Vet of the Month : May, 2008

by

J. J. (Buffalo Joe) Healy

To commemorate the 135th anniversary of the RCMP on May 23rd, 2008, we take time to remember a man who was among the first to join the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1874 and who rode in the March West. With so many others, he faced the unknown challenges of the Canadian west and did his duty as a Mounted Policeman. He’s our first Vet of the Month.

Our Vet was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. At 19 years of age, he successfully joined the NWMP. One can speculate about his desire to join the NWMP; he may have been seeking work or perhaps he wanted to travel or perhaps he heard about the opening of the Canadian west and was looking for adventure.

He enlisted in the NWMP at Kingston on March 28th, 1874 as Regimental #o165. Soon after in Toronto, it is known that Commissioner French warned the early recruits of the dangers that lay ahead. He said: “…I plainly told them that they would have, and must expect, plenty of hardship; they might be wet day after day, and have to lie in wet clothes; that they might be a day or two without food, and that I feared they would often be without water, and I called on any present who were not prepared to take their chances of these privations to fall out…there were plenty of good men to take their places”.(Cruise & Griffiths, p.176-177).

Our young and gritty recruit did not quit. Within three months, he was squaded into ‘F’ Division - the last Troop in the column of men which formed the March West. He rode a bay steed and he resolutely completed the journey from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba to present day Alberta, a distance of over 900 miles.

Our Vet’s Police Service Record is sparse, however, we are still able to gain a glimpse into his career and garner a sense of his personality from the details that are available. Also, we can place him in context as much is known about the difficulties faced by both the early pioneers and the police patrols who sought to tame the West.

Accounts tell of the exhaustion of the NWMP men as they plodded westward. They worked without proper food, equipment or rest. Uniforms were ill-fitted and of poor quality offering little protection from the unpredictable weather. Whenever they could sleep it was on ant infested ground.

If addition to foul weather, bugs and flies tormented both horse and rider. Stories are told whereby horses had to be destroyed by their police owners because of the unendurable torture suffered due to clouds of flies which got into the animals’ nostrils and eyes. Indeed men suffered as well, and neither doctors nor dentists were available to ease pain and cure illness. Such were the conditions faced by our recruit.

Strict military discipline was not a strong attribute of most of the early NWMP recruits. Our Vet certainly fell into that category and very likely he found the adjustment into police ranks very difficult and testy. Early in his career, he had several charges brought against him by Senior Officers.

In July, 1874 he was changed with: ‘Not complying with an order’ and fined $3.00. In August, 1874 he faced three more disciplinary charges, including: ‘Insolence’, ($2.00 fine), 'Disobedience of an order by riding in a wagon’ ($2.00 fine) and ‘Neglect of duty in allowing a horse to get away’ (fine $10.00).

In September, 1874, he was again cited for another ‘Disobedience of an order’ and fined $15.00. Given that he was making .75 a day, one can see that he had trouble saving any of his earnings. As the fines increased, it also seems that our constable changed his ways as there were no more disciplinary matters noted in his record.

He served in the NWMP for 3 years and 44 days before taking his discharge, at Fort Macleod as ‘time expired’ on May 11th, 1877. In the NWMP, at that time, all members served for a specific period of time and if they were not interested in further service, then their ‘time expired’ and they were discharged accordingly.

Upon his discharge at age 22, he appeared slight of build and stood at 5’7” tall. His eyes were grey, his hair was brown and his complexion was described as ‘fresh’. One can get a fairly good visual image of our Vet from this description.

He returned to Kingston where he became a sailor and Captain on the Great Lakes. He died in 1920 and he is buried in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario. His occupation is listed as ‘Captain’ in the Cemetery Registry.

Cherry is a surname familiar to Canadians and our Vet of the Month is Sub/Constable John T. Cherry. Our brave and gritty figure is the paternal grandfather of Canada’s famous Coach’s Corner CBC hockey commentator, Mr. Don Cherry.

We tip our Stetson to John T. Cherry of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP).

Source: Cruise, D., & Griffiths, A. (1996). The Great Adventure: How The Mounties Conquered The West. Toronto: Penguin Books Canada Ltd.

Posted from Fort Healy, Canada

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Again, I am deeply appreciative to Vet Jack O’Reilly of Toronto for his encouragement and input. Jack and I received letters from Mr. Don Cherry in which he expressed his gratitude to all RCMP Vets for locating and caring for the grave sites of deceased members of the Force.

I would also like to acknowledge the help with research provided by my friend Glenn Wright, RCMP Historian. Glenn provided details of John T. Cherry’s life which made this story more authentic.

I am also very grateful to Ms Bernadette Freeburn, Administrator of St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery for helping me locate John Cherry’s grave site.

Mr. Don Cherry's note to Toronto Vet Jack O'Reilly

Dear Jack,

Thanks so much for taking the time to write and for the information about my Grandfather. It is great to know the Mounties are looking after their comrades.

You're the best, Don.

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Mr. Don Cherry's photo and note to Ottawa Vet (Buffalo Joe) Healy

Dear Joe,

Thanks so much for the letter, and yes I am proud that my grandfather John T. Cherry was a mountie and did the famous March West. To my sorrow, I do not know much about his time in the mounties.

I know when he joined and when he left, my father did not tell me much. I know when he left the mounties, he became a sailor and then a captain for 40 years on the Great Lakes. If you could find a picture of John T. I would be grateful as I don't have a picture of him.

Thanks for including my grandfather in your database, Don.

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Grave Markers (2008) of Reg.#o165 Sub/Constable John T. Cherry

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A selection of photos follow. They were take at the Memorial Service
held in honour of Reg.o165 S/Constable John T. Cherry (faternal grandfather to Mr's Don and Dick Cherry) on November 16, 2011 in Kingston, Ontario.

CLICK HERE : BUFFALO BLOG

Fort Healy, Canada. Circa 1874

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