, 2947
“I have all of my uniform issued now. Once I start wearing it, I’ll have
approximately 50 different brass things to shine. Also, a pair of white
gym shoes, black shoe, and a brown holster to shine everyday.”
March 22, 1947
“Could you send me my ration book immediately because the S/M said today
that we have to turn them into the mess so that they can use them for
our meals.”
(Note: Shortly after the commencement of World War Two, rationing was
introduced in Canada. Last Canadian War Ration Books were issued in
September 1946 with rationing formally concluding in 1947)
March 28, 1947
“I received your letter today with the ration book in it. I hope being
without it doesn’t run you too short on butter and sugar.”
April 1, 1947
“I’m just keeping that ration book on hand all the time and I won’t turn
it in until they tell me to again so I might be able to send you home
some coupons.”
April 16, 1947
“We had revolver practice today and I was about the 3rd highest with 83%
so I feel pretty good to-nite. We shoot at a target about a foot square
with a bull’s eye in the centre. I had 6 shots in the centre and 4
about 2 or 3 inches outside of it. We shoot at this at 12 yards…. They
put 2 fellows under open arrest the other day for having dirty buttons.
There are so many different things they can put you under open arrest
for, just little things.”
April 17, 1947
“We had tear gas drill today. They gave us a smell of tear gas outside,
but it was too windy to get very much so there weren’t any ill effects….
We had PT again today and I haven’t sweat so much since I last
shovelled wheat……We had about 5 ½ inches of snow out here yesterday and
now everything is wet again. We can’t even keep a polish on our shoes
and its so damp that buttons tarnish in no time. We have to oil our
service colts (45’s) every day to keep them from rusting.”

Submitted by Donna Morse (nee Burns) Regimental #31800