1931 Canada Census Alberta, Red Deer district,,subdistrict No. 71 Innisfail (Town)
Poplar Street, Innisfail, Alberta
Home Owner, value $450, single floor, wood, 2 rooms, no radio
Head Irven Kaasa, age 29, born USA, parents born USA, immigration 1919, nationality USA, racial origin Norwegian, Lutheran, truck driver, general
Wife Mary A. Kaasa, age 22, born Alberta, parents born Ontario, United Church, homemaker
Daughter Edith L. Kaasa, age 2, born Alberta, nationality Canada, racial origin Norwegian, United Church,

Obituary from the Chilliwack Progress at www.theprogress.com
Edith Lucille Simmonds passed away on August 3, 2011 at Agassiz, BC at age 82 years. She was born April 27, 1929 in Innisfail, Alberta. Edith is survived by sister Iris; son, Robert (Cathy); daughter, Elizabeth (Fred); granddaughters: Barbara, Terra, Jenna and Caitlin; great-grandchildren: Brandt, Sylvan, Sequoia, Sierra, Tyler and Xiola. She was predeceased by her parents Mary and Irven Kaasa. Edith volunteered for Community Services, the White Cane Club, and belonged to the Stellars Jay Lions. A memorial service was held on August 8, 2011 at Henderson’s Funeral Home Chapel. Following the memorial at Henderson’s, a celebration of life was held at the Lions Club Hall on Spadina Ave. The family would like to thank all of Edith’’s colleagues, neighbours and friends for sharing with us to remember a life well lived. We especially want to thank the Lady Lions of the Stellers Jay Club for providing amazing food just the way Edith wanted right down to the black liquorice. In addition, the family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and caregivers of Abbotsford and Chilliwack Hospitals and Cheam Village, Agassiz for their care and attention during Edith’s final battle. Following cremation, Edith will be buried with her parents in Calgary, AB. Memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.


Findagrave.com
Edith Lucille Kaasa Simmonds
Birth 27 Apr 1929, Innisfail, Red Deer Census Division, Alberta, Canada
Death 3 Aug 2011 (aged 82), Agassiz, Fraser Valley Regional District, British Columbia, Canada
Burial Mountain View Memorial Gardens
Calgary, Calgary Census Division, Alberta, Canada Show Map GPS-Latitude: 51.0403014, Longitude: -113.8943472
Plot Everlasting Life 447B
Memorial ID 261087964
From her Obituary
Edith Lucille Simmonds passed away on August 3, 2011 at Agassiz, BC at age 82 years. She was born April 27, 1929 in Innisfail, Alberta.

She was predeceased by her parents Mary and Irven Kaasa.
Published in the Chilliwack Progress.

In the 1926 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
West 1/2 34-44-11 W3, Rural Municipality of Douglas, Battleford Electoral district, Saskatchewan
Head Percy Simmonds, married, age 41, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, Canadian citizenship
Wife Margaret P. Simmonds, married, age 38, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1912, Canadian citizenship
Son John Percy Simmonds, age 3, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Daughter Patience M. Simmonds, age 2, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Son Robert Henry Simmonds, age 1 month, born Saskatchewan, parents born England
Aunt Edith P. Jewell, widow, age 71, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1905
hired man Edward Stogard, single, age 34, born Denmark, parents born Denmark, Danish citizen, mother tongue Danish

