A Magnificent, Monumental, Memorable Mystery

Part VI : August 2011

...by

J. J. (Joe) Healy, RCMP Superintendent, (Rt'd)

with
the kindness and patience of friends
whose identities will soon be revealed

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Dedicated to (deceased) 0.795, Chief Superintendent J. W. 'Jack' White
Police Officer, Historian and Friend
January 1, 1931 to February 22, 2011

Jack now knows the secret answer to a tremendous Canadian mystery

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A Mystery Series

Part VI

'Of Loss, Loneliness and Legacy'

'HELL IS A PLACE WHERE MEN ARE FORGOTTEN
WHERE SOULS LIE IN ANGUISH AND SORROW'S BEGOTTEN' (J.J.Healy)

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RCMP Commissioner Apprised Of Mystery

Late in the afternoon of July 21, 2011, I informed Commissioner William J. S. Elliott that a Magnificent, Monumental, Memorable Mystery which involved a distinguished, long deceased Officer had been solved by a small group of volunteer Canadians.

The Commissioner should not be caught off guard if the Mystery about Assistant Commissioner Eames was to be picked up by the press. In his reply, the Commissioner expressed his appreciation for the alert.

My message to the Commissioner follows here. However, I recommend the reader first becomes well informed about the medical issue of forgetfulness. Although Assistant Commissioner A. N. Eames led a courageous life, one must speculate whether or not forgetfulness played a role in the last days of his dramatic life.

Is it possible that Assistant Commissioner Eames was forgotten...forgotten...?

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Forgetful Aims

Among aging Canadians, forgetfulness is a fear which will not go away. Small, yet early 'lapses' may be a sign of worse clinical pronouncements to follow. Slight memory loss hypothetically begins at birth -- that is, if one accepts that the overriding purpose of birth is to die. Yet, memory loss can affect people at any point of life, notwithstanding well intended aims never to forget. To forget where one left one's glasses, or a book, or to forget gas for the car may seem minor.

But, persistent forgetfulness is more problematic as it may lead the patient into harm. Interestingly, in clinical trials, well trained police officers can also experience forgetful episodes when they try to accurately reconstruct their thoughts and observations after an accident. Memory plays an important part of a police officer's career if he or she is called as a credible witness.

As an aside, I recall one journalist on television (see, I've forgotten his name) speaking about his perceptions of the public. It seemed to him that people had forgotten, in some situations, how to behave. To him, some people expressed their feelings in contradictory ways -- we might say odd. For instance, a father will cry when his first child is born. Yet, others might be gleeful (or, relieved) when a person dies -- perhaps a rich life has come to a natural close. Cry for a gift given, laugh at a loss. In short, at times, people let their guard down. They forget -- so to speak. New life is natural and death is also natural. Both acts are part of the cycle of human generations, and no matter how one responds, the fact that death follows life has been wholly accepted by all cultures.

Forgetfulness is not wished on anyone because the condition is far from being thoroughly understood. An Ottawa friend who is a neuropsychologist tells me that puzzle-like-games of varying difficulty are used in the clinical assessment of patients who suffer mental ailments related to aging. Essentially, the choice of puzzles which the doctor chooses is determined by factors such as the age and health of the patient plus cues which the professional will pick up during a pretest interview. My friend's explanation of the methodology used to measure precise degrees of forgetfulness sounded very logical, sound and simple. But, my wife uses a less precise measuring tool. As a woman, she just seems to know that I persistently experience forgetfulness on Saturday mornings when the grass requires mowing. Anyway, measuring forgetfulness is science and I get the general drift of the scientific method.

A basic awareness of the natue of forgetfulness is important to the reader because as this Mystery unraveled it drove the Investigative Team in several directions, taking them on more twists and turns than the Montreal Grand Am.

Eighteen months ago, I received a very curious message from Mr. Keatley. He probably did not realize the furor of activity which would result from the few typed lines that he sent to me. As soon as I read the name A. N. Eames, I was startled to attention. I could not believe that one of the most illustrious members of the Force and one of my personal heroes seemed to be unaccounted for in death. Quickly on the heals of the realization that a mystery was embedded in the final chapter of A/Comm'r Eames' life came my resolution to solve the mystery and to as best as I was able to rectify what seemed to be a past error.

