The problem of desertion was an ancient
one in the British Army. Though it plagued conscripted armies more
than volunteer ones like the British Army, it still accounted for a
steady loss of men with adversely effected the ability of a unit to
perform its functions, be it advancing against the enemy or, as in the
RE in BC, building a road.
The Detachment, in being a wholly
Volunteer force, hoped not to have major difficulties with desertions.
To add to the desire to "stay with the Colours", the Men were allowed to
bring their wives and children --without the restriction of 6 wives per
100 men; 31 wives and 34 children in fact traveled with the Detachment.
Thirdly, a financial incentive was added - namely the Colonial Pay
equivalent to a US dollar per day per ma over and above the
regular Pay. Sadly this
Colonial Pay, to be paid by the Colonial Government of BC, was never
paid.
Yet, as the following information shows,
the desertions occurred with steady regularity in the Detachment.
In fact, they began deserting even before they landed in British
Columbia. . .
The First
Deserter in the Detachment
British
Consulate
San Francisco
4th November 1858
My Lord,
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of Mr. Fitzgerald's
dispatch No. 8 of the 10th September aquainting me that Captain
Grant of the Royal Engineers was about starting for British
Columbia and directing me to afford that officer all the
assistance in my power to enable him, with the men under his
command to reach his destination speedily.
I have to inform your Lordship that Captain Grant arrived safely
with his men on the evening of the 31st ultimo and left the
following morning in the American steam-ship "Cortez" for
Vancouver's Island. I regret to have to add that one man deserted
at this port and I have traced him into the country.
Your Most Obedient Servant.
[illegible] |

The above un-named Sapper was George Dobbs.
He "deserted at San
Francisco from Grant's detachment", according to a memo from Sapper Bruce, R.E., who
related this information to the BC historian Judge Howay when Bruce
was an old man.

New
Westminster Times
27th February, 1860
"...A sapper deserted today. He was under punishment. He was the
tinsmith of the regiment. His offence was being out after
bugle call." |

There were many reasons for a Man to desert the Detachment - the lure of the
Gold-fields, class freedom in the United States only a few short miles away to
the South or this reason...
New Westminster
13th April 1860Sir,
I have the honour to aquaint your Excellency that, in consequence
of the repeated acts of misconduct of Mrs. Mould, wife of Sapper
Mould belonging to the Detachment under my command, I have been
obliged at last, after many warnings, to order her to be struck
off the Strength of the Detachment for Rations and Quarters from
the 11th Instant inclusive.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient,
humble Servant.
RC Moody
Col. Commanding |
Sapper C. Mould
-- + - J. Gillies.
The governor of Washington Territory has
no authority to act in cases of simple desertion or even where
[xxxxx] with theft. He can only order the [rendition[?] of
criminals -- coming within the meaning of the extradition
Treaty. The application recommended by Col. Moody would
therefore be fruitless. -[jd?] |
New
Westminster
21 April 1860
Sir,
I have the honor to
report the desertion of the two men (named in the margin)
belonging to the Detachment of Royal Engineers under my
command from Captain Grant's party at the mouth of the
Harrison River.--
There is every
reason to believe that the latter, Sapper James Gillies, took
with him the sum of Thirty-six Pounds, belonging to a comrade.
I would therefore
request that immediate steps may be taken with a view to his
being apprehended to which [s???l],
as there is but little doubt that he has gone over into
American Territory. I would suggest the advisability of an
application being made to the Governor of Washington
Territory, who might be moved to give orders for his
detention.
He absented on the
morning of the 14th and I should have communicated with Your
Excellency before, had I not been waiting for a Descriptive
Return to forward at the same time. it is herewith enclosed in
duplicate.--
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient,
humble Servant,
RCMoody
[commanding?] |
|
REPORT OF A DESERTER
from the Corps Regiment of
Royal Engineers.
Dated at [camp?] Harrison River, BC this 14th
day of April 18560
Number, Rank, and Name
....... |
4622,
Sapper James Gillies |
Age
............................................... |
27
years and 6 months |
|
Feet.................. |
Five
feet, nine inches |
Inches............... |
Nine
inches |
|
Complexion... |
Fresh |
Hair.................. |
Black |
Eyes................. |
Hazel |
Date of
Desertion........................ |
14th
day of April 1860 |
Place of
Desertion...................... |
???p
, Harrision River, British Columbia |
Date of Enlistment
.................... |
2nd
of December 1856 |
At what Place
Enlisted................ |
Glasgow |
Parish and
County in which Born .........................
|
} |
|
[Muckaiou?], Town, [Bancou?], County "Argyle" |
Marks
........................................ |
None small pox (particularly about the
cheeks) |
Trade
......................................... |
Sawyer |
Coat or Jacket
............................ |
Black coat |
Waistcoat
................................... |
Black velvet waistcoat |
Breeches or Trowsers
.............. |
Trowsers |
REMARKS
................................... |
A
quiet demeanor with sxxx voice and drawling accent |
Signature of the
Commanding Officer
RC Moody
[commanding?] |

