WILD-WEST MEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1930, Page 11

WILD-WEST MEN

WHAT MAKES THEM WILD?

Nineteen men from the great, open spaces, where men justify the film captions, reached Southampton in the Canadian Pacific liner, Montclare. They were men of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who will give a display at the International Horse Show at Olympia this month. Tall, stalwart, steel-eyed, granitejawed. bronzed like Sioux braves, they gave England a strong, silent look. Each man wore a scarlet tunic with wide, yellow stripes down the outside seam; brown, knee-high boots, spurred, and Stetson hats. Each man carried a .45 revolver slung at his hip. They are young men, recruits, fresh from their Gaining depot. . “Romance?” echoed Major 1. Dann, who is in charge of the detachment . . “fairy tales —films .. . We are just doing a job—like any other job. That’s ail there is to it. “Lonely? Yes! It’s true there are two detachments of the Force on duty within two degrees of the North Pole —not many picture shows there. But we don't shoot Red Indians, or even grizzly bears nowadays! “Romance . . .?

“A sergeant and two men are on their way to England with 24 hoises. Young men—.young horses. One man strained his knee and was left behind. But.” said Major Dann, “it will not affect, the display. The jnen are accustomed to carrying on. On the arrival of the 19 at Materloo Station. Crowds, cheers. “Shoot,” cried the camera men . . . “If all shots -were as harmless as that one would not mind,” Sergeant-major Griffin, a veteran of 20 years’ service, said to a “News Chronicle’ reporter. He tapped his right thigh. “There’s a bullet hole there. It was back West when I was rounding up ■in Indian. The beggar plumped me ‘through the leg at the entrance to a canyon. But .1 got. him afterwards! He chuckled as he pointed io the crowds “I’m thinking of my Alberta, ’ he said. “The loneliest 400 square .miles you could pick. For weeks on mid I. do not see a soul."