Message to Commissioner William J. S. Elliott
July 21, 2011

Dear Commissioner Elliott,

Urn and remains finally found: Officer Number 0.209, Reg. # 5700, Assistant-Commissioner Alexander Neville Eames, Officer In Charge (Inspector) of Western Arctic District and responsible for the ‘Mad Trapper’ Investigation – end of 1931 and early 1932.

Greetings from an Ottawa retiree and Vet volunteer. My name is retired Supt. Joe Healy, formerly OIC Peacekeeping Branch. You might recall that my wife, Cathy, and I met you and your wife on the train in Montreal several months ago.

As a sincere courtesy to you and the RCMP, I want you to be the first to know that a long time ‘Mystery’ has been solved. I think you ought to be aware of the ‘Solved Mystery’ as the story may soon hit the popular press.

Even before I left the Force in 2001, I had begun work on a list of NWMP, RNWMP and RCMP names and the location of their graves. Finding graves of members and caring for them has been an interest for me, along with other Vets, over many, many years.

Today, I maintain a database of about 18,000 deceased members’ names going back to 1873. Thousands of members’ graves have been located and photographed across Canada and around the world. I am very, very grateful for all the research, contributions, ideas and foot work which has been done by members, vets, friends and families.

I think you will find the following story fascinating. At this time of your career in the Force, you might consider the item as a ‘good news’ story?

Background:

About eighteen months ago, I received a short note of concern from a friend, Mr. Reg Keatley, living in Calgary, AB. In his note, Mr. Keatley said that he had done some preliminary research on the location of Reg.#5700, A/Comm'r Eames’ grave but that he could not find it. He suspected A/Comm'r Eames had been cremated, but the Burnaby, BC funeral home could not locate his urn. Very, very mysterious, so I decided to take action.

I began a series of lengthy, discreet, long distance telephone calls with the funeral home. What if the story leaked out before his urn was found?

Did someone forget to bury A/Comm'r Eames? It's a dilly of a question for Canadians familiar with RCMP history.

Company records clearly showed that the cremation on A/Comm’r Eames had taken place in January 1965. But, the funeral home could not find A/Comm’r Eames’ urn. One problem, I learned, was that old urns (going back to the 1960's) were not organized on a company computer, thus a search of the property and its buildings would be extremely time consuming for staff.

For several months leading up to Christmas 2010, the funeral home reported that they had no luck finding A/Comm'r Eames’ urn. In the meantime, I had secretly told my wife that a 'special out of town guest' might be arriving from the West coast on Air Canada for Christmas. Let's just say that 'our guest' did not fly into Ottawa as we had hoped. Instead, 'our guest' had to spend another Christmas in a dark, solitary closet somewhere in Burnaby, BC.

In January 2011, the funeral home called with very, very exciting news. In fact, the employees at the funeral home were equally excited as me. A grounds keeper employee assigned to the search for the Eames urn had finally found it six long months after the search had first started. It was found in the midst of many thousands of forgotten urns. The funeral home assured me that the urn would be immediately shipped to me in Ottawa via Air Canada.

True to their word, later in January 2011, the funeral company put the special parcel on Air Canada. I was very, very relieved as I finally was about to take possession of Assistant Commissioner Eames’ remains. I never guessed that I would meet one of my long time heroes under these circumstances.

I felt very sorry for A/Comm'r Eames and the circumstances which led me to believe that he had been forgotten for about forty-six years. I also thought back to my first arrival at Burnaby Detachment from 'Depot' in 1965 just a few weeks after he had been cremated. In fact, I had cause to visit the funeral home in 1965 when a friend had passed away. Little did I realize that A/Comm'r Eames was waiting nearby, probably asking himself why 'new recruit Healy' didn't rescue him and bury him properly?

I spent about eighteen months in Burnaby before my transfer down Surrey way. So I had driven by the funeral home a thousand times on duty. Anyway, his parcel finally arrived but it was tossed to me by the post man as a football. I signed for the safe keeping of A/Comm’r Eames’ and I mailed the officials documents back to the funeral home. The employees of the funeral home deserve tons of credit for their persistence. I am very appreciative. The employees searched as diligently as the RCMP had pursued the half frozen crazed man of years ago. A/Comm'r Eames would have been proud.

Since January 2011, the urn containing A/Comm'r Eames' remains has been properly, safely and respectfully stored.

I soon called an ‘ole, trusted, proven friend and historian in the Force for quiet advice. Superintendent Brian Brennan of ‘H’ Div, Halifax, NS generously gave me private time to discuss eventual burial strategies and burial locations, ideas related to the Force and lots of encouragement as I began to write the first instalment of a Monumental, Memorable Canadian Mystery.

