Michele (Mike) Angelo Pepe

Divisions Served: “K,” “B”

Medals & Honours: Long Service Medal with Bronze Clasp and Bar

Pillar Location: Pillar IX, Row 10, Column C

Story: 

S/Sgt Michele (Michael/Mike) Pepe (Rtd.), 101+, died October 22, 2019 at Port Elgin, Ontario. Born December 2, 1917, at Peterborough, Ontario, eldest child of Alfredo and Lucia (nee Minecola), St. Peter’s High School graduate, Mike worked in family owned grocery businesses before joining the Force December 28, 1938 at Ottawa.

Upon completion of training at Depot, he served at “K”, “B” Divisions, along with 3-month posting at “E” division during WW2 (Japanese Internment) before retiring with ‘exemplary service’ January 4, 1966. He was awarded the RCMP Long Service Medal, Bronze Clasp and Bar.

Mike fondly recalled:
“On December 28, 1938 when I joined the RCMP in Ottawa, it was acceptable to use one’s baptismal certificate, if you did not have a birth certificate. My baptismal certificate showed ‘Michael. Some 50-odd years later I needed a birth certificate. To my surprise it came back as ‘Michele’!”

“With three days to report for Basic Training in Regina, I excitedly traveled by train. I arrived in Regina on the afternoon of December 31, 1938 with several other recruits with plans to look over Regina, New Year’s Eve. To our surprise, as members of the RCMP, we needed passes to be able to leave the barracks. However, no one still working could supply us with passes so we spent a very quiet evening at RCMP Barracks.”

Depot Memories:
“While in training, it was a surprise to groom and clean stables before we had our breakfast. The barracks was an old building with cracks between the walls and windows. Some winter mornings I would wake up to the odd snow drift beside my bed! One bitterly cold morning (-20F) with howling winds, a good friend, the trumpeter, woke up minutes before he had to sound Reveille (morning ritual). In his long johns he blew the call through a window. Much to his surprise the Division Sergeant Major (the Orderly Officer of the Day) was standing behind him with his stout riding crop. Upon return to the barracks, the trumpeter was met with hilarity and horse liniment.

“K” Division (1939-1950):
“In August 1939, after eight months of Basic Training, I was transferred to Calgary, Alberta RCMP Sub-division for 9 years where I spent time doing solo Highway Patrol in various communities within the division (Gleason, Drumheller, Three Hills, and Brooks). Some detachments varied in their facilities. In one transfer to a small community, I was dropped off at an abandoned two-room school house. The front portion was very small and the school room had been cleared of all furniture except for a single bed, a couple of chairs and a coal-fired stove. A thing of interest was to find a bathroom. To my surprise, there was no bathroom! On looking out a window facing the back of the building, I finally saw my bathroom on the edge of a back laneway. We had a functional bathroom at home where I grew up. I was not long in making good friends with local hotel management. ”

“During these years, there was no radio to use to call for back-up. Safety through self-control, calmness and not escalating situations is important. One night out of Calgary, I stopped a vehicle loaded with stolen goods and two men in the car had firearms. I managed to get them out of their car without incident and was able to make an arrest and retrieve the stolen articles. A similar situation happened during a patrol in Drumheller, again without incident.”

“Dignity and respect to others pays off. Frequently, in the small towns we had our share of bar room brawls and arresting the odd intoxicated persons. This can take a toll on one’s body, not to mention the personal expense of getting your uniform cleaned. There were occasions where a reliable friend would be permitted to take the offending person home, along with a summons to appear in court. I had no problems.”

“While at Drumheller, I was delegated to supervise the 3-person Alberta Government Welfare Office which covered the Drumheller area. Back then there were several families (300 or more) using the service, particularly when the mines were temporarily closed down between spring and fall as no coal orders were coming in.”

“Interestingly, during the war, 1939-1945, people were required to have a permit to purchase alcohol. At that time the permit cost 50 cents and had to be stamped each time the limited monthly amount was purchased.”

