Honour Roll of the Members of No 1 Provost Coy (RCMP)
KILLED IN ACTION
10063 Cpl Charles James JOHNSTONE (30 January 1924 - 01 May 1941)
Lost at sea as a result of an enemy U-boat attack on the troopship NERISSA.
Commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, NS.

11003 L/Cpl Charles Floyd PATTERSON (27 August 1931 - 25 November 1941)
Accidentally killed while serving overseas.
Buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.

11288 L/Cpl Andrew DRUMMIND-HAY (01 Januray 1910 - 13 July 1942)
Killed in action in North Africa at El Alamein, Egypt.

12572 Lt Peter Seddon OLIVER (22 June 1935 - 19 August 1942)
Killed in action at Dieppe, France.

13205 L/Cpl James Harvard Delamere BEDLINGTON (01 November 1938 - 30 April 1943)
Accidentally killed in a motorcycle accident in Scotland.
Buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.

13064 Sgt. Terence Graham Newcomen WATTS (01 July 1937- 28 December 1943)
Killed by shell fire while serving at Ortona, Italy.
Buried at Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, Italy.

12856 L/Cpl Edison Alexander CAMERON (16 April 1937 - 28 December 1943)
Killed in action while serving at Ortona, Italy.
Buried at Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, Italy
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13157 L/Cpl David Charles Gardner MOON (05 July 1937- 28 December 1943)
Died as a result of shell fire wounds received while serving at Ortona, Italy.
Buried at Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, Italy.

12965 L/Cpl Gordon Evan BONDURANT (01 July 1937- 08 January 1944)
Died as a result of wounds from bomb fragments received while serving at Ortona, Italy.
Buried at Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, Italy.

13678 L/Cpl Kenneth Laurence d'ALBENAS (06 September 1940 - 15 May 1944)
Killed while in his jeep which was destroyed by a Teller mine while serving in Italy.
Buried at Cassino War Cemetery, Italy.

12398 Cpl John Francis Joseph NELSON (19 June 1934 - 22 May 1944)
Killed in action by shellfire while serving in Italy.
Buried at Cassino War Cemetery, Italy.

12108 Cpl Donald Gilbert STACKHOUSE (08 January 1934 - 31 May 1944)
Killed when his motorcycle hit a Teller mine while serving in Italy.
Buried at Cassino War Cemetery, Italy.
This site displays examples of historic uniform and kit that were worn by Members of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP),
the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Images displayed on this site are held by various private collections.
This site is not affiliated with, nor sanctioned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or its wife
.

All rights reserved. © 2010-2022 Ottawa CANADA
CURATOR:
rcmp.collector@gmail.com
The King's Crown cap badge (above, left) was worn by Members who served in the Canadian Provost Corps, No. 1 Company (RCMP) during WWII. The RCMP armband (top) was fashioned after the British Military Police armband. It was made locally in the UK for No. 1 Provost Company members, circa 1940.
A close inspection will reveal a darkening of the green material where the original letters
MP were moved and the letters RC were added.
UNIFORMS & EQUIPMENT
Shortly after the Declaration of War, authority was granted by the Government to recruit a maximum of 120 volunteers from the RCMP. The new unit would be titled No.1 Provost Company (RCMP). Initially, 116 members of the RCMP were accepted for service. With over half of its members eventually being commissioned, No. 1 Provost Company became the nucleus of a truly elite branch of the Canadian military. Due to the number of RCMP Members requesting discharge in order to join the CASF, in 1940 the RCMP Commissioner forbid further transfers.

Many RCMP Members joined the Canadian military during the war, upon the expiration of their contracts with the RCMP.

Ultimately, 215 Members of the RCMP served with No. 1 CProC Company.
Officer's Service Dress uniform (right) of Captain Maurice Edward Byers (RCMP Reg #11965) - Asst Deputy Provost Marshall to the 1st Cdn Army HQ. Byers joined the RCMP in 1933 and then served with the Canadian Provost Company from 1939-45. He rejoined the RCMP after the end of the War, retiring in 1961 as a Sergeant. He died in 1966 in Ottawa.


