Fonds PR0774 - Hubert Thorne fonds

Hubert Thorne was born at Christchurch, Hants, England on May 13, 1884. He immigrated to Canada and began farming at Whitewood, Assiniboia in Saskatchewan.

On December 3, 1904 he joined the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) in Regina, Saskatchewan as a Constable, and in 1904 and 1905 was a member of a party that cut a pack trail from Fort St. John, British Columbia over the Rocky Mountains. On September 1, 1907 he was transferred from N Division, Lesser Slave Lake, to G Division, Fort Saskatchewan. In 1911 Thorne was a member of the Coronation Contingent that went overseas for the crowning of King George V, and then on December 22, 1911 he purchased his discharge from the RNWMP.

He re-engaged in the RNWMP on October 3, 1912 and in 1914 he was in charge of the Fort McMurray Detachment. He married on April 9, 1917 and two years later was in charge of the Fort Simpson Detachment. On May 2, 1918 Thorne enlisted as a member of A Squadron, RNWMP, in Regina, Saskatchewan with the rank of Corporal, and served in the Canadian Light Horse until the unit was demobilized on April 14, 1919. In July 1925 he left Edmonton, Alberta for Fort Rae, Northwest Territories, and on May 10, 1929 he assumed charge of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment at La Pas, Manitoba.

Thorne retired from the RCMP with the rank of Sergeant on October 2, 1929 and operated a novelty shop in Jasper, Alberta. In 1934 he moved to Victoria, British Columbia with his wife Alvah, and daughter, Barbara. At the outbreak of World War II Thorne applied for re-engagement to the RCMP and on March 11, 1940 he was made a special constable of the RCMP and appointed supervisor of the dock guard at Esquimalt, British Columbia, serving in that capacity until his resignation on August 1, 1941. He died on November 19, 1941.