“Another incident that happened outside Calgary was serious but could also be looked at in an amusing way. One afternoon we had a truck stop. As I opened the driver’s door on the truck there was an empty Robert Burns liquor bottle under the seat. In asking the driver for his name, he said ‘Robert Burns’. When booking him in with his documents, it was revealed that he really was ‘Robert Burns’! “

“In another amusing incident in Three Hills, the nearest detachment officer from Troshu, AB received a complaint very late in the evening about a man escaping a theft and was believed to be hiding in about a 3 mile area of forest straddling the highway. The policeman who received the complaint, and I decided that it was a problem to attempt any search of the forest in the dark. After much discussion we came up with a plan of how we might arrest the individual. As darkness was approaching, we left the area that was visible from this forested area, removed a headlight from the car and drove back through this area. As we were driving through we were pleased that this young man was waving down a vehicle with one headlight working on the car. As we stopped beside him we invited him into the car as our prisoner. It worked!”

“Working in the Drumheller area in the 1940’s, I was involved in two interesting, but sad, mining accidents, one in Rosedale and one in East Coulee. At the Rosedale accident the machine operator happened to have a large piece of the stone ceiling loosen and fall on him. At the East Coulee mine they were still using open head lamps for light and four miners happened to hit an area where gas was present which the lamps ignited and they were killed in the explosion. “

“B” Division (1950-1957):
“In the 1950’s, still being one of the bachelors of the Force I was transferred to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Sent for six months, I did not get the return transfer for seven years. While in Newfoundland, I married Olga whom I had met when working in Calgary. At that time to get married, we had to have 7 years service and $1300 in the bank.”

“In 1957, I returned to Edmonton with Olga and our two children. While there our third child was born. My role (1957-1966) was to oversee Highway Patrol and a couple of years before retirement, I was in charge of the Guard Room.”

“After retiring from the RCMP, I accepted a Social Worker position in Edmonton. About a year later, I was offered work with Ontario Hydro as Chief of Security for the new nuclear plant being built on Lake Huron, near Port Elgin where I moved my family. Prior to that position, I oversaw security of a small Ontario Hydro plant on the Mississauga River, about 80 miles north of Georgian Bay. One of my favourite pastimes was fishing with a friend. We always made sure we took our kids.

While in charge of security at Bruce Nuclear Power (1969-1982) I developed an interest in municipal politics, spending 2 terms (1982-1987) with Port Elgin Town Council. I retired from municipal politics as Olga was not well and I felt she needed more of my attention. She passed away Nov 9, 1989 due to cancer. “

Mike, 50+y Life Member with both RCMP VA Edmonton Division and Royal Canadian Legion Port Elgin Branch 340, continued his dedicated service and mentorship to community, serving in various capacities, including RCL Service Office and President. Mike celebrated his 100th at Branch 340 in company of family, community, RCL and RCMP VA members.

As a Mounties wife, Olga had some tales of her own from her NFLD days:

“After arriving from Calgary and Banff my first impression of St. John’s was doom. There were only 7 wives from the ‘mainland’, as the old Newfies referred to the rest of Canada. To one used to fresh mountain breezes, St. John’s smelled. It was not unusual to sit down on a bus and find yourself staring at a cod fish slung over the shoulder of the person in front of you. My husband was to be in charge of twenty-four men. These boys were for the most part young and they sorely missed their homes and their mothers’ cooking. I had them to our apartment often for meals, sewed on their buttons and mended ripped jackets. In return, they came and offered themselves as baby-sitters for us. We never had to ask. When my husband became ill, these young lads drove me on errands, on hospital visits and helped me in many ways. We found comradeship which, I am sure no other field of work would have made possible. My fondest memories of our life in the Force are of these young men in St. John’s, as well as the married members and their wives. We were all eager to help one another, all eager to stay together. Truly, we were one big happy family.” (Source: Duncan, J. (1974) Red Serge Wives (1st Ed). Centennial Book Committee, p. 181)