Sgt. R. H. Nicholson – R.C.M.P.

R.C.M.P. Annual Report, 1928 (excerpt) “On December 31, 1928, Sgt. R. H. Nicholson, in charge of the Lac du Bonnet detachment, was shot and mortally wounded while raiding an illicit still, thereby adding one more to the list of members of the Force who have fallen in the discharge of duty.

In the company of the Manitoba Provincial Police, he visited the farm of the suspect and came upon a still in the bush, about a mile and a half from the house. The two approached it from different sides, Sgt. Nicholson arriving first and found the still in full operation. A rifle was nearby, standing against a tree and both the suspect and Nicholson seem to have rushed for it simultaneously. The rifle discharged, inflicting a terrible wound in the thigh from which Sgt. Nicholson died in a few hours. Cst. Watson arrived about the time the shot was fired and attended to Sgt. Nicholson, taking off his own shirt to form a tourniquet and working in his undershirt though the temperature was more than 20º below zero (-29ºC). His humane efforts resulted in his contracting a severe illness.”

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