John (Jack) Leybourne
Killed in 28 Aug 1912
Carpenter
Ontario Reformatory, Guelph

The work on the Ontario Reformatory, Guelph was well underway, it had started back in 1910. John had been a carpenter foreman at the OR for about 2 years when he died. John and other tradesmen were the ‘gang bosses’ that instructed the inmate work parties what work to do, since the OR was built with inmate labour. On this Wednesday morning Leybourne and foreman John Foster stepped onto the steam lift at 0845 hours to be lifted to the work site on the west dormitory. They were up about 40 feet and gave the signal to stop. The engineer brought the lift to a stop, and the two men were starting to get off when the lift jerked and started again to the top. Leybourne fell 40 feet to the ground, while Foster hung on and escaped with a few severe bruises and a shock. Leybourne remained conscious after he hit the ground, but died 45 minutes later from the injuries he received. John left a wife and five children. He is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Guelph. . In the old days of Ontario Corrections ‘gang bosses’ were Peace Officers with custodial duties, they were responsible for the inmates when the work gangs were at work.

The Canadian Peace Officers Memorial Association (CPOMA) has refused to add this Officer to the Memorial List of Fallen Officers in Ottawa for four years now. The head of the Awards Committee of the CPOMA is Steve Tilley of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Ontario representative on the CPOMA is Greg Dyson from Elgin-Middlesex DC. Voice your concerns.