John Harley Rea

Divisions Served: “E”

Pillar Location: Pillar IX, Row 25, Column F

Story: 

Harley joined the RCMP in January of 1956 and after training he was transferred to ”E” Division and stationed at Burnaby Detachment, General Duties. He served in a number of detachments in the lower mainland until 1961 when he was posted to Vancouver Telecommunications and dispatched until 1965. In 1965 he enrolled in a full time Electronics course at Vancouver Vocational Institute; upon graduation he was posted, and promoted, to i/c Telecommunications Section, Prince George Sub-Division. In 1971 Harley took a transfer to “HQ” Ottawa, with the promise it would be a 1 year posting, to fledgling Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) Section. He spent a year introducing and promoting CPIC to the Canadian policing community. In July 1972, the Force honoured their promise and he was posted and promoted to Sgt., CPIC Switcher Vancouver. In 1975 Harley was posted to Telecommunications Section, Victoria as the Project Manager for Interior British Columbia Communication System and promoted to S/Sgt. The next 4 years were spent traveling throughout the interior of B.C. managing the installation of, a then state of the art, radio/communication system. He retired from the Force in February 1983. Harley loved being a member of the RCMP and enjoyed his connection with the Force and the many friends he made over the years. Harley passed away in 1996 and is survived by wife, Jan Salvador, children Sandra & David Rea, and Micheal Yarosloski.