In the 1931 Canadian Census taken June 1, 1931
Saskatchewan, North Battleford district, subdistrict 19
home owner, home valued at $600, single floor, wood, 5 rooms, family has a radio,
Section 34-44-11 W3 Rural Municipality of Douglas
Head Percy Simmonds, male, married, age 44 [actually 47], born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, nationality Canada, racial origin English, can speak English, can speak French, Church of England, farmer, general farm, total earnings in the last 12 months $960.
Wife Margaret Simmonds, female, married, age 43, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1909 [actually 1912], nationality Canada, racial origin English, speaks English, speaks French, Church of England,
Son John Simmonds, age 8, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, 7 months in school since September 1
Daughter Patience Simmonds, age 7, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, 7 months in school since September 1
Son Robert Simmonds, age 5, born Saskatchewan, speaks English, no time in school
Son Thomas Simmonds, age 3, born Saskatchewan
Servant Antony Salamon, single, age 50, born Russia, parents born Russia, immigrated 1925, nationality Russia, racial origin Russia, speaks English, Greek Catholic, farm labourer
Lodger [Independent was crossed out, but actually Percy’s Aunt.] Edith Jewell, widow, age 76, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1904, Nationality English, racial origin English, speaks English, doesn’t speak French, occupation Income (Independent crossed out)


Church Records St. Mary’s Keatley, Saskatchewan, Canada
Baptism July 11, 1926 Robert Henry Simmonds, parents Alfred Henry Percy Simmonds and Margaret Patience Simmonds, born April 6, 1926, residence Keatley 34.44.11, sponsors the father [Percy Simmonds], Robert Charles Deakin, [uncle] and Dorothy Emily Deakin [aunt], ceremony performed by E. F. Marklin

Served in WWII, Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, was in training to be a pilot. Did not finish as war progressed and new pilots were not needed.
Commissioner(ret) RCMP
Worked for Commonwealth. eg. South Africa negotiations between ANC and Zulus
Worked for United Nations.

From the Military Service Recognition Book - Royal Canadian Legion, Saskatchewan Command
Robert Simmonds WWII
Robert was born in North Battleford, Sk, in 1926. He enlisted in the Navy [Royal Navy - Fleet Air Arm] in 1944, and was discharged in 1945. He joined the RCMP and became Commissioner and retired in Ottawa, Ontario.

From Along the Carlton Trail - A history of Speers etc.
Robert Simmonds R.C.N. [Should be R.N.] Enlisted in the Royal Navy as a naval airman in 1944. Trained at Portsmouth and served until 1945.

Listed as a passenger on the Scythia (Cunard) departed Quebec arrived Southampton May 3, 1953 Robert Simmonds, age 27, RCMP Canada Ho., London, RCMP. [This would be for the RCMP contingent for the Coronation]

From the Brandon Sun, April 6, 1977
New RCMP Chief appointed
Ottawa (CP)
The government has selected Robert Henry Simmonds, 50, a respected career officer, as the next head of the 18,000 member RCMP.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced Tuesday that Simmonds, an anglophone who speaks no French and has served since 1947 mostly in Western Canada and Ottawa will take over from retiring M.J. Nadon in September.
The announcement ends speculation that the government would go outside the force to choose its top policeman.
Simmonds, deputy commissioner for administration, was selected by a four-man committee headed by Gordon Robertson, secretary to the Privy Council, which interviewed several candidates, including some from outside the force.
Opposition MPs had protested in the Commons reports that the government was looking elsewhere for a commissioner.
Simmonds will take over a steadily growing force which looks after all federal policing - from National security to drug investigations - and which provides policing in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec.
Born in Hafford, Sask., he served most of his time in Alberta and British Columbia with some service in Ontario, latterly in Ottawa. He holds the RCMP long-service medal.
RCMP personnel, ranging from non-commissioned officers to senior officials, reached Tuesday night had nothing but praise for the new commissioner.
All said the choice will be a popular one in the force and most said that Simmonds is a policeman’s policeman.
He spent almost 18 years in Alberta, then moved to B.C. to take over the detachment in Burnaby - a Vancouver suburb that is considered one of the toughest police jobs in the West.
Simmonds moved from Burnaby to Victoria to Vancouver and it is said his administrative ability in the last city came to the notice of senior officers here.
When he was brought here last year, he was promoted from chief superintendent to deputy commissioner over the heads of several assistant commissioners, an almost unprecedented move.
Trudeau said he is making an early announcement of the replacement to provide a smooth transition.

