Off the 'Cuff

“Only a fool like myself would have done it”

-Robert McBeath, when asked why he stormed a German machinegun nest

Last week the museum had the pleasure of hosting a small group of high school students from a tiny village in Scotland, and I was lucky enough to spend some time with them.

Vancouver’s Police Department has a long legacy connecting it to Scotland, the native home of our first police chief (John Stewart) and many of our early officers. But I was surprised to learn of an even deeper connection between Vancouver and Kinlochbervie, a small hamlet boasting a population of 400 residents – we share a former citizen: Robert McBeath. Both cities have reason to be proud of this heroic man, a man who risked his own life time and time again in World War I before becoming a VPD officer – only to be shot and killed on the corner of Davie and Granville St.

A hero for Canada and Scotland

Not too many people in Scotland knew the story of McBeath until a group of dedicated students from his hometown of Kinlochbervie embarked on a project to highlight his acts of bravery and entered their results in a BBC contest meant to showcase “The Lost Generation” – the men and women who fought in World War One. The student’s entry placed in the top five and piqued local interest in McBeath’s legacy, both in Kinlochbervie and Vancouver.

The project detailed McBeath’s accomplishments, notably his joining the army in 1914 at the young age of 16, lying to the recruiters in his eagerness to fight. It was during his time on the frontlines of France, three years later that McBeath and his unit were attacked by German machine guns. The young man volunteered to rush into the enemy’s nest and disarm it using only a revolver and a Lewis gun – seemingly a kamikaze mission.

To everyone’s surprise, McBeath was a success, capturing 3 officers and 30 soldiers, his heroic act earning him the Victoria Cross, a prestigious  honour bestowed upon only 1353 people in history who have committed acts of unusual bravery. His notoriety spread through his home town, and they rallied to support him in his endeavor to move, with his young bride, to Vancouver in 1919. His dreams of sheep farming having failed, McBeath became a police officer with the VPD.

In the line of duty.

He had been serving for just under fourteen months when, after trying to wave down a drunken motorist, he was gunned down. Tragically, this brave young man died on the way to the hospital.  He was the sixth VPD officer (click the link  to have a look at the VPM’s Fallen Officers page)  be killed  in the line of duty.

The people of Vancouver gave him a hero’s send-off, and his funeral was one of the largest in Vancouver’s history, with thousands attending and many local businesses closing for the day. He was interred at Mountainview Cemetery, and though local historians have kept his memory alive, the general public forgot about him – until the plucky wee Scottish students fanned the flames of history with their prize winning project.

News outlets in both countries have picked up on the story, and we were honoured to have the kids come to the museum and to show them around the city. After a tour of the museum, where we talked about VPD’s deep connection to its Scottish traditions, I had the pleasure to lead them on a walking tour of Chinatown and Gastown detailing the city as it would have been in McBeath’s days walking the beat.

Finally, on Sunday, the children dedicated a stone cairn, a stone structure that is traditional Scottish burial/memorial marker at the brand new Tactical Training Centre for the VPD. The children played the bagpipes, read poetry and honoured our shared “local” hero.

The original students who worked on the project.

It was great to see kids getting really involved in history, and amazing that they had the chance to come all the way to Vancouver to visit the final home of their fellow countryman. The next time you are looking for a great activity for a Sunday afternoon, go and say Hello to humble hero Robert McBeath at his grave in Mountainview and “place a stone on his cairn.”

Tags:   historical crime · history · Robert McBeath · Special Events · Victoria Cross · WWINo Comments