I needed more time to determine if any relatives of A/Comm'r Eames are living. So, rather than release the Eames' story too early, I decided to write a Mystery about A/Comm’r Eames, his career and especially his involvement with 'The Mad Trapper’ case. A/Comm’r Eames was no ordinary member of the Force. He is a legend, not only in the history of the Force, but in Canadian history. The pursuit activities of The 'Mad Trapper' by he and his posse were heard on radio by people around the world in 1932. It was Eames' idea to employ an airplane (piloted by Wop May) for the first time to help the police in an investigation.

History of A/Comm’r Alexander Neville Eames

A/Comm’r. Eames was born in Wales in 1883 – if alive, he would be 128 years of age. He sailed to Canada and joined the RNWMP in Regina, SK in 1913 at age 29 years. Over his 33 year career, he was promoted through the ranks. He was promoted from Superintendent to Assistant Commissioner when was appointed as CO ‘H’ Div.

As a constable, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was attached to the Canadian Light Horse Regiment as a Lance Corporal and served in Great Britain and France from May, 1918 to March 1919. He was awarded the General Service Medal and the Victory Medal.

A/Comm'r Eames was 49 years of age in 1932 at the time of the ‘Mad Trapper’ investigation and pursuit. In those days, he was the Inspector, Officer In Charge of the Western Arctic.

In July 1946, he received the very distinguished honour of being received into the Order of the British Empire. Shortly thereafter, A/Comm'r Eames retired to Vancouver, BC on August 15, 1946. His pension was calculated to be $3700.00 per annum.

A/Comm’r. Eames died in 1965 at age of 81. A religious service was held for him at a funeral home in North Vancouver, BC. According to newspaper accounts his service was well attended by members of the Force as well as two elderly sisters from Wales. After his service, his body was taken to Burnaby for cremation. Records show that his wife paid for the funeral service and his cremation.

Many years later, his wife, Margaret Louise Eames died in 1983 at age 100 years. Mrs Eames had lived another eighteen years after her husband had been cremated -- but not buried? That's the secret mystery. One could speculate why A/Comm'r Eames was not buried -- perhaps Mrs Eames could not afford a burial or maybe she forgot?

A/Comm’r. Eames’ final remains were left untouched at the Burnaby funeral home since 1965 until 2011 – 46 years after he died.

The Eames’ had no children. His siblings have long died. At the present time, I am trying to contact distant relatives in Wales and in Western Canada. It is my hope to consult with whomever I find about a burial service sometime in the future. I intend to places notices in the national press and some newspapers on the West coast.

If a relative of A/Comm'r Eames is found, I’d like to arrange an RCMP burial service perhaps at the RCMP National Cemetery in Ottawa or at ‘Depot’ in Regina, SK or at a cemetery in Vancouver, BC. Until I exhaust all searches for relatives, I cannot finalize plans for his burial. The Commissioner's Office will be kept informed of my progress as well as the Ottawa Vets Association.

Yes, the urn of A/Comm’r Eames has been found in Burnaby, BC and now safely stored in Ottawa, ON. But, what were the reasons for Mrs Eames to leave her husband's cremated remains forever ‘forgotten’?

That's another story. Another mystery.

Yours truly,

J. J. (Joe) Healy,
Reg.#23685

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Commissioner Elliott's Reply

Dear Supt. Healy;

'Thank you very much for your e-mail and for sharing the tale of the discovery of Assistant Commissioner Eames' remains. I recall meeting you in Montreal. I believe we also met some time back in Ottawa.

I will speak [about this matter] in Ottawa when I return next week. I am out of town at the moment.

I hope you are well.

Thank you again.

William Elliott

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My Discovery Team Revealed

I sought help and advice of close friends who helped me with a Magnificent, Monumental, Memorable, Canadian Mystery. This Mystery would not have been solved without the help of this fine Team. I am very, very appreciative to all of them.

I am very appreciative to Mr. Reg Keatley (The Regent) for alerting me that something was amiss with A/Comm’r Eames’ grave. It could not be found! It was missing!

Mr. Keatley was alarmed that a senior Officer of the Force might not have been properly buried. Solid clues dug up by Reg lead to this case being solved!

Thank you Reg!

Christine (The Administrator) works at the funeral home. She was pleasant and helpful from the moment that she learned of my plight. Christine helped me immensely with the discovery of A/Comm'r. Eames' urn and its safe delivery to me. Christine also promptly returned many, many phone calls.

