Reg.#o126  ·  Sub Constable John Lindsay Matr.#o126  ·  Sous-constable John Lindsay

John Lindsay was one aspirant among a couple dozen young men from the Maritimes who responded to local newspaper ads which said that recruits were wanted for the newly established North West Mounted Police (NWMP).

Originally from Woodstock, NB, John Lindsay was 22 years of age and unmarried, and at this time of his life was searching for high adventure which he certainly knew he would find in Canada’s unsettled and expansive western frontier.

At the Recruitment Centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, Lindsay was assigned Reg.#o126. It was November 3, 1873. Then he was dispatched to Lower Fort Garry, MB to prepare for the famous March West.

The March West began on July 8th until October 9th, 1874, and the journey by the NWMP across the Canadian prairies is portrayed in the history books as a mix of courage, leadership and endurance through all kinds of weather and unspeakable challenges. John Lindsay completed the arduous March West and went on to serve two three-year terms at Fort Macleod, AB.

He served honourably with the NWMP and he was voluntarily discharged in 1879. At 28 years of age, he headed home to the Maritimes.

At home, John Lindsay entered a partnership with his brother and for a while they operated a hardware store in his hometown of Woodstock, New Brunswick. When his brother died unexpectedly, Lindsay closed the hardware store and then turned his mind to local politics.

He sat on the Woodstock local council for several years, then he ran for Mayor and he was successfully elected to the Mayor’s chair in 1904. In the meantime, he joined the Woodstock Lodge, and took an active interest in the United Church of Canada.

John Lindsay died on July 6th, 1931 in Woodstock, NB. He was buried in the Methodist Cemetery. He was married twice and was survived by one son, a professor at the Halifax School for the Blind, from his first marriage. He was also survived by his widow Mary McCain of Fredericton, NB.

In recent years, historical research done primarily by RCMP Veteran Danny McNeill of Fredericton, NB revealed that John Lindsay’s name was etched on the Lindsay family stone in Woodstock’s Methodist Cemetery, but there was no mention of John Lindsay’s affiliation to the NWMP. RCMP Vets in NB wanted to change this oversight.

In a collaborative effort between the RCMP Veterans of NB and the ‘J’ Division Commanding Officer, funds were allocated for the purchase of a suitable granite stone with John Lindsay’s name etched on it as well as the Crest of the NWMP and Lindsay’s service dates (1873 to 1879).

I was honoured to have been invited to the unveiling of the Memorial Stone on October 23, 2019.

RCMP Veteran Len O’Halloran acted as Master of Ceremonies, and as a guest speaker, I was privileged to present an overview of the RCMP Grave Discovery Database and History Website: A National Treasure.

The President of the NB RCMP Veterans, the CO of ‘J’ Division, active police officers from the Woodstock Town Police, as well as many RCMP Veterans, serving RCMP members and the Mayor of Woodstock, and local journalists were also in attendance.

Full credit for all the work leading up to the John Lindsay Unveiling Ceremony, and the coordination of the invitations and the refreshments must be given to RCMP NB Veteran Danny McNeill and his wife Annette.

The Unveiling Ceremony was a very sentimental affair as well as a poignant reminder of the heroics of the early recruits of the NWMP, how these recruits persevered in mostly difficult conditions, and the hardships and dangers experienced by the early pioneers of the Force such as Sub Constable John Lindsay.

John Lindsay now has a very distinguished granite cemetery stone to mark his final resting place in Woodstock Methodist Cemetery. R.I.P.

Reporting from Fort Healy,

J. J. Healy
October 23, 2019