Trooper of the North West Mounted Police 1876. Artist: R.J. Marrion. Canadian War Museum.
Canadians are very proud of their Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and today thousands are expected to attend a funeral service in Edmonton to honour Constable David Wynne who was killed in the line of duty last week. Across the country, Canadians will wear red in support of the RCMP and in memory of Constable Wynne.
If your ancestor served with the RCMP, known as the North-West Mounted Police until 1920, you are likely curious about their service.
Several years ago, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police transferred the service files for all members who joined prior to 1920 to Library and Archives Canada (LAC). If one of your relatives served with the RCMP, these records could be a gold mine.
An RCMP archival archivist explained how long the police service retains the files: “RCMP Service and Personnel files have a retention of 100 years from the date of birth of the ex-member. In other words, after a member is Struck of Strength (SOS) his/her file will/could stay dormant for upwards of an additional 40 years.”
After the retention period is over, the RCMP analyzes the service files. If they meet the criteria, they are sent to LAC. Files that do not meet the criteria are destroyed, but there is an initiative underway to digitize these files before they are destroyed.
The archivist added: “We understand they are extremely sought-after files that hold fantastic information for genealogical requests.”
Records at LAC
The identifier for all RCMP files at LAC is Record Group (RG) 18. Only a very small percentage of records is online. Information on RCMP (North West Mounted Police) files at LAC is available here.
If you are not sure if your relative was a member of the RCMP, you should contact Library and Archives Canada.
Post-1920 service files
The service files for members who served with the force after 1920 are still in the possession of the RCMP and are subject to the Access to Information and Privacy Acts. Any member can file a request under the Privacy Act in order to obtain a copy of their service file. In order to do so, they will need to complete a Privacy Act request, and submit it to the following address:
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
73 Leikin Dr. Mail
Stop 061
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R2
RCMP Annual Reports
The RCMP Annual Reports were published on a yearly basis as a part of the Sessional Papers and are available at libraries across the country. These reports have detailed information on specific areas and divisions. Some sections also contain noted cases and patrols conducted by the Force.
The RCMP’s Genealogy and archival research web page is available here.
Rest in peace, Constable Wynne.
