After more than half a century, a deceased RCMP officer has finally been recognized for his service.
Among a small gathering of family and RCMP veterans on July 9, an RCMP regimental marker of service was placed on the grave of Staff Sergeant Gordon Carlyle Ellwyn. The deceased officer served in the RCMP for over 18 years before his death in 1961.
Judy Blacker, Gordon’s niece, travelled from Richmond for the ceremony. “I think it’s great that they’re choosing to do this now and recognize those people that chose to serve the country,” she said.
It was a simple matter of omission that Gordon’s grave was never marked, explained RCMP veteran Terry Courte. “The RCMP, all our graves are very important to them, but sometimes graves get lost in the shuffle.”
Courte was the one who found there was an unmarked RCMP grave in the Cranberry Cemetery. He was taking part in the RCMP Veterans’ Association’s new initiative to find the graves of old officers that haven’t been recognized.
Gordon joined the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) in 1918 and went on to serve in the RNWMP cavalry during WWI. After the war, he served in both the Saskatchewan and Manitoba Provincial Police. When the latter became the RCMP in 1932, Gordon continued to serve dutifully until his retirement 18 years later, after which he moved to Powell River to be with his family.
Though he and his wife never had any children, Gordon was well-loved by his nieces and nephews. One nephew, Terry Ellwyn, still remembers the stories his uncle told him.
“If he saw a guy and a girl in a car, and the girl was basically sitting on the guy’s knee, he would pull over the car and ask for the girl’s driver’s licence, not the driver’s,” Terry said, laughing.
Terry agreed it’s great his uncle’s grave is receiving an RCMP marker, even if it’s many years later. “Having his name on there with nothing, nobody knew,” Terry explained.
Niece Jan Deptuck also remembers her uncle fondly. At the ceremony, she recounted a speech he gave her after she had gone to the bar one night. “I got a lecture about always keeping my back to the wall, and if there was any trouble, to duck,” she said.
At the ceremony, a cork board with old pictures of Gordon was also set up, including at least six of him in uniform.
Staff Sergeant Andy Brinton of Powell River RCMP, in full RCMP uniform despite the blistering heat, also spoke at the gathering. He said he was honoured to be a part of ceremony recognizing one of the original members of the RCMP.
“He was an officer from day one. Obviously he had a passion for it,” said Brinton. “It’s a pleasure to be doing this.”
Deptuck’s closing words at the gathering echoed this sentiment. “We, as his family, know he and [his wife] would be very pleased with the headstone and ceremony today in his honour.”