A well worn King's crown, Canadian Provost Corps cap badge (
below).
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Gendarmerie royale du Canada
Canadian Provost Corps
No. 1 Provost Company
(Above) Originally discovered in a collection from The Hague, Netherlands, a No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP), Canadian Provost Corps corporal's khaki drill brassard, circa 1944. The red square is the distinguishing patch for the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. The elastic band that went around the arm has long since disintegtrated.
The next sets of photos (below) show the obverse and reverse views of embroidered cloth shoulder patch (top), screen printed shoulder patch (middle) and the abbreviated RCMP tab shoulder patch (bottom).
All legitimate patches from the No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP) feature
a RED san serif font, on a BLACK FIELD.
Cloth shoulder title (above), obverse and reverse.
Screened canvas shoulder title (above), obverse and reverse.
Cloth "tab" shoulder title (above), obverse and reverse.
Provost Corps cloth shoulder title (above), obverse view only.
The other ranks brassard shown (right) is one of the standard patterns, locally made, a conversion from the British pattern. The red square is the distinguishing patch worn by The First Canadian Infantry Division; below that is Corporal's chevrons. The brassard shown in this photo belonged to
Cpl. John MacPhee,
No. 1 Provost Coy (RCMP).










The RCMP duty armband (
below) was locally made in Italy circa 1944, and fashioned from the British MP armband. A closer
inspection will reveal the darkened areas from the removed letters
M P which were replaced with R.C.M.P.
A Provost Marshall's brassard (left) - worn by Provost Marshalls, Assistant Provost Marshalls and Deputy Assistant Provost Marshalls.
The distinguishing patch is that of The First Canadian Army, Headquarters.
This was worn as shown here on an officer's tunic with the gilt RCMP KC collar badge.
A black cloth brassard (below) with red letters, secured by 2 metal snaps worn by Provost Corps members (1939-46) assigned to Traffic Control.
This RCMP Captain (right) is wearing the standard army Officer's Service Dress jacket with a khaki drab shirt and necktie. RCMP buttons are worn and the collar badges, rank insignia and CANADA titles appear to be gilt plated brass. The Sam Browne belt is of interest; the buckle is an uncommon flat version and the shoulder brace incorporates a whistle holder. The Service Dress Cap is tilted to the right, possibly recalling the fashion of the RCMP stetson. When berets were worn members also had a penchant for wearing them cocked to the right side.
Warrant Officer Class 1 (RSM) (left) wearing the pre-1942 Warrant Officer Pattern Service Dress. Made of officer quality serge, the jacket is similar in cut to the officer's Service Dress, but has a closed stand and fall collar secured with two hooks and eyes. The jacket has gilt RCMP KC collar badges and buttons, worsted CANADA titles are worn on the sleeves.
The medal ribbon is for the MBE.
Corporal John Edward MacPhee (right) wearing his beret with RCMP cap badge. Note the cloth backing to the cap badge, which was red. His khaki drill duty brassard is pictured above.
Some of the information and images on this page were lifted with permission from the website of
The Canadian Military Police Virtual Museum.
Extensive detail of No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP) is available on their web-site.
Gilt Officer's King's Crown Collar Badges.
Other Ranks King's Crown Collar Badges.
RCMP Brass Shoulder Title
King's Crown (KC) RCMP cap badge (1920-1953).
The Field Service Cap (below, left) was the standard issue soft hat for Other Ranks until late 1942, when it was replaced by the Khaki Beret (below, right). It was worn in Canada and Overseas by all ranks. The Other Ranks pattern was made of a rough wool serge; Officers tended to purchase better quality caps made from the same material as their Service Dress uniform. Officers wore a standard felt forage cap with the RCMP badge (below, middle).
DO YOU RECOGNIZE THESE MEN??
Taken from a Company photograph, marked June 1944, these four officers wearing the RCMP cap badge might possibly be: (from the left): Company Commander Capt. E. Porter; Lt Col E.W. Ball, Deputy Provost marshall HQ, 1st Canadian Army; and two unidentified captains. All are wearing the 1939 Silver Service Chevron on their right sleeves, shirt and tie indicating that they are officers, and the RCMP cap badge on their berets - which was, strictly speaking, against regulations for any personnel not serving in No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP).
Help us identify these four officers from No. 11 Provost Company, June 1944.
Civil Security Police shoulder patch (above) worn on battledress with a beret and a round, cloth beret badge (below) with the same wording and colours. Authorized in the Summer of 1942 for a Security Service for the whole of Canada, under the direction of the Commissioner, RCMP.
Winnipeg, MB, 1940: A group of Reserve RCMP Members put in their papers to join the RCAF to help with the war effort (above). Hundreds of members of the RCMP requested leave of the Commissioner to join the Canadian Armed Forces, and many more joined when their contracts were complete with the RCMP. Many of the members formed the No 1 Provost Corps, RCMP, in World War II.
A) 1939-45 Star; B) Italy star; C) France and Germany star; D) the Defense medal;
E) Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Overseas bar; F) War Medal 1939-45; G) 1967 Confederation Centennial medal, and;
H) RCMP Long Service, Good Conduct medal with 35 years of service gold clasp (3 stars).
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MESS DRESS MINATURE MEDAL GROUP
ATTRIBUTED TO O.470 R.P. HARRISON, No 1 PROVOST COY (RCMP) MEMBER

