Did You Know ...? Fun Facts

Did you know that a saddle cloth or horse blanket is called a "shabrack"? (see also: Saddles of the RCMP )

Did you know that the brand of the RCMP - “MP” fused together, was registered in 1887?

You can see the brand on the rear corner of the shabrack.

Did you know that Stuart Zachary Taylor Wood, the 8th commissioner of the Force was the great grandson of Zachary Taylor the 12th president of the United States?

Did you know that streets, roads, buildings, towns and geographical features have been named for personnel of the Force?

Many members of the Force have had their names immortalized by places in Canada being named after them. A recent publication has compiled information on these places: Honoured in Places. Remembered Mounties Across Canada by William J. Hulgaard and John W. White (Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd., 2002).

Did you know that the St. Roch was built in 1928 to serve as a supply vessel and floating detachment in the Arctic? Did you know it was named after a parish in Quebec City?

The St. Roch was built at North Vancouver by the Burrard Dry Dock Company. The ship was named after a parish in the Quebec City constituency of the Honourable E. Lapointe, Minister of Justice, responsible for the RCMP.

Did you know that the Dempster Highway in the Yukon was named after Inspector William John Dempster for his service in the north?

Dempster went to the Yukon in 1898 and served there for 36 and a half years. The saga of the “Lost Patrol” is a memorable and dramatic event in Canadian history. A patrol led by Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald left Fort MacPherson in late December 1910 with mail and documents, headed for Dawson. When it was evident the patrol was overdue Dempster was chosen to head a search party. He headed out February 28, 1911, under severe weather and hazardous conditions.

After tracing snow covered tracks through hundreds of miles of wilderness and bitter cold the bodies of the Fitzgerald patrol were found. Dempster’s diary of the search party and the tragic happenings of the ill-fated patrol have left a milestone in northen police history.

Did you know that the last dog sled patrol was in 1969?

The last dog sled patrol was from Old Crow, Yukon Territory to Fort McPherson, N.W.T., a distance of some 500 miles. There were two teams with a total of 21 dogs.

Did you know that women first engaged as regular members of the RCMP in 1974?

The first female troop of regular members commenced training September 1974 and graduated from Depot March 1975.

Did you know that the son of the famous English novelist Charles Dickens was a member of the North-West Mounted Police?

Francis Jeffrey Dickens engaged on November 4, 1874 and served in the Force until March 1, 1886.

Did you know the RCMP has its own tartan?

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Force, a tartan specific to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was approved and designed in1998. The rich and symbolic colours of the Tartan are taken from the Force's uniform and badge: Dark blue is the colour of the traditional breeches worn by Members and is also evocative of the shabrack (or saddle blanket) used by the Musical Ride; Scarlet is for the world renowned Red Serge tunic; Yellow represents the cavalry stripes on the breeches of the ceremonial uniform, the band on the hat and crown, as well as the gilt letters on the badge; Sienna Brown evokes the bison at the centrepiece of the badge and symbolizes Canada's expansive western plains and the heartland of the RCMP; Forest Green epitomizes the maple leaf, a distinctly Canadian symbol; White is reminiscent of the lanyard of the ceremonial uniform, it also evokes the link between the Force and Canada's First Nation Peoples for whom white has special spiritual significance, symbolizing strength and endurance-traits embodied by the RCMP legacy; and Sky blue elicits both the background of the badge as well as the beret worn by Members when acting as United Nations Peacekeepers.