Thank you Christine!

Superintendent Brian Brennan (The Zipper) of ‘H’ Div, Halifax, NS generously gave me his private time to discuss burial issues related to the Force. He was also full of encouragement as I wrote each Part of a Memorable Canadian Mystery. As well, Supt. Brennan was my on-call spell checker.

Thank you Brian!

I am very, very appreciative to my friend Don Lintott (Dr. Don) of Vancouver, BC. Don and his wife Deirdre, along with their daughter Laura visited our home in Ottawa during the summer of 2010. While the Lintott's visited, I explained the Eames' file to Don and asked him to represent me, as a colleague, at the funeral home in Burnaby. Don quickly agreed. Don visited the funeral home and established a professional contact on my behalf. The funeral home agreed, through 'Dr. Don', to respect my wish that the search for the Eames' urn become a priority. Don enjoyed being asked to help me in 'an undercover discovery of the dead' capacity. Don's role to keep continual contact with the funeral home was very important as I was kept up to speed on a regular basis.

Thank you Don and Deirdre!

Two friends, Mr. Gerry Vullings of Ottawa and Mr. Robert O’Rourke of Peterborough (The Paper Boys) helped me expertly with computer searches and genealogical materials on A/Comm’r Eames’ family background. Genealogical work is time consuming and I appreciate their expertise, their ability to get through ‘the maze’ of details and the hours they devoted to the research.

Thank you Gerry and Bob!

Retired Deputy Commissioner Herman Beaulac, a friend for forty years, made a very special, decorative oak box for A/Comm’r Eames’ remains. Herman (The Carpenter) eagerly agreed to help me, freely, long before I told him for whom I required the urn.

Thank you Herman!

Complications

I learned one aspect about funeral homes from the Eames' case. Many, many, years ago when the practice of cremation was first introduced into Canada, people held the idea that a 'cremation' also included the full burial phase including a service. Such was not the intention of funeral homes. After the cremation of a family member, when they were told that an additional cost was attached to the next phase (burial), they decided to leave the remains in the care of the funeral home versus taking responsibility for them. Over many years, funeral businesses have been left with thousands and thousands of unclaimed remains. A/Comm'r Eames was just one case among the thousands of urns which were 'forgotten'. The particular reason for A/Comm' Eames being assigned to loneliness in a cupboard in not yet understood.

I was told that, that under provincial law, remains of a person must be retained by the funeral home until they are claimed by a rightful person(s).

In the Eames Mystery case there was a 'faint hope clause' at work. The funeral home said that among the thousands of unclaimed urns are hundreds which have tags with illegible/faded writing. Thus, each 'urn' with an illegible tag would have to be opened (one by one) and a metal identification ID marker inside the urn would have to be retrieved then cross referenced against the Log. If the writing on A/Comm'r Eames' temporary urn had not been clearly readable, much more time would have been required to search for and scan the metal ID marker.

As the months rolled by, I was hoping for a 'slight' possibility that the writing had not faded from 1965 and that A/Comm'r Eames would breeze though without more verification. In our case, the sun did rise -- the writing on the urn by the funeral home employees in 1965 can clearly be read and the writing identifies A/Comm'r Eames as the sole occupant. A/Comm'r Eames deserved to be set free -- he mused that his space was getting too crowded much like an RCMP cellblock in Burnaby Detachment after a house party northside. He much preferred open, stary skies with no limits.

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Legacy of Assistant Commissioner Alexander Neville Eames, O.B.E.

To close, I would like to present a short sketch of A/Comm'r. Eames for I began to read about him many years ago. I would like to have met him. One is struck by his eyes. They look warm, kind, gentle and thoughthful. One perceives, through his eyes, that he is not a threat. His skin is tight. It's also dark from overexposure to the sun. It's as smooth as a newly purchased piece of duck tape.

He was always a person of special interest because of his leadership in the 'Mad Trapper' file. I have often thought, for instance, about the weeks and days that he was away from his wife.

I have thought about the Arctic cold and how the cold must have affected him. In all likelihood he and his men were not clothed warmly for the severe conditions that they had to face. I have wondered if he was able to sleep satisfactorily under the cold conditions. It's not too far a stretch of the imagination to consider that two men sleeping and huddled closely together would be a natural strategy to stay alive. The dogs too would be helpful sleeping companions provided they had been sufficiently fed.