New Westminster
7th July 1860
To His Excellency James Douglas
Sir,
I have the honour to represent to you the benefit that would acrue
in maintaining the discipline of the Detachment of Royal
Engineers serving in this Colony, if these men,
Sapper James Alexander, RE
Sapper Robert Robertson, RE
Sapper James Cooper, RE
who are now undergoing a sentence of Imprisonment in the Jail at
Victoria for the crime of Desertion, be sent to England to the Head
Quarters of the Corps at Chatham.
If Your Excellency will sanction
this step, I will communicate with the Naval Commander in Chief with
a view to passage being
provided for them in the first Man-of-War ordered home.
Captain Parsons RE, will deliver
this letter to Your Excellency and is authorized by me to carry out
the measure after he shall have received your approval of it.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient,
humble Servant,
RCMoody
Col. Commanding |
However, the above named three Sappers do not appear on
Frances Woodward's following list of deserters:
Corporal Andrew Monroe
Sapper Daniel Alman
Sapper George Dobbs
Sapper Charles Durham
Sapper James Gillis
Sapper David Kennedy
Sapper Charles A. Mould
Sapper George Rodgers
This makes 11 know deserters from the
Columbia Detachment, 7% of the 157 enlisted men, that we know of so far.
Interesting that these 3 men languish in a civilian jail in Victoria, though it
might have been that it was thought bad for morale to have their former
comrades guard them in the lock-up in the Camp.
Appendix VIII to Lillian Cope's thesis has the following listings for
the deserters:
"Deserted":
Corporal Andrew Monroe
Sapper Daniel Alman
Sapper George Dobbs
Sapper Charles Durham
Sapper James Gillis
Sapper Charles A. Mould
Sapper George Rodgers
"Returned to England"
Sapper James Alexander
Sapper James Cooper
"Left the Colony"
Sapper Robert Robertson
Sapper David Kennedy
We could, perhaps, speculate that the RE listed as "deserted" were not
caught, and the others were. It would be as good a theory as any.
Frances Woodward's table of deserters is taken from Cope (with one
addition: Kennedy. See below). In her Table of RE Remaining in
BC, Woodward lists none of the 8 deserters she knew about. As for
the other three:
- Alexander and Cooper: "appear to have
died or left BC before Nov., 1907".
- Robert Robertson is listed having
taken a Crown grant in 1884, having been a farmer in Whonnock (east
Maple Ridge) 1876-1887. Val Patenaude at the Maple Ridge Museum
confirms Robert Robertson is a well-known Whonnock settler, but an ex-HBC
man and not a sapper, as does Fred Braches of Whonnock.
Presumably Woodward got them confused.
Woodward adds to Cope's list of
deserters David Kennedy. According to her footnote, she pegged him
as a deserter on the basis of a memo from Sgt. Bonson, saying Kennedy
ran from Parson's detachment at Sapperton. The memo is said to be
contained in a file on the RE in the papers of Judge Howay.
Woodward's footnotes referring to
Howay's papers also add the following info:
- Corporal Andrew Munroe "deserted from
Camp Sapperton" (memo from Sgt. Bonson).'
Were the "Cope 7" uncaught?
Are there other details of the
desertions which Howay left out of his history of the Detachment?
The list, as we have it now, looks like
this:
Name |
Charge & or fate |
Date |
Sapper
James Alexander |
Deserted, captured, jailed,
and shipped back to England in disgrace, with Sapper James Cooper
and Sapper Robert Robertson. |
1860 |
Sapper
Daniel Alman |
Deserted |
|
Sapper
James Cooper |
Deserted, captured, jailed,
and shipped back to England in disgrace, with Sapper James
Alexander and Sapper Robert Robertson. |
1860 |
Corporal
Andrew Monroe |
deserted from Camp Sapperton
(memo from Bonson) |
|
Sapper
George Dobbs |
deserted at San Francisco from
Grant's detachment |
|
Sapper
Charles Durham |
Deserted |
|
Sapper
James Gillis |
Deserted |
|
Sapper
David Kennedy |
ran from Parson's detachment at
Sapperton |
|
Sapper
Charles A. Mould |
Deserted |
|
Sapper
Robert Robertson |
Deserted, captured, jailed,
and shipped back to England in disgrace, with Sapper James
Alexander and Sapper James Cooper. |
1860 |
Sapper
George Rodgers |
Deserted |
|
[tin smith]
possibly/probably one of the above listed men |
out after bugle call. |
27 Feb 1860 |
If you can help answer any of these
questions, please drop us a
line.
|