From the Brandon Sun
New RCMP chief takes over
Ottawa (CP)
Outgoing RCMP commissioner Maurice Nadon said Thursday he is leaving the force “with more critics and back-biters than we have ever had,” and said it will be up to Robert Henry Simmonds, the new commissioner, to deal with the problem.
But Nadon said he thinks “the force is in good shape internally, its members are happy and it is doing fantastic work.”
His comments followed a brief ceremony in which he handed over to his successor the tips staff, an ornamented wooden tube and symbol of the office of the RCMP commissioner.
Simmonds, 51, a native of Hafford, Sask. was deputy commissioner of the force and served for much of his career in British Columbia and Alberta.
A spokesman said he would issue no comments on his new job until he has had a chance to settle into it.
Nadon, who became commissioner in 1974, said that despite headlines concerning illegal activities by the RCMP, a recent cross country tour he took made him feel that “local officials are 100 percent behind us and the public is 95 per cent behind us.”
“The public say, “We know you’re doing your job, and that’s what we are about”,” he said.
In handing over the tips staff to Simmonds, Nadon said it dates back 400 years as the symbol of office of county sheriffs and parish constables in England, and its hollow interior was used to carry warrants of arrest. Occasionally, it also served as a club.
“My parish is rather large now,” Simmonds said jokingly. “I don’t know if I can get all of my papers in.”
The staff used by the RCMP was presented in 1970 by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