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The shoulder flash worn on the battle dress and brassards by Members of the No. 1 Provost Coy (RCMP) are highly collectible and much sought after by collectors. As such, collectors should be well advised of the proliferation of bogus reproductions of this flash and take care when acquiring one for their collections.
The flash was produced in both wool/cotton and in printed canvas.
The background is black and the letters are in red, san serif font, capital letters.
Care was taken during production to ensure that the letters were evenly spaced, both top-to-bottom and side-to-side.
The complee flash was carefully cut out from a large sheet - the edges are true and straight.
BOGUS REPRODUCTIONS
The two photos immediatley above show a perfect example of a reproduction. The letters are not even in the spacing or placement, and at certain places the stitching from one letter runs off to the next. The entire flash is poorly cut and the back of the flash has a white material adhering to it. Compare this shoulder flash to the examples higher on up this page and note the differences. This shoulder flash was acquired from an online auction site and the buyer identified it as a copy - but many less scrupulous individuals may not be so forthcoming, so caveat emptor. Refer also to the Post WWII page to help in authenticating KC cap badges, worn by No 1 Provost members.
Front row seated (l to r) Cst. W. DICK, Cst. A.R. ALLEN, Cst. R.C. Fenn, Cst. J.R.R. CARRIERE, Cst. A. LYNAS, Cst. H.C. FORBES, Cpl. W.G. LLOYD,
Cst. A. MacKENZIE, Cst. C.E. QUANTRILL, Cst. J.H. CARCOUX, Cst. G.A. CUTTING, Cst. D.R. SCANLAN, Cst. R.T.W. GARGAN, Cst. T.G.N. WATTS

Second Row seated on chairs Cst. A.W. KING, Cst. L.B. SMITH, Cst. E.F. BURKMAR, Cst. R.W. HULL, Cst. E.F. PUTMAN, Cpl. J. GREEN, Cpl. R.J. KIDSTON,
L/Cpl. A. DRUMMOND-HAY, Cpl. G.W. BALL, Supt. W.R. DAY, Cpl. C.W. GRAHAM, Cpl. E.A. CHAMBERLAIN, Cpl. S.H.G. MARGETTS, Cpl. E. TUTIN,
Cst. J.O.L. BEAULIEU, Cst. W.H. WARNER, Cst. E.A. CAMERON, Cst. G.E. BONDURANT, Cst. H.M. CHILDERSTON

Third Row Cst. D.H. MASON, L/Cpl. R.W. KELLS, Cst. R.G. COPPER, Cst. L.W. PAIGE, Cst. H.L. MARTIN, Cst. S. DALTON, Cst. G.F. CANNING,
Cst. H.F. HAMMOND, Cst. K.G. PEDENSEN, Cst. R. MCGILL, Cst. H.F. LAW, Cst. M.R. STEWART, Cst. J.R. GAUTHIER, Cst. E. PORTER, Cst. C.L. PAYNE,
Cst. W.M OGILVIE, Cst. J.H.B. DOE, Cst. R.H. DUFFY, Cst. N. COOPER

Fourth Row Cst. W. Henderson, Cst. C.A.E. TAYLOR, Cst. A.J. GILLIS, Cst. C. WOOD, Cst. R.P. HARRISON, Cst. C.F. WILSON, Cst. D.M. Beach,
Cst. J.E.B. HALLET, Cst. P.A. ANDERSON, Cst. W.G. STEVENS, Cst. L.S. GRAYSON, Cst. J.R. STEWART, Cst. D.R. HENZIE, Cst. R.T. VESSEY,
Cst. J.D.F. MORRISON, L/Cpl J.H.C. McFEE, Cst. P.S. OLIVER

Fifth Row Cst. H.McCALLUM, Cst. C.J.F. POOLEY, Cst. T.A. BOAL, Cst. L.G. DAGG, Cst. W.G. BAKER, Cst. M.E. BYERS, Cst. G.C. MacKAY,
Cst. J.E. Wild, Cst. J.B. HARRIS, Cst. E.H. STEVENSON, Cst. A. KENT, Cst. C.T. HANMAN, Cst. W.R. PHILLIPS, Cst. D.C.G. MOON,
Cst. A.R. SKELLEY, Cst. R.A. BUTLER, Cst. R.A. OGILVIE, Cst. O. NESS

