Buffalo
Joe's Corner 
Healy Clan Motto: Eyes Towards Heaven
Unearthing Grave Matters
byJ. J.(Joe) Healy, Reg. #23685
Within a few weeks after graduation from high school I was accepted into the Force. At ‘Depot’ Division I became a member of Glorious ‘G’ Troop 1964/65. At sunrise on our first day we were met by Riding Instructor and Duty NCO Cpl. Dee Jessiman.
Of all the instructors at ‘Depot’ Div., Cpl Jessiman had a spectacular command of the English language and there were some unique words that he did not spare to insert into most of his sentences. So, from the outset, Cpl. Jessiman made it clear that he was looking at a mob of untrainable recruits, but nevertheless he needed a small contingent of men for a very special task -- to dig a grave!
In addition to being a fine horse rider and orator, Cpl. Jessiman must also have had great insight into the qualities of men for I was one of his recruits whom he chose for digging the hole. I was a someone who had past experiences with graves. Said I to myself ‘Recruit Healy has all the prerequisites for digging a grave -- after all, it was only last week in Milltown, NB that I had stood at another grave beside my pastor and peeked into the blackness of the hole’.
Cpl. Jessiman led me and a small group of my troop mates to the ‘tool shed’ where he assigned shovels and pick axes. Then he escorted us to the ‘Depot’ Cemetery and pointed to a spot where he commanded us to: ‘Dig boys, make her straight and make her deep’! We dug for about 2 days in the late August sun of Saskatchewan. Quite often Cpl. Jessiman would return to supervise the operation, give us some water and lend some colorful advice. He made the chore seemingly fun. His sense of humour and ‘special’ vocabulary seemed to lessen the work in the hole as the prairie clay became softer and the hole got deeper and deeper.
As for who the grave at ‘Depot’ was for, we didn’t know. Several days after digging the hole, I recall seeing several troops of members in Red Serge marching along the route from the Chapel to the cemetery. As new recruits we suspected that perhaps the deceased was a senior Officer, perhaps a former Commissioner or a celebrity member.
Partial gang of ‘G’ Troop responsible
for digging the grave of Sgt. Coughlin in August 1964.
From the left, Reg. # 23698 J.P.A. (Art) Matte, Reg. #
23669 B. W. (Barry) Melanson,
Reg. # 23687 T. G. (Terry) Courte and Reg. # 23685 J. J. (Buffalo Joe) Healy.
As it turned out, the deceased was more famous than any of us realized. I now know that he was Reg. # 12511, Sgt. James Campbell Coughlin. Jack White of the Kamloops Vets reports the following about Sgt. Coughlin:
‘Coughlin Bay’, Regina, Saskatchewan - named after Reg. # 12511 Sergeant James Campbell COUGHLIN, R.C.M.P.
"Jimmy" was a man of many talents. He was the Canadian Welter Weight Boxing Champion of 1934 and he put these talents to good use in his many years as Boxing Instructor at ‘Depot’. Probably for his physical abilities, he was chosen as one of the 4 personal Orderlies (bodyguards) to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on their 1939 Royal Tour of Canada.
He was also an ‘Artisan’. He designed the wrought iron gates, which welcomed all to ‘Depot’ for many years, at both the north and south entrances to the training facility. He also collaborated in the design of the Steeple on the Force Chapel at ‘Depot’ and, in 1962, painted a mural which adorns the Sergeants Mess at ‘Depot’.
Sgt. Coughlin is buried in the ‘Depot’ Cemetery at: BLK B ROW 5 PLT 199.
(With appreciation - From history files of Kamloops Vet. Jack White)
In 2004, we celebrated 40 years as Glorious ‘G’ Troop.
We shared a wonderful weekend at ‘Depot’ Div. My troop
mates and I walked over to the cemetery and stood at Sgt.
Coughlin’s grave site. As we stood peacefully looking at
his marker, we thought back to the days when we dug his
grave. Sgt. Coughlin would have been proud of us, the depth
and design of his grave and the care given to it by the
watchful eye of a memorable Cpl. Jessiman. 
Kneeling left to right:
Reg. # 23676 ‘Bud’ McFarland, Reg. # 23681 Stu Brown and Reg. # 23694 Roy Berlinquette
Standing left to right:
Reg. # 23669 Barrie Melanson, Reg. # 23695 Greg Egan, Reg. # 23675 Alex Dyball, Reg. # 23698 Art Matte, Chaplain Alan Higgs (friend) and Reg. # 23685 (Buffalo Joe) Healy
The grave stone (on the left) at which we paused to pay honour belongs to Supt. Henry Larson, Skipper of the St. Roch.