The Christian Science Monitor
By David R. Francis, June 15, 1987
Behind the Mountie Mistique
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Robert Simmonds didn't want to talk about his adventures as a young constable. He wanted the interview to center on the force he heads - how it retains its proud traditions but has changed with the times. But a friend recalls how young Constable Simmonds once ``got his man.'' It was in Strathmore, Alberta, in the mid-1960s. A man had held up a bank at gunpoint. The robber had a reputation - which turned out to be false - as a sharpshooter, able to throw a quarter into the air and bring it down with a pistol shot. Mr. Simmonds tracked him down to a small town 100 miles away. When the local policeman was advised of the imminent arrest, he fled town. He was scared. Simmonds and his partner corralled the suspect in an apartment without a shot and brought him to justice.
Today, Commissioner Simmonds is more likely to be dealing with personnel appointments, an attempt to unionize the force, recruiting more Francophones or teaching French to Anglophones, making sure his men and (since 1974) women understand the rights of suspects under the five-year-old Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, or setting up an automated fingerprint-analysis system.
The ``Mounties'' may be the most famous police force in the world. They were glamorized in many old movies, including a 1936 film starring Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. But, as Simmonds notes, ``We don't go galloping off on horses and paddling over waterfalls in canoes these days.''
But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) still has its renowned”`Musical Ride,'' in which 20 members, dressed in their scarlet tunics and riding well-trained black horses, perform a cavalry drill.
Last year, thousands of visitors filled a stadium twice a day at Expo 86 in Vancouver to see them ride in disciplined order with their nine-foot staves bearing red-and-white pennants.
Competition within the 38,000-member force to get into the Ride is keen. The two-year stint, with its travel about Canada and often overseas, is a prized assignment. It is part of what the police force terms its ``public relations program.''
Mostly, however, the RCMP is engaged in the usual activities of what Commissioner Simmonds describes as “a very contemporary, modern, and progressive police force.''
The Mounties battle illegal drugs and speeding on the highway. They track down murderers and maintain security at airports. They trace counterfeiters and illegal gaming operations. They operate eight modern forensic laboratories across Canada that serve the RCMP itself and other Canadian police forces. They guard the nation's leading political figures or foreign diplomats and search out ``boiler rooms'' (fraudulent stock sales operations).
The RCMP is more than a federal police force.
Under contract, it provides policing for eight of the 10 provinces (Ontario and Quebec, the most populous provinces, maintain their own police forces) and for some 200 municipalities.
The job is made somewhat easier by the great respect the Canadian public holds for the Mounties, enough to be portrayed on the $50 bill and some postage stamps.
Simmonds claims - and most Canadians would agree - that the force is professional, disciplined, and well organized. Most of its members have a college degree. They are well paid: Wages for a constable start at $29,000 (US$21,750) a year, and reach $38,500 (US$28,875) after about three years.
In general, the police are not feared in Canada (except perhaps by criminals). At demonstrations, Mounties can be seen talking affably with the demonstrators.
``Our whole approach is friendliness, cooperation,'' says Simmonds.
Altogether, Canadian police kill in the line of duty an average of 11 people a year. On average, only four policemen have been killed each year in recent years. Compared with the United States, Canada is a nonviolent society.
Key factors in Canada's low crime rate include not only the RCMP, but also the capable Canadian court system and, perhaps, the tough gun laws - the RCMP administers a central gun-registration system.
Simmonds says the excellent reputation of the RCMP ``takes a lot of living up to.'' Representatives of police forces from around the world visit the RCMP to see if they can find some training method or technique that they can duplicate to improve their own policing capabilities.
But there is one factor other police forces cannot copy - the glorious history of the Mounties.
``We are so closely connected with Canadian history and the development of our country that the RCMP is more than a civil police force,'' says Simmonds.
In 1873, six years after the Canadian confederation was formed, Parliament passed an act establishing a ``Mounted Police Force for the North-West Territories.'' A paramilitary force modeled after the Royal Irish Constabulary, it was trained and equipped for warfare on the Canadian plains.
One reason for the creation of the force was the wave of traders from the outposts of the American Northwest who at the time were crossing the border to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company in the foothill country of present-day Alberta. This area was the home of the Blackfoot Indians.
Some of these “free traders'' had captured most of the Blackfoot trade, obtaining furs for rifles, ammunition, and cheap whiskey from Chicago and St. Louis distilleries.
The traders' names reveal something of their picaresque character - Slideout, Kipp, Standoff, and the most notorious of all, Whoop-Up.
One concoction they offered called for a quart of whiskey, a pound of chewing tobacco, a handful of red pepper, one bottle of Jamaican ginger, a quart of molasses, and a dash of red ink. Many of the Indians were quickly debauched and stripped of their pride and possessions.
In July 1874, the new force of 300 Mounties moved out of Dufferin, Manitoba, to locate “Fort Whoop-Up,'' the stronghold of the whisky traders. It took some two months for the cavalcade of oxcarts, wagons, cattle, field pieces, and agricultural equipment to reach the foothills of the Rockies. The traders, forewarned, had fled.
The Mounties established several forts and brought law and order to Canada's western frontier.
Simmonds likes to tell other historical tales - for instance, of the RCMP role in maintaining the rule of law during the laying of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1881 to 83 and during the Klondike gold rush that started in 1896.
After members of the force were given leave to serve in the Boer War in South Africa in 1904, King Edward VII granted the force the prefix “royal,'' and it became the Royal North-West Mounted Police.
It was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the force restored civil power in a general strike in Winnipeg in 1919, which, it was feared, might lead to a revolution like that in Russia.
In Canada's frontier areas, the Mounties for many years fulfilled every duty concerned with civil authority.
They acted as mail carriers or compiled meteorological records. The force's surgeons tended to the medical needs of the local populace. Mounties recorded vital statistics, collected customs, and acted as Indian agents.
During the great land rush on the prairies before and after the turn of the century, the Mounties were enlisted to advise and assist the new settlers. The police became land agents, agricultural experts, welfare officials, and immigration officers.
In the far north, the Mounties operated regular winter dog-team patrols between Eskimo communities and trading posts, sometimes covering hundreds of miles. The small force in the north, reaching 70 by 1919, was sufficient to ensure that Canadian laws and sovereignty were enforced at a time when the location of the Alaskan border was in dispute.
The Mounties are given much of the credit for Canada's avoiding the Indian wars that troubled the American West when settlers arrived, thereby saving Canadian Indians from decimation.
There are many other historic stories of the bravery and determination of the Mounties. But, as Commissioner Simmonds puts it, the age of “rescuing Indian damsels'' is past and the life of a Mountie today is generally more prosaic.
And they have their problems.
The Mounties made the news in March when a member of Parliament criticized the force for its internal policy on job transfers.
If two Mounties are married and one is transferred, the other may be left behind if no suitable position for the mate can be found in the new location.
“We try to accommodate them,'' Simmonds says. ``But we don't hire married teams of Mounties.'' He suggests that two Mounties considering marriage give “full consideration'' to difficulties they may face in the future because of job transfers.
end of article


