Surrey Detachment: Fallen Members’ Memorial

For this week, Ric Hall’s Photo Corner theme is Surrey Detachment’s “Fallen Members’ Memorial.”

The first member to be killed on duty at Surrey Detachment was Constable Archie Lepine (Reg.# 21512) – July 15, 1960.  Then in the mid-1970, three members were killed in the line of duty with 17 months of each other:

Constable Roger Pierlet – May 29, 1974 – (Reg.#29984);

Constable John Draginda – September 29, 1974 (Reg.#27160) and

Constable John Baldwinson – October 28, 1975 (Reg.#25163).

Shortly thereafter, it was decided to construct a four sided Fallen Members’ Memorial.  On each side of the memorial a bronze plaque was mounted which listed the member’s name and details of surrounding their death.  The memorial was located near the front entrance to the old Cloverdale Detachment office.

Photograph of the old Surrey RCMP Detachment located in Cloverdale with the original Fallen Members’ Memorial dedicated to the members killed in the line of duty (Source of photo – Bill MacWhirter).

With the opening of the new Surrey Detachment at 14355 57 Avenue Surrey BC, the memorial was moved and placed outside the front entrance.  On November 11, 1990, the memorial was re-dedicated by Officers and members of Surrey Detachment.

November 11, 1990 – Photograph of (Left to Right): Insp. Ric Hall, Supt. Don Render (OIC Surrey Detachment), Force Chaplain and Insp. Bob Fenske taken at the re-dedication of the Fallen Members’ Memorial  (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

November 11, 1990 – Photograph of the re-dedication service of the Fallen Members’ Memorial taking place at the front entrance of the new RCMP Detachment building (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

2013 – Photograph of the original Fallen Members’ Memorial situated at the new Surrey Detachment building  (Source of Photo – Sheldon Boles).

2013 – Photograph of the original Fallen Members’ Memorial near the front entrance to Surrey Detachment (Source of photo – Sheldon Boles).

With the untimely death of Constable Adrain Oliver (Reg.#57673) on November 13, 2012, there was no place to mount his bronze plaque on the Detachment’s Fallen Members’ Memorial.  So, it was decided by the Detachment’s senior management to create a new memorial to accommodate Constable Oliver’s name as well any other future members killed on duty.

On November 14, 2014, the new memorial was re-dedicated and is  situated outside the front entrance to Surrey Detachment.

Photographs below provide several views of this new memorial.  A fitting tribute to the five members who dedicated their lives to the citizens of Surrey.

November 2014 – Photograph of the new Fallen Members’ Memorial situated at the front entrance to Surrey Detachment (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

November 2014 – Photograph of the Fallen Members’ Memorial at the main entrance to Surrey Detachment  and clearly lists the five RCMP members killed in the line of duty while serving the citizens of Surrey (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

November 2014 – Photograph of the front entrance to Surrey Detachment with the new Fallen Members ‘ Memorial to the left behind the flag pole (Source of photo – Sheldon Boles).

If you have any Force photographs that Ric Hall can include in a forthcoming Photo Corner webpage, please email him at rshall69@shaw.ca.   Ric will scan the photos and return the originals to you.