Barry Bradley’s Old Newspaper Clippings

Throughout his career in the Force (1960 – 1995), Veteran Barry Bradley developed a newspaper scrapebook containing notable news stories about the RCMP in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Each week, we will post three or four of these old newspaper clippings for the interest of Veterans and their families. This week’s webpage includes an embarrassing incident for two Pattullo Bridge Detachment members as well as a a maritime Corporal appended for an armed robbery committed with his issued service revolver.

MOUNTIES SADDLED

1965 – Ottawa – They may be losing their horses, but the Mounties are keeping their name intact.

Earlier this week RCMP commissioner George B. McClelland announced horses being withdrawn from the force except for the musical ride, which would continue.

Thursday night in the Commons Lawrence E. Kindt (PC-Macleod) said the people of his constituency – where the Royal North West Mounted Police mounted their first detachment in 1874 – were concerned that the word ‘mounted’ might be dropped from the force’s name.

A policeman did not have to be mounted on a horse to be mounted, he was told.

MOUNTIES, PICKETS SCUFFLE IN OIL-STRIKE ENCOUNTER

Hefty shove by RCMP officer sends picket reeling back after picket refused officer’s order to move from in front of British Columbia Oil Co. truck attempting to leave strikebound Burnaby plant (Source of photo – Vancouver Sun Newspaper).

Oct 19, 1965 – Vancouver Sun – Scuffling broke out between RCMP officers and pickets at the British American Oil Company’s Burnaby marketing plant today shortly after a BA tanker docked with five million gallons of refined products.

The incident came when some 30 pickets blocked two BA trucks trying to leave the dock area of the plant. Eight RCMP officers shoved and pushed the pickets from in front of the trucks.

Two pickets were knocked to the ground, but were not injured.

Police were assailed by shouts of ‘scab herders,’ ‘Yankee lovers’ and ‘Finks.’

No arrests were made.

Earlier, a scuffle broke out between a union picket and an unidentified man whom the picket termed ‘a Commiunist.’ The picket kicked a camera out of the man’s hand, smashing it.

This incident occurred when the camera-toting an took a picture of the picket, and the picket, who refused to give his name, shouted he did not want his photograph taken by Communists.

WATER DOCKING

The pickets, some of them carrying placards of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union which is striking against BA had been watching the tanker dock prior to the fight with police.

Tempers were running high because the men said the tanker, the BA Canada, which is normally based in Montreal, was bringing in enough gasoline and other products to keep BA’s British Columbia stations supplied for two months.

(A company spokesman said the tanker had taken on its cargo in the Caribbean.)

After the tanker had safely docked, the pickets noticed the two BA trucks coming up the hill and ran over to block them.

ORDERS GIVEN

Police, who had been cruising past the area all morning, arrived a few minutes later and ordered the pickets to let the trucks through.

Police said the men were standing on private property.

The shouting and shoving then followed, with RCMP officers standing across the front of the trucks, allowing them to inch slowly forward.

“You guys will hang for this some day,” pickets shouted at police. “It’s just like Regina in 1935.”

MOUNTIES UPSET DINERS – TOUGH NDP BEEF ON MENU

Photograph of two RCMP member interrupting an NDP dinner in search for a bartender with an outstanding warrant (Source of photo – Vancouver Sun Newspaper).

October 18, 1965 – New Democratic Party officials plan a formal protect to RCMP Commissioner George McClelland Ottawa over the disruption of the Tommy Douglas testimonial dinner Saturday by two uniformed RCMP officers.

The two Mounties, backed by two uniformed city police officers, walked in on the dinner at the PNE Showmart Saturday night and told NDP official they had a warrant for the arrest of a man believed working there as a bartender.

One of the RCMP officers store across the dance floor between the 2,000 seated guests at the function, and the other made a check of several of the bars in the building, an NDP official said.

The officers left after 10 minutes, after being told the man they were seeking had failed to show up for work as a bartender.

“If they (the RCMP) intended to embarrass us, or couldn’t have done it more beautifully,” said John A. McNevin, assistant secretary of the BC Federation of Labour and liquor committee chairman of the dinner.

“Four two uniformed men to stalk around like a couple of gallots in the middle of a dinner like that was certainly a strange thing,” he said.
McNevin added he was told the warrant for the absent bartender was for a traffic offence.

