The Mysterious White Horse – Part II

One thing is for certain when dealing with the history of the Force, when you write a story of interest there is always someone out there who can add more to it.

The following is just one example. Recently, I wrote an article on the mysterious white horse that appears in several historical pictures of members on parade in Vancouver in and around 1919 and 1921. One of the most well known is of a group 78 officers and members on parade in front of the old Fairmont Barracks stables in April of 1921.   I discovered two more photographs of a group of members on horseback lined up in front of St Paul’s Hospital in 1919 and on a street in Vancouver in 1921.   In the two photographs the white horse is also clearly evident with a young member astride. The white horse’s real name has been lost in time. I have taken writer’s license and named the horse “Old Whitey”. No doubt historically very incorrect. I also referred to Old Whitey’s rider as being a bugler.   It was pointed out to me that I was incorrect in saying he was a bugler.

1921 – Photograph of the RCMP White Horse at Fairmount Barracks (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

I received the following from Charles Armstrong who is a retired Chartered Accountant. He plays the bag pipes and in 2010 he joined the RCMP Pipe Band in Ottawa. He grew up playing trumpets and was intrigued by the trumpets hanging on the wall of the General Mess where the band practiced. There were three of them. In 2012 he was authorized the use of these instruments as the building was being renovated. The Ottawa Vets have allowed him to keep one of those trumpets and return it when he no longer played with the band.

Bugles Or Trumpets?

He reported back that those instruments were  Eb Cavalry Trumpets. He asked what ‘calls’ were played on them? No one had any knowledge of the calls played but that started Charles’ quest to learn more. He got a hold of some of the RCMP brass band vets. They knew nothing but sent him scanned copies of the 1882 book of NWMP of Bugle Calls.  He knew that you don’t play bugle calls on cavalry trumpets. A another mystery to be solved.

Photograph of the NWMP “Bugle Sounds” (Source of photo – Charles Armstrong and the “Depot” Historical Collections Unit).

Photograph of the inside cover of the NWMP Bulgle Sounds (Source of photo – Charles Armstrong and the “Depot” Historical Collections Unit).

Charles Armstrong went to “Depot” in December 2013 for three days. Everyone was very helpful and the Heritage Centre staff were fantastic.   He even discovered there was a cavalry trumpet in the Cadet Band Room.

The NWMP went west with bugles. The 1882 Bugle Book was produced and there are many historic photographs of various NWMP bands and groups of members (and of course their dogs) with the bugler in the front row.

About 1905 after the Boer War the bugles vanished and the cavalry trumpet appeared. The RNWMP from 1905 on played cavalry trumpets.   It is Charles Armstrong’s view that when the members returned from South Africa their claim was that they were Cavalry and not infantry, and they were playing the wrong horn and the wrong calls. Every picture since that date including the white horse pictures, including the stained glass window in the Chapel at “Depot” shows the RCMP playing cavalry trumpets. Many of us during training went to sleep and were woken up by cavalry calls and not by the 1882 NWMP Bugle Calls.

Photograph of a trumpeter at “Depot” beside the original flag pole. The Riding School, now the Drill Hall, in the far off distance (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

Image of the stained glass windows at the RCMP Chapel – “Depot” Division (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection)

Charles has confirmed that in the early 1960’s the Director of Music purchased a number of cavalry trumpets and even made a recording of the cavalry calls. Those recordings no longer exist. All the history regarding bugle and trumpet calls was lost in the 1970s.  It appears that the Force went back to using band trumpets and played army bugle calls.

What are the correct RCMP “calls”? Cavalry trumpet or bugle? What Last Post should we play at RCMP Regimental Funerals? At several events in Ottawa Charles Armstrong has used the RCMP cavalry trumpet and played Cavalry Calls. The Cavalry Last Post is quite different than the bugle version.

“Depot” on their own has gone back to the 1882 Bugle Calls  BUT  they are playing them on a US Field Trumpet. Charles feels from a historical view point this not appropriate.  He believes  that current feeling of the people he deals with in Ottawa is that the Force should just go back to the bugle and the old 1882 calls.

He has gone through the 1882 book call by call and he will tell anyone who will listen where they came from. He can also tell you what calls are unique to the RCMP in that the buglers back in the day have modified many military calls.

There are very few members, serving or retired, who can explain the difference between the trumpet and bugle. For most they are interchangeable. Is the RCMP trade badge a Trumpeter’s Badge or a Bugler’s Badge or are they inter-changeable?

