Last Walk Across The Square
Thanks to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Chaplains at the RCMP Training Academy (“Depot”), a ceremony known as the “Last Walk Across the Square” begins in the Chapel on the Square and ends in the beautiful Regimental Cemetery located in the northwest corner of the base.
This special service is for members, retired members, spouses, and dependant children. Following a chapel service, family and friends are led by the Chaplain across the Square to the cemetery. The cemetery is 1/2 mile (800 meters) from the chapel and some may wish to travel by car. The family members will walk behind the person carrying the urn. The Chaplain will place the urn in the columbarium and conduct a brief graveside service.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THE URN WILL FIT IN THE NICHE. IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IF A DOUBLE URN IS USED, CREMAINS OF THE SPOUSE CAN ALSO BE PLACED IN THE SAME URN AT A LATER DATE….USE SMALL DROPS OF SILICON (one drop in each corner) TO TACK THE LID ON THE URN. DO NOT USE GLUE. Niche measurements are 11″x 11″x 11″. (27mm) It is imperative that urn measurements are less.
GRAVESIDE SERVICE
An option is to have a commitment service only. The Chaplain and the family gather at the columbarium or graveside where the Chaplain will conduct a brief commitment service prior to interment. Vehicles can be driven into the cemetery which is convenient for those unable to walk long distances, or during inclement weather.
There is no cost for the columbarium or for any plot. There is no cost for the Chapel. There is a fee for excavation and opening and closing a grave for a casket. The basic fee for excavation is $460.00, but this cost can fluctuate depending on weather. Contact the Chaplain for details. There are no opening or closing costs for cremains. A fibreglass maintenance shell is required for all casket burials. Your funeral service provider will discuss costs and details. The following procedures are required:
HOW TO GET CREMAINS TO REGINA
In “E” Division, contact the Employee and Management Relations Section at “E” Division HQ , Mailstop #1103, 14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, B.C., V3T 6P3 and indicate that you would like to arrange to send or take cremains of a deceased member to Regina to be placed in a columbarium or grave in the Regimental Cemetery. The columbarium will hold a double urn, so cremains of the spouse can also be added, when their time comes.
URNS:
The openings of the new columbarium niches in the RCMP Regimental Cemetery in Regina are slightly smaller. (11″ x 11″ x 11″). Barn and Stable Regimental Trunks & Urns provide a selection of hand-crafted single and double urns bearing the RCMP Crest and are fully licensed by the Mounted Police Foundation. For additional information contact retired member Russ Lefler at 604-574-2764. (info@barnandstable.com or visit www.barnandstable.com) .
NEW DETAILS: To arrange the delivery of the cremains to the Depot Cemetery, please call Regina at 1-639-625-3325 or Cell: 1-306-502-1170.
PLAQUES OR GRAVE MARKERS:
It will be necessary to provide the full name, regimental number and rank at the time of retirement.
If the plan is for cremains of the spouse is to be in the same urn or marker when their time comes, the spouses’ name will be included with space left for time of passing.
Chapel Service and interment arrangements must to be made through the “Depot” Chaplaincy Office. Contact Chaplain Jean Morisset 306-780-7848 or cell 306-502-1170.
It will be necessary to provide a Death Certificate, cremation documents, obituary notice, and a brief biography of the member’s service. The biography is only used during the commitment service in the Chapel. It should include the following information: When and where the member joined the Force, where he/she trained, where they were stationed, and what he or she did after retirement, etc. (For spouses and dependent children, the biography is optional). A Funeral Request Form is required and will be supplied by the Chaplain. If communication is by mail, the address is Chaplain’s Office, RCMP Training Academy, Box 6500, Regina, SK., S4P 3J7. The cremains can be shipped by mail to that address if the family is unable to attend or for convenience.
If family members are going to Regina, a reception can be held in the Officer’s Mess after the commitment service. Details regarding costs and catering arrangements will be available through the “Depot” Chaplain on request.
For local assistance in British Columbia, contact John Sherstone, Director – Health and Welfare – Advocacy at 604-536-4156 or email at sherst01@telus.net.
The RCMP will reimburse the estate up to a maximum of $220.00 toward the cost of a marker for the grave. The marker must have the RCMP Crest, the Regimental Number, Rank and full name of the deceased. NOTE – Markers in the Regimental or National Cemeteries must be a certain size for uniformity. There is no restriction for markers in other Canadian Cemeteries.
PLANNING A MEMORIAL AND/OR INTERMENT SERVICE
Contact the Employee and Management Relations Section, (778-290-2671) at RCMP ‘E’ Division HQ – Mail Stop 1103 – 14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, BC, V3T 6P3.
NO OTHER INFORMATION CAN BE ADDED TO REGIMENTAL GRAVE MARKERS.
A family member (or executor of the estate) should contact the Employee and Management Relations Section (778-290-2671) at “E” Division Headquarters, Mail Stop 1103 – 14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, BC., V3T 6P3. They will provide instruction on what steps to take in accordance with regulations.
On making contact, explain your wishes concerning interment of a SERVING OR RETIRED MEMBER, SPOUSE OR DEPENDENT CHILD at the RCMP Regimental Cemetery in Regina. Please note you must have authority to speak for the family concerned, regarding memorial or interment arrangements. Regarding interment, you can choose one of two options.
OPTION #1 – Burial in the ground with either a regimental (standard) grave marker, or with a non-regimental grave marker.
