How were they recruited
, what arms did they carry?
Weapons
The original weapons of the NWMP were the 0.577 Caliber Snider-Enfield carbine, Mark. III, and the O.450 Caliber Adams revolver, first model. The single-shot carbine was satisfactory for the first years, but, when the First Nations began carrying repeating firearms, equality of fire-power had to be restored. The police experimented with the Winchester repeating rifle, and finally adopted the 0.45-0.75 Caliber Winchester Model 1876 military carbine in 1878. The Sabre was also inherited into the force and used for honorary purposes, as was the Cavalry Lance, used in parades and demonstrations. The later armament of the NWMP consisted of the Enfield revolver with its 0.476 calibre cartridge, the Lee-Enfield rifle, a bolt action rifle capable of firing 0.303 Cal Mk VII SAA Bullets, the Martini-Henry rifle, a devastating Martini Falling Block action shotgun capable of firing a spread of 0.450 inch, and last but not least, the gatling gun, a destructive eight barrel rapid firing weapon designed by the United States, which took 4 men to operate.
Recruiting/Requirements
When the original calls for recruitment for the new NWMP, hundreds of young men applied in hopes of adventure, a steady income, and a way to escape the farm life. Among other requirements, each man had to pass a medical test and present a letter guaranteeing their good character. The original 150 recruits who travelled to Fort Garry in Manitoba were not of the most pristine quality. Few recruits knew how to ride and some 20 men proved to be medically unfit and discharged almost immediately, among them were cripples, diseased, and a man who was missing an eye. Colonel George Arthur French, the first commissioner of the NWMP, later returned to Ottawa to request for another 150 men. This time, he personally recruited the new constables and treated them with great care. They assembled in Toronto for a mere month of training for most of these men were of army and militia origins. They were then sent off by train to join the rest of their fellow officers
The original weapons of the NWMP were the 0.577 Caliber Snider-Enfield carbine, Mark. III, and the O.450 Caliber Adams revolver, first model. The single-shot carbine was satisfactory for the first years, but, when the First Nations began carrying repeating firearms, equality of fire-power had to be restored. The police experimented with the Winchester repeating rifle, and finally adopted the 0.45-0.75 Caliber Winchester Model 1876 military carbine in 1878. The Sabre was also inherited into the force and used for honorary purposes, as was the Cavalry Lance, used in parades and demonstrations. The later armament of the NWMP consisted of the Enfield revolver with its 0.476 calibre cartridge, the Lee-Enfield rifle, a bolt action rifle capable of firing 0.303 Cal Mk VII SAA Bullets, the Martini-Henry rifle, a devastating Martini Falling Block action shotgun capable of firing a spread of 0.450 inch, and last but not least, the gatling gun, a destructive eight barrel rapid firing weapon designed by the United States, which took 4 men to operate.
Recruiting/Requirements
When the original calls for recruitment for the new NWMP, hundreds of young men applied in hopes of adventure, a steady income, and a way to escape the farm life. Among other requirements, each man had to pass a medical test and present a letter guaranteeing their good character. The original 150 recruits who travelled to Fort Garry in Manitoba were not of the most pristine quality. Few recruits knew how to ride and some 20 men proved to be medically unfit and discharged almost immediately, among them were cripples, diseased, and a man who was missing an eye. Colonel George Arthur French, the first commissioner of the NWMP, later returned to Ottawa to request for another 150 men. This time, he personally recruited the new constables and treated them with great care. They assembled in Toronto for a mere month of training for most of these men were of army and militia origins. They were then sent off by train to join the rest of their fellow officers