RCMP rededicate unmarked grave in Souris, P.E.I.

james-henry-blackett-headstone
The ceremony included the installation of an RCMP headstone. (RCMP Veterans of P.E.I.)

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By Kevin Yarr, CBC News

James Henry Blackett joined the Northwest Mounted Police in 1900

RCMP rededicated the grave of a member of the Northwest Mounted Police in eastern P.E.I. on Saturday.

‘It’s important to recognize the service that these members have given.’– RCMP Corp. Scott Stevenson

The recently discovered grave of Const. James Henry Blackett in Souris had previously gone unmarked. Blackett signed up to serve with the Northwest Mounted Police in March 1900 and was medically discharged in March 1901. He died in 1933.

“As a member of the Northwest Mounted Police and a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police we tend to think of ourselves as one big family from coast to coast,” said RCMP spokesman Corp. Scott Stevenson.

“It’s important to recognize the service that these members have given the RCMP and the country.”

The rededication ceremony at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Souris included the installation of an RCMP grave marker.

An estimated 100 RCMP members are buried at various sites across P.E.I