REGIMENTAL STANDARD GRAVE MARKERS:
- Flat granite (gray). 12″ x 20″ x 3″ or (30.48 cms x 50.8 cms x 7.62 cms)
2. Upright granite (gray). (30 x 18 x 3 inches) or (76.2 cms x 45.72 cms x 7.62 cms)
3. Flat Bronze (with special anti-oxidation coating). (12 x 20 x 3 inches) or ( 30.8 cms x 50.8 cms x 7.62 cms).
Regimental grave markers are manufactured by an RCMP designated company and contain the following information:
a) Full name of member.
b) Rank of member at time of retirement.
c) Regimental number.
d) Date of birth and date of death.
e) Crest and letters of RCMP.
NO OTHER INFORMATION CAN BE ADDED TO REGIMENTAL GRAVE MARKERS.
A regimental grave marker is free-of-charge to the estate of a deceased serving member. Please note that in situations where the deceased is buried in two or more grave sites, (i.e., the cremains (ashes) are placed in multiple grave-site locations), only one grave marker is available free-of-charge. Compensation will only be granted for markers in recognized Canadian cemeteries.
A family member (or executor of the estate) should contact Lureina Blanchard – 778-290-2671 – Employee and Management Relations Section, at “E” Division Headquarters, Mailstop 1103, 14200 -Green Timbers Way, Surrey, BC., V3T 6P3. She will provide instructions on what steps to take in accordance with regulations.
A non-regimental grave marker is a custom-made grave marker made by a private company, and paid for by the estate of a deceased member. All the arrangements for the manufacture, transportation, and installation of the non-regimental grave marker must be done by family members or by the executor of the estate.
The design and wording of the non-regimental grave markers has to be approved by the RCMP “Depot” Cemetery Staff. The estate of the deceased member is entitled to a maximum of $220.00 reimbursement on condition that the non-regimental grave markers contain at least one reference to the RCMP (e.g., the letters “RCMP” or an RCMP Crest is on the grave marker).
Spouses of deceased members are entitled to be buried at “Depot”. If the family wants to have a common grave marker, (i.e. with both names on it), then that spouse has to make prior arrangements to have a non-regimental grave marker installed onto the grave site.
When ordering a non-regimental grave marker, you have four monument companies in Regina that you can choose from.
a) Regina Memorial Gardens – 1-306-791-6789 (www.regina-memorial.ca)
b) Remco Memorials (1-800-667-5994) – (www.remco-memorials.ca)
c) W.P. Monumental Co. (1-877-352-5253) (www.wpmonumental.com)
d) Young’s Memorials (1-866-352-7372) (www.youngsmemorials.com)
The monument company will want a confirmation of the engraving indicating the spelling and information are all correct. That can be done by fax; e-mail or you can mail back a confirmation of the wording, spelling and dates. The company will guide you through the procedure.
BURIAL IN A COLUMBARIUM NICHE WITH A NON-REGIMENTAL (custom-made) GRAVE MARKER:
The RCMP supplier (granite and bronze) is unable to manufacture the markers for columbarium niches. Therefore, family members will have to contact a private company to have a grave marker custom made. CONSULT THE RCMP CHAPLAIN ABOUT THE DIMENSIONS OF COLUMBARIUM NICHES.
(FOR THE REGINA MEMORIAL COMPANY NAMES – see the list included above)
When you come to “Depot”, bring the cremains (ashes) in an urn that will fit in a niche ). (SEE ABOVE FOR SUGGESTED SIZES OF URNS. If you are planning a service in the Chapel, bring an 8 x 10 photo of the deceased in uniform, a copy of the death certificate and/or cremation certificate. If you would like a small personal memento to go in the niche, please feel free to bring it with you. The estate will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $220.00 on conditions that the marker has at least one reference to the RCMP (either letters or crest). If a second gravesite or columbarium is involved, the RCMP will only pay for one marker.
A family can have any combination of the following:
a) A memorial and interment at “Depot”.
b) A memorial elsewhere and interment at “Depot”.
c) The interment service in the Chapel, followed by a graveside service at “Depot” or elsewhere.
d) Family and friends can gather at the graveside/columbarium for the committal.
COSTS:
There are no charges for the columbarium, burial plot, maintenance of a columbarium niche, burial of urns in the ground, or use of the Chapel.
SUBMITTING THE MEMORIAL/INTERMENT REQUEST:
The person making the request for the deceased member (executor or family member) must fill out and submit the “Funeral Request” form to the Chaplain at “Depot”. The form should indicate that the Employee and Management Relations Section at “E” Division Headquarters ( Lureina Blanchard – 778-290-2671) has approved your request for burial at “Depot”. This form can also be submitted by fax to: 306-780-7520 – Attn: “Depot Chaplain”, or by mail to: RCMP Training Academy “Depot”, Attn: Chaplain, Box 6500, Regina, SK S4P 3J7 or by e-mail to: chapel.depot@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
ADDITIONAL ADVICE:
Prior to leaving for Regina for the memorial or interment ceremony, request confirmation from the “Depot Chaplain” that the grave marker has arrived and has been installed. Grave markers are shipped to the “Depot Works Unit” and then at the request of the Chaplain, installed at the grave site.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chaplain’s Office, RCMP Academy, “Depot” Division, Box 6500, Regina, SK S4P 3J7 – The current Chaplain is Jean Morisset. (jean.morisset@rcmp-grc.gc.ca) Office 306-780-7848 or 306-502-1170.
For additional enquiries or assistance, contact Vancouver Veterans’ Division Guard Coordinator Dan Lemieux at deebeel@telus.net or 604-988-7421.
ADVISORS:
Chaplain Jean Morisset – Regina. Bill Greenslade – Regina. Russ Lefler – Surrey, David Calum – Regina.
