Part Four: In Memory of Reg.#19731, Cst. Colin Lelliott

Update to file: by Victoria Vet. James B. Forsyth: [mpvets@rcmpvets.net]

Hi Greg,[Greg.DEAGLE@rcmp-grc.gc.ca]

Vet Jack White asked me to contact Hatley Memorial Gardens where Lelliott was buried to see if their records would show anything. I did contact them and spoke to a 'Judy'. She advised that the only information on file is that of the parents who lived at 3031 Pickford Rd., Victoria, BC.

I did a reverse search and got the phone number of that address and called them. A Dan Watson and Cynthia live there now. They explain that about 2 years ago they did some major renovations on the house and within a wall they found an envelope and in it were papers and drawings apparently done by Lelliott when he was attending Brentwood Elementary School (no longer in existence now). They tried to find relatives but only found on the web the item of Lelliot being killed.

They put the envelope back in the house. Dan thinks he can find it again if given a bit of time. From it he believes there were three children living there. So Lelliott may have two siblings. If we locate any relatives he would like to get the envelope to them.

As you likely know Bob Milmine retired in 1974 when he was i/c Cranbrook Det. He died in 1992 and is buried in Vancouver. I have tried to track down Mrs. Milmine. I don't know yet if they had any children or not. I have spoken to members who worked with him In Nanaimo in the early 60's but haven't got any positive leads on Mrs. Milmine yet.

All I have for now. May get some more from Dan Watson in a few days.

Cheers,

Jim
James B. Forsyth
Victoria, BC
V8V 4T5
(Founder and CEO of the RCMP VETS NET)

Part Three: In Memory of Reg.#19731, Cst. Colin Lelliott

File update from: Reg. #15230 - S/Sgt. Daniel B. Lemieux (rt'd)

Cst. Greg Deagle and Cst. Dan Martin are stationed at Cambridge Bay, NWT (Nunavit). They are planning a commemorative ceremony for Reg. #19731, Cst. Colin Eric Lelliott who was killed on duty fifty years ago in Cambridge Bay.

They are attempting to locate family and troop members. The following retired members have regimental numbers close to that of Cst. Lelliott. If you trained with Colin, could you please provide Troop number and date of graduation. If possible, could you please provide names and e-mail addresses of other troop members so they may be contacted.

#19749 - Ken Booker
#19710 - Jim Clarkson
#19730 - Dave Green
#19733 - Wayne Skolrood
#19717 - George Wooten

E-mails are being sent to these five members to let them know there will be a memorial service in Cambridge Bay on Jan 11th, 2010. If any of you are interested could you please contact Cst. Deagle in Cambridge Bay. If you have photographs or can provide information as to the location of Colin's relatives, it would be appreciated.

You may also be interested in sending written tributes to be read or displayed at the service. I would appreciate it if you would cc me if you were in his troop.

Reg.#15230 - Retired S/Sgt. Daniel B. Lemieux deebeel@telus.net
Honour Guard Coordinator - RCMP Vets - Vancouver Division.

Part Two: In Memory of Reg.#19731, Cst. Colin Lelliott

Re: Reg.#19731, Cst. Colin Lelliott - Dedication, Cambridge Bay, 'V' Div.

Hi Greg, (Cst. Greg Deagle [Greg.DEAGLE@rcmp-grc.gc.ca]

I found a bit of information.

Colin Eric Lelliott was born Jan 19, 1938 in Worthington, Sussex England. His parents were Eric William Lelliott B: 1914 and Dorothy I. Lelliott (Rogers) B: 1914. He had a sister, Cynthia M.B. Lelliott.

The family came to Canada in 1947 and settled in Hamilton, ON then Kitchener ON before moving to Colwood, BC.

According to George Knuckles "In the Line of Duty", Cst. Lelliott's remains were flown back to his mother in Colwood, BC and as you know were buried in Hatley Memorial Gardens. This sounds like his father was possibly deceased in 1960.

The 1960 issue of the Quarterly indicates "prior to joining the Force in 1957, he was living with his parents, Mr. & Mrs Earl L. Leslie at Colwood, BC. Survivors include a sister, Cynthia."

It would appear from the information in the Quarterly that his mother remarried. His mother would be 94 if she is still living. If she passed away, there is a possibility his parents are also buried in Hatley Memorial Gardens (250) 478-1754. If they are, the next of kin would have to be Cynthia and the cemetery should have her name etc (if she married) on file.

Perhaps someone could call Hatley Memorial Gardens, using both names, Lelliott and Leslie.

Reg.#19749 Ken Booker is a member of Toronto Div. Vets. I'm guessing he was a troopmate of Colin Lelliott. I'll pass your information on to Ken.

Reg#15293 Bob Milmine retired as a S/Sgt in 1974 as i/c Cranbrook Det. He died Sept 01, 1992 at Parksville, BC.

Good Luck,

Jack O'Reilly
Toronto Division Vets


Readers:
Cambridge Bay Detachment members Greg Deagle and Dan Martin are planning a commemoration of the death of Reg.#19731 Cst. Colin Lelliott on or about January 12th 2010, which will be 50 years to the day that Cst. Lelliott was shot and killed on duty.

Read: Part One of Cst. Lelliott's story on BuffaloBlog, November 16, 2009

In Memory of Reg.#19731, Cst. Colin Lelliott

Hello Joe,

It was with great pleasure and some relief that my partner and I read the article on you in one of the latest "Frontline" magazines. You see, Cst. Dan Martin and I have undertaken a little project but we have run into a couple of roadblocks.

We are currently posted to Cambridge Bay in V-Division on the infamous Northwest Passage.

In January of 1960, Cst. Colin Lelliott (Reg.# 19731) was shot and killed on duty by a man named Jimmy Ayalik. We have found out that Cst. Lelliott is buried in Hatley Memorial Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. However, we have been unable to locate any family members for him. Personnel at the funeral home say they have no information on his family and do not recall anyone coming to visit the grave recently.

At the time of his death, Cst. Lelliott's co-worker was Cst. Dominic French, great grandson to George Arthur French who was the First Commissioner of the NWMP. I located Mr. French at his home in Manitoba. He, of course, remembers the events surrounding Cst. Lelliott's death quite well. Unfortunately, he was unable to provide any contact information for people we need.

Also at the time of the shooting, Csts. Lelliott and French were supervised by Cpl. Bob Milmine. Mr. French thinks he might be buried in British Columbia but is unsure as he passed away in the mid-1980's.

Dan and I are planning to have a commemoration of the death of Cst. Lelliott on or about January 12th 2010, 50 years to the day since the tragic event. We will be having some sort of ceremony to mark the occasion, how the actions of one person do not represent the feelings of the public, and how the RCMP and the Inuit have depended on one another for so many years.

The event in January, in whatever form it takes, will ring somewhat hollow if we can not have some representatives from the Milmine or Lelliott families involved. Mr. French has already stated that since his wife is quite ill, he will not be making the trip. It is hoped he will contribute in other ways. There are still many relatives of the Ayalik family in Cambridge Bay, including his many brothers and sisters.

We would appreciate any assistance you can give us in locating any family members for Cst. Lelliott, the grave for Cpl. Milmine, his widow, and/or any family.

Thank-you in advance for your assistance.

Cst. G.L. (Greg) DEAGLE, Reg.#51083
General Duty Investigator
D.A.R.E. Instructor
Cambridge Bay RCMP
P.O. Box 700
Cambridge Bay, NU., X0B 0C0
ph: (867) 983-0123
fx: (867) 983-2498