The following article is from the web page as follows.
http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-3note.htm

Robert Henry Simmonds was born on April 6, 1926 in Hafford, Saskatchewan. Simmonds grew up on a farm and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse. He joined the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, served overseas during the last year of the Second World War and joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on April 23, 1947 where he trained at “Depot” Division in Regina. The following year, while touring with the RCMP Musical Ride, he performed highway patrols in Edmonton. He was subsequently posted to “K” Division, serving Edmonton, Innisfail, Three Hills, Wetaskiwin, Hanna and Calgary.

In 1953, Simmonds was part of the Canadian Contingent during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in England. In 1957, he moved to Calgary Subdivision as a Criminal Investigator. In 1966 he moved to Burnaby, British Columbia as Sub-Inspector, but transferred to Victoria in 1971 to work in the staffing and personnel department. Three years later, he was promoted to Superintendent and charged with commanding the Victoria Subdivision. In 1976, Simmonds was promoted from Chief Superintendent to Deputy Commissioner of Administration in Ottawa. On September 1, 1977 he was appointed Commissioner of the RCMP.

Simmonds was supportive of the organization of a British Columbia Police commission to mediate between police and the public. He felt that the RCMP should conduct themselves in an ethical manner and be accountable to the Government for their actions. In 1984, the RCMP Security Service was replaced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Throughout his term in office, Simmonds guided the Force through a time of heavy media scrutiny because of a series of sensational criminal investigations the Government was involved in at the time. He employed great discretion in speaking to the public and the media in order to avoid compromising the cases. Heavily active during his term as Commissioner, Simmonds was named Vice President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), as well as the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association.

Simmonds was awarded the RCMP Long Service Medal in 1967, accompanied by the bronze Clasp in 1972. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and was knighted Commander of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in 1978. He became an Honorary patron of the Parents’ Resource Institute for Drug Education (PRIDE), whose primary goal was the prevention and reduction of drug use among youth. In 1987 he was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada.

After retiring in 1987, he negotiated peace between warring tribes in South Africa and became the senior law enforcement officer of the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC) in Vienna.

From Rulers http://members.fortunecity.com
Served under the following Prime Ministers
20 Apr 1968 - 4 Jun 1979 Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1st time), Liberal (b. 1919 - d. 2000)
4 Jun 1979 - 3 Mar 1980 Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative (b. 1939)
3 Mar 1980 - 30 Jun 1984 Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2nd time), Liberal (s.a.)
30 Jun 1984 - 17 Sep 1984 John Turner, Liberal (b. 1929)
17 Sep 1984 - 25 Jun 1993 Brian Mulroney, Progressive Conservative (b. 1939)

Served under the following Ministers of Justice
26 Sep 1975 - 3 Aug 1978 Stanley Ronald Basford
3 Aug 1978 - 24 Nov 1978 Otto Emil Lang (2nd time)
24 Nov 1978 - 4 Jun 1979 Marc Lalonde
4 Jun 1979 - 3 Mar 1980 Jacques Flynn
3 Mar 1980 - 10 Sep 1982 Jean Chrétien
10 Sep 1982 - 30 Jun 1984 Mark MacGuigan
30 Jun 1984 - 17 Sep 1984 Donald J. Johnston
17 Sep 1984 - 30 Jun 1986 John Carnell Crosbie
30 Jun 1986 - 8 Dec 1988 Ramon Hnatyshyn