Back Row Cst. C. STAYNER, Cst. H.J. FITZALLEN, Cst. F.L. PIERCE, Cst. E.G. NORMAN-CROSSE, Cst. N.W.M. DUNS, Cst. A. ROBINSON,
Cst. C.E. NORTHWOOD, Cst. G.W. MUDGE, L/Cpl F.A. LOVE, Cst. J.A. PRIMOSE, Cst. J.W.E. HAYES, Cst. P.L. KEELE, Cst. A. WHITE, Cst. L.A. GIBBS,
Cst. C.L. RAY, Cst. J.A. STEVENSON, Cst. J. GRAY, Cst. E.S.W. Batty, Cst. F.N. CRIEN

Two RCMP Members of
Canadian Provost Corps,
No 1 Company (RCMP)
London 1940
Two RCMP Members serving in the Canadian Provost Corps, No 1 Company (RCMP) during World War II. This photo (left) was taken in London, UK, in 1940.

Pictured are
L/Cpl Alf King (right) wearing the CProC forage cap with KC RCMP cap badge on a dark blue field (the red field, worn by other Allied military police, was authorised for wear later in the war.) Note King is wearing the tab shoulder flash with red RCMP on a black field.

To the
left of King is L/Cpl Edison Alexander Cameron, who was killed in action in 1943 in Italy and is interred in the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery, Italy. He is wearing the field service cap with RCMP badge.

Both men are wearing the mandated haversacks with their gas masks inside. King is likely wearing an armband on his left arm; Cameron would also be wearing one, covered by his great coat.

King was known for an event 7 years prior to this phote being taken. While in Canada, in the Eastern Arctic, he was shot in the chest by a trapper and was transported by another Member by dog sled. His trip for medical assistance covered 85 miles and took 21 hours. King remained with the RCMP after being discharged from service in WWII and died in 1978 in London, ON.
No 1 Provost Coy (RCMP) ID bracelet belonging to
L/Cpl Robin Peter Harrison (1916-2001). Harrison was a Member before the War in A Division, joined the No 1 Provost Company in WWII, and remained with the RCMP after the war, serving in O, HQ, J, & L Divisions. Harrison retired in 1970 with the rank of Superintendent.
Printed canvas shoulder titles were issued, but generally eschewed by Members in favour of the cloth titles. Reproductions of the canvas variety have turned up over the years and below is an example of what to look for - washed out colours, uneven line spacing, missing registration marks at the edges and a tighter weave of the canvas.
No 1 PROVOST COY (RCMP) MEDAL GROUP WITH RCMP LONG SERVICE
ATTRIBUTED TO RCMP REG #12810 SGT KENNETH GEORGE PEDENSEN, No 1 PROVOST COMPANY (RCMP)
RCMP SERVICE IN N & F DIVISIONS, 1935 - 1958
DIED IN CALGARY, AB IN 1975

Early issue flocked Provost Corps shoulder title (above).
Early issue cloth tab Provost Corps shoulder title (above).
Early issue canvas Provost Corps shouldeer title with red cutting marks around border (above).
Early issue cloth Provost Corps shoulder title (above).
A WWII red-on-black cloth brassard worn by Members of No 1 Provost Coy (RCMP) (below).
Produced in theatre by removing the MP from a British Military Police brassard
and having RCMP sewn in its place. The remnants of the original MP can be seen
behind the C and M on the newly created brassard.
Brass snaps are marked
NEWEY BROTHERS LTD B'HAM
Members of No 1 Provost Coy (RCMP) (right) receiving Motorcyle Maintenance training from an NCO. Bending with his hands on his knees and overseeing the sergeant's work appears to be a warrant officer.

Note the khaki battledress uniforms with field service cap and KC RCMP cap badge. The Members are wearing haversacks with their mandatory gas masks inside.

Each Member also has a cloth tab on his shoulder, with the red letters
RCMP on a black background. Below the RCMP cloth tab is a buff lettered CANADA on khaki worsted background.

This photo captures a Sergeant in shirtsleeves with his jacket slung over the handlebars. Each Member was made a Lance Corporal. Military Policemen started at the rank of Lance Corporal to aide them in dealing with the large numbers of private soldiers they came into contact with.
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Prior to the beginning of the Second World War, the state of the Military Police in Canada was limited to a few locally appointed Regimental and Garrison Police. The Canadian Army mobilisation plan envisioned a single infantry division for overseas service and allotted a Provost Company for the division. Serving Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were applying to their Commissioner for release, in order to join the Canadian Active Service Force.