Francis Dickens

Inspector Francis Dickens

Francis Jeffrey Dickens was the third son of author Charles Dickens. "Frank" Dickens served with India's Bengal Mountain Police before joining the NWMP. Near the end of the March West, Dickens was appointed a Sub-Inspector. In 1883, he was assigned 25 men to establish a detachment at Fort Pitt. He was still there when the North–West Rebellion began. Dickens was known for his drinking, laziness and poor judgment. When Big Bear and his Cree camped nearby and besieged the fort, Dickens and his men fled to Battleford, leaving the Hudson's Bay Company families with Big Bear. In 1886, Dickens was discharged on medical grounds. Unlucky to the end, Dickens died of a heart attack the night before he was to start a speaking tour.