Canadian Voter’s Lists
Alberta, Calgary South 1958, 1962
69 Kendall Place
Robert H. Simmonds, RCMP
Mrs Edith L. Simmonds

Calgary South 1964
Robert H. Simmonds, RCMP Sgt.
Mrs Edith L. Simmonds

British Columbia, Fraser Valley West 1968
514 Laurentian Crescent
Robert Simmonds RCMP
Mrs. Edith Simmonds, dental assistant

British Columbia, Burnaby-Seymore
4635 Northlawn Drive
Robert Simmonds, RCMP
Mrs. Edith Simmonds


UK Incoming Passenger Lists
R.M.S. Scythia departed Quebec City arrived Southampton May 4, 1953
Those identified as RCMP (The RCMP Contingent to Queen’s Coronation)
The proposed address for all listed is Canada House, London or Union Jack Club, London
1st Class
Rene Belec, age 48, policeman
Douglas McGibbon, age 51, R.C.M Police, policeman
Tourist Class
Bertie Armstrong, age 26
Earle Berthiaume, 25
John Biensch, 29
George Caldbrick, 27
Robert Camm, 25
Melburn Camphaug, 26
Edward Carter, 38
Douglas Chanin, 26
John Cook, 25
Fred Costain, 34
Gordon Dalton, 27
Francis De Cheverry, 35
Duncan Donald, 29
Edward Drayton, 28
James Fahie, 41
Ian Fisher, 26
Laurie Hall, 41
Lloyd Johnston, 26
Leo Liboiron, 25
Joseph Marcis, 27
Leon Morel, 46
Lyman Paige, 40
Joseph Perrier, 25
Ronald Peterson, 25
Robert Simmonds, 27
Edward Simpson, 26
Roderick Stewart, 33
Lionel Strong, 40
Raymond Stunden, 25
Edward Tyler, 29
Richard Van Patten, 44
Charles Williamson, 27
Keith Ziegler, 25
Howard Shannon, 29
[Some of the other RCMP officers went a week later on the SS Beaverburn ]

Alaska Highway News
Half-mast for former RCMP commissioner
Cst. Chad Neustaeter

As the 17th Commissioner of the RCMP from Sept. 1, 1977, to Aug. 31, 1987, Commissioner Simmonds will be remembered for his impressive tenure of ten years. As Commissioner he displayed a steadfast commitment to maintaining safe communities and supporting the RCMP membership.
There was a bond between Commissioner Simmonds and her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, which was forged when he first met her while with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. Many enjoyed hearing Commissioner Simmonds recount the stories about the many times they met over the years while he was with the RCMP.
RCMP detachments and buildings will lower their flags to half-mast from Jan. 18 until sunset on Jan. 20.
Flags lowered at RCMP detachments and buildings across the country until sunset on Jan. 20.
The half-masted flag commemorates the passing of former RCMP Commissioner Robert Henry Simmonds on Jan. 17, 2023, in Ottawa, Ontario.
As the 17th Commissioner of the RCMP from Sept. 1, 1977, to Aug. 31, 1987, Commissioner Simmonds will be remembered for his impressive tenure of ten years. As Commissioner he displayed a steadfast commitment to maintaining safe communities and supporting the RCMP membership.
There was a bond between Commissioner Simmonds and her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, which was forged when he first met her while with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. Many enjoyed hearing Commissioner Simmonds recount the stories about the many times they met over the years while he was with the RCMP.
RCMP detachments and buildings will lower their flags to half-mast from Jan. 18 until sunset on Jan. 20.
end of article

Internet Sources

Heritage in Scarlet - Robert Simmonds
The series is a collection of interviews with a number of retired RCMP officers. The following are an interview with Commissioner Robert Simmonds.
Segment 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3qcqBIRoUQ
Segment 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYCI-dWeAQ4
Segment 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfubwMMR6yg

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Simmonds

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/history/commissioners_list_e.htm