O.397  ·  Inspector Walter Malcolm Taylor  ·  Died while Serving O.397  ·  Inspecteur Walter Malcolm Taylor  ·  Décédé en service

During June, 2018 I had the pleasure to hear from Mr. John Taylor of Vancouver, BC. John Taylor is the son of RCMP Inspector Walter Malcolm Taylor, and he told me a few interesting details about his Dad’s RCMP career. I am very appreciative that Mr. Taylor also included a couple photos of his Dad in RCMP uniform which have not been seen prior to this short story being published. Inspector W. M. Taylor is our Vet of the Month for August, 2018.

Inspector Taylor was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1905, and a few years later he immigrated to Canada. He first joined the RCMP on April 20th, 1931, but he decided to take his discharge a few weeks later. He joined the Force again in September, 1931 and he went on to serve a long and successful career in the Force.

Inspector Taylor was first posted to ‘Depot’ for Basic Recruit Training. Afterwards, he bounced around various Detachments throughout British Columbia. He was reputed to be a top notch police officer, and he had good success solving criminal investigations. His ability did not go unnoticed by senior Officers.

He received his Commission to Inspector in 1949. While posted to the West Coast, he hosted a visit to Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii (then the Queen Charlotte Islands) by HRH Prince Phillip, and Governor General Vincent Massey. He recalled that the Royal Visit was one of many highlights in his career.

After his promotion to Inspector, W. M. Taylor was transferred to Alberta. He was appointed OC of Calgary Sub-Division. In 1952, he was made an Honourary Chief by the Blackfoot Nation. This was a special honour which held a lot of personal sentiment to Inspector Taylor, and he often spoke of it with pride. No other Officer in the Force at the time was held in such high esteem by the Indigenous people of Alberta.

Later in his career, W. M. Taylor also spent a short time as the OC of Ottawa Sub-Division before being attached to ‘HQ’ in Ottawa, ON.

It was well known in the Force that Inspector Taylor was a highly successful cartoonist. Many of his works made their way into The RCMP Quarterly. His cartoons reflected his good sense of humour, and the mild manner in which he sometimes poked fun at himself as well as some of his close friends.

Inspector Taylor died suddenly on August 13th, 1958 while was still serving in the Force. His cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage. At the time of his death he was serving as Aide de Camp (ADC) to Governor General Vincent Massey. Inspector Taylor was a recipient of the distinguished RCMP Long Service Medal.

Postscript:

Mr. John Taylor explained to me that his father’s association to the RCMP had a very positive spin off effect on the entire Taylor family. Several other Taylors are also associated to the Force, John Taylor said, “The RCMP became part of the family in one way or another. For example, after my Dad died, we returned to Vancouver, BC where my Mom’s family was living. Mom was employed with the RCMP Security Service until she retired after 20 years and upon reaching her 65th birthday. My sister Mary also worked in the Security Service as a Civilian Member, and she continued with them when it became CSIS in 1984.

My wife worked for CSIS as well before working for the Delta City Police in the Lower Mainland. My daughter is a Civilian Member of the Force as a Dispatcher in Edmonton, AB. I also have two nieces in the Force; one works for CSIS and the other is a Regular Member presently serving in BC.”

All in all, the Taylors are a close knit police family, and a lot of it goes back to our Dad — RCMP Inspector Walter Malcolm Taylor.

Inspector Taylor was buried in the Masonic Cemetery of British Columbia in Burnaby, BC.

Reporting from Fort Healy,

J. J. Healy
August 23, 2018