Photograph of a NWMP trumpeter (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

Photograph of a NWMP trumpeter wearing his trumpeter trade badge (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

Photograph of a Force trumpeter trade badge (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

October 1919 – Photograph of a RNWMP trumpeter taken at “Depot” Division (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

Going back in the history of the Force it is well documented that “buglers” were hired as young as fifteen years old. Fred Bagley, Reg # 274, while living in Banff, AB, in 1938, wrote “The ’74 Mounties, The Great March Across the Plains”.   He describes how he was to become a member of the NWMP. “But before becoming a member of that Force (in 1874) which in after years was to become world famous my father had to be reckoned with. He and Colonel French, the Commissioner of the Force, had been old comrades in the Imperial Army, and so my Dad was promptly informed of my criminal intent (joining the NWMP).”

 Bagley goes on; “Then followed a serious confab between the two, the result of which was that my father, in his view of my determination (stupid stubbornness he called it), consented to let me go as Trumpeter for not more than six months. (I may say here that fourteen years elapsed before any of my people saw me again.   I was then a grown man and a Staff Sergeant in the Force).   Fred Bagley retired as Sergeant Major in 1899.

George Cutting, Reg # 10980, answered that question. He was a Trumpeter!  He was enlisted in the Force in 1931 at 17 years of age as a trumpeter (although at the time he could not play the trumpet). He rapidly learned and at his death was the last surviving official trumpeter of the Force.

(Tribute: Trumpeter George Cutting http://www.rcmpveteransvancouver.com/tribute-trumpeter-george-cutting/)

Photograph of RCMP Trumpeter George Cutting (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection).

Veteran Don Klancher in his book “Insignia of the Canadian Mounted Police 1873-1998” noted that in 1890 and 1906 regulations “the Commissioner may appoint twelve boys, not less than fourteen years of age, as buglers.” Later on in 1918 General Orders; “Trumpeter – having attained the age of 18 years, is hereby returned to duty from Trumpeter and appointed a Constable in the R.N.W.M.P”

It appears even to senior members/officers of the Force the bugler and trumpeter were one and the same.

Both Don Klancher in his book and Dr. James Boulton who wrote “Uniforms of the Canadian Mounted Police” noted that uniforms being supplied from England in 1875 for officers found when the shipment arrived it had badges of appointment including crossed trumpets for Mounted trumpeters.

Larry Burden also adds to the mix in his “This Day In The Force” – July 29, 1879; Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald strikes out the military titles for the officer ranks of Captain and Major and changes them to Inspector and Superintendent. Amongst the other changes to rank the new rank of Trumpeter was created.

The trumpeter’ s badge was taken out of service officially 1970.

What say you about the connection between Old Whitey, bugles and trumpets?   Charles Armstrong points out that it is not a “bugler” on the white horse. It is a “trumpeter” playing a “cavalry trumpet”.  In the British Cavalry the trumpeter often had a white horse. The mounted kettle drum players also had different coloured horses.   Charles’ ongoing fight continues – the RCMP from 1905 viewed themselves as cavalry. The Force ditched their bugles, they ditched their bugle calls and started playing cavalry calls on cavalry trumpets. And it appears back in the day, when horses were still so prevalent, the Force even went to the point of seeking out white horses for their trumpeters. It appears that the Mounted Police of British Columbia both the RNWMP and RCMP had Old Whitey as their trumpeter’s horse.

I am very grateful to Charles Armstrong for bringing forward this bit of Force history. For all of us who have viewed the picture of Old Whitely at Fairmont Barracks and thought he was the odd horse out. It is now this one man’s opinion (with a lot help from Charles Armstrong) that Old Whitey was not just the odd horse out.   He was carrying on with a British military tradition of buglers/trumpeters riding white horses.

As Charles acknowledges “I know a lot about a very narrow subject”.   We should be grateful he has a passion for a subject so few know so little about. The next time you here the resonant sounds of the Last Post or Reveille being played at a Remembrance Day Service, RCMP National Memorial Service, BC Police Officers Memorial Service or a funeral service honouring a fallen member, take a moment and think about whether it is being played on a bugle or a trumpet.

It all seemed so simple when I found a picture and said it was a “bugler” on a white horse.   By the time I was finished with trying to figure out the difference between buglers and trumpeters my head hurt!   But it was fun.

Photograph of Charles Armstrong – Volunteer member of the RCMP Ottawa Pipes and Drums.

If you wish to read more on this subject Charles Armstrong also wrote an article for the RCMP Quarterly, Spring 2014 edition: For The Trumpet Shall Sound: Rediscovering Our Regimental Roots.