The dogs were a vital part of Inspector Eames' planning. Each man in the pursuit knew that the dogs had to be constantly cared for and fed. Inspector Eames was the first and foremost person in authority so he had the men to care for first, but the dogs were the answer to further travel or help in an emergency. Under his leadership, he must have ensured that everyone took turns with chores such as feeding the dogs or settling them from fights.

Then Inspector Eames must have been a leader whom his men respected and admired. He and his men had to work together and live together for weeks and weeks. Under Arctic conditions, Inspector Eames would have had to listen as well as talk. The men in his posse also had personal experiences in the north. He would only be a wise leader if he listened to their advice. If there was to be a team, the team depended on team collaboration.

Any materials in 1932 that might have made a tent could not be compared to new fabrics of today. It's likely that he and his men counted stars night after night whether it was for a pursuit or any investigation. Tarps were available in the 1930, but tarp is heavy and after a heavy storm it will leak or absorb water. The point about tarp is that Inspector Eames and his men would not have found it comfortable.

Years ago, the light went out for A/Comm'r Eames when he died and was cremated. But, presently I feel that another light has been turned on -- a light of renewal now that his remains have been discovered. It is my view that every life is special. My sentiments for A. N. Eames are special yet also very memorable. First, because of his courageous reputation in the 1932 Arctic case. But, I also feel as though I had a close encounter with him when I was given a unique opportunity by Supt. Pantry in the early 1970's to read police reports by Inspector Eames. Then finally, I think that we might nearly have met in Burnaby in 1965 - he was being cremated and I was being incubated into the Force.

A/Comm'r Eames was especially known for his humility. Yet, I think he deserved every promotion he received in the RCMP. He undertook his share of cross Canada transfers. He served in World War I. He was married, but he and his wife probably didn't spend as much time together as they would have preferred. He never wrote a book about his experiences and accordingly to legend, he rarely spoke of his Arctic experiences. He never boasted about his past. In spite of his accomplishments and the dangers he faced, few people would recognize him. Later in his career, while in the RCMP, he became the senior Superintendent. It was from the Superintendent rank that he sprung to an Assistant Commissioner. His reputation was solidly based on rightful obedience to his superiors and dependability.

By all indications and norms in policing, one would think that an RCMP Assistant Commissioner would be considered highly successful in his profession. And in nearly every aspect of his career, A/Comm'r Eames was. But, in death he was forgotten and the reasons for him to be set aside may never be known.

I considered it as being never too late to meet A/Comm'r Eames. It is a very special honour for me to care for his final remains and to ensure that he receives a respectful burial. I can assure the reader that he has been kept warm so that if he ever awoke, he would welcome the warmth of Ottawa over the Arctic. He has been long, long dead, but I often wished that I could review his career and the circumstances which forged us together.

If A/Comm'r Eames awoke, I have mused that his first sentence to me would be...'You're too slow and you sure took your time!'

The mystery attached to finding out what had happened to A/Comm'r Eames' remains post cremation has been solved.

Why he was forgotten and relagated to the dark recesses of a funeral home is another mystery that cannot be fully understood.

This concludes the Monumental, Memorable Canadian Mystery. After plans are firmly arranged for a Memorial Service for A/Comm'r Eames a final chapter will be written.

This is the end of Part VI
July 23, 2011

There are seven parts to this Mystery Series

Part VII will be published on August 23, 2011

J. J. (Buffalo Joe) Healy

Reporting from the Fort,

J. J. Healy, Reg.#23685, Grandson

to adopted Officer 0.209 / Reg.#5700,
Assistant Commissioner Alexander Neville Eames, O.B. E.
Royal North West Mounted Police

Born 1883. Died 1965. Recovered 2011.

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CLICK HERE : BUFFALO BLOG

Posted from Fort Healy, Canada. Circa 1932


'Maintain Our Memories'

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www.rcmpgraves.com

Part I : March 2011 - 'A Long Awaited Parcel Arrives'

Part II : April 2011 - 'Heroes in My Life'

Part III : May 2011 - 'Murder : No Small Matter'

Part IV : June 2011 - 'A Family Matter : A Well Kept Secret'

Part V : July 2011 - Officer 0.209, A.N. Eames 'Of Life and Lore'

Part VI : August 2011 - A.N. Eames 'Of Loss, Loneliness and Legacy'

PART VII WILL BE PUBLISHED WHEN BURIAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE FINALIZED

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