Ernest Hall, provincial secretary of the NDP, said he would recommend to a meeting of the provincial executive today that a letter be written to the RCMP commissioner in Ottawa objecting to the “boorish behaviour” of the officers who entered the hall.

“We are not questioning in any way the right of police officers to do their duty,” Hall said.

“We feel the officers could have been much more discreet in the approach to their duty,” he said.

McNevin, who will attend the meeting, said the party will likely decide to protest both the officers’ arrival in uniform and their conduct to the commissioner of the RCMP.

Gordon Dowding, NDP MLA for Burnaby, said he would protest the RCMP action to Attorney General Robert Bonner.

“It was humiliating, embarrassing and unnecessary to have uniformed police come bursting in to find a bartender wanted on a traffic offence,” Dowding said.

All party spokesmen said they had no complaint with the city police officers, who stood quietly by the main door to the Showmart.

RCMP officials at Vancouver headquarters and Burnaby say they do not recognize the two offices from photographs.

NDP GETS RCMP APOLOGY FOR DOUGLAS DINNER VISIT

The RCMP said Monday a full investigation is being made into what it called a stupid mistake by two officers at a celebration for New Democratic Party leader Tommy Douglas Saturday night.

Superintendent J.J. Atherton, in charge of RCMP in the Vancouver area, said he has personally extended apologies to NDP officials.

He said there was no deliberate attempt to embarrass anybody at the celebration marking Douglas’s 30 years in politics.

At Glace Bay, N.S. Douglas said today he thinks the whole incident was a misunderstanding.

“I am very gratified the RCMP has made an apology,” he said. “I am sure the whole matter was a misunderstanding and now it can be forgotten.”

Supt. Atherton identified the two officers as Constables Lee W. Diamond (Reg.#23546) and L.H. Bechard (Reg.#23060), both of the Pattullo Bridge RCMP Detachment.

CARRIED WARRANT

He said they were attempting to execute a warrant on a New Westminster man charged with driving through a red light.

However, he said the pair went to the Douglas meeting on their own initiative.

“They were certainly not sent to the meeting,” Supt. Atherton said. “They were detailed to execute a warrant and unfortunately decided to do it in this way. They themselves decided to go to the meeting.”

The two officers entered the Showmart Building at the Pacific National Exhibition before Douglas had sat down at the head table.

BARTENDER ABSENT

They told NDP official they had a warrant for the arrest of a bartender, who proved to be absent.

The police constables stayed for 10 minutes and left after walking through the hall in search for the man.

Supt. Atherton was asked in an interview if it is usual for constables to enter such a gathering on the kind of mission the two were on.

“I tell yo it was most unusual and most improper and this seems to be a stupid mistake,: he said. “We have no excuses to offer.”

FULL STATEMENT

Supt. Atherton said he would not comment on the possibility of disciplinary action against the two constables until the affair hs been thoroughly investigated.

“But there will be a full statement on the incident after we have completed the investigation,” he said.

Ernest Hall, provincial secretary of the NDP, said he welcomed Supt. Atherton’s apology.

He said NDP officials at a meeting Monday decided to write letters of protest to the commissioner of the RCMP, George McClellan, in Ottawa and to the Attorney General Robert Bonner.

“I have been informed an apology has been tendered, which we welcome and appreciate, and as far as the NDP is concerned this whole unfortunate matter will be at an end after we have sent those letters, he said.

MOUNTIE ADMITS HOLDING UP BANK

Photograph of Corporal Harry Sutherland (Source of photo – Vancouver Sun Newspaper).

April 25, 1966 – New Glasgow NS – RCMP Corporal Harry Sutherland (Reg.#18040) , 32 pleaded guilty today to the $8,900 armed robbery last Monday of the bank of Nova Scotia at nearby Trenton.

Sutherland was remanded until Tuesday for sentencing.

The courtroom was packed with spectators when Sutherland, a member of the force for 13 years, appeared before Magistrate W.A. Richardson.

Most of the money, stolen by a lone gunman who held five bank employees at gunpoint, was recovered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Friday.

Sutherland is a native of Plaster Rock, N.B., and married. He was stationed in Stewiacke, N.S. and here before being transferred to Halifax five years ago. He was on the headquarters administration staff in Halifax.

NOTE: Cpl. Sutherland committed the armed robbery with his RCMP service revolver. He was caught by RCMP member – David Harrison (Reg.#16828). Sutherland plead guilty to the Armed Robbery charge.