Thomas Bushell was a colonel in the Royal American Mounted Police and the chief of the RAMs' Upper California section. In 1995, he was a compact, solidly made man of 48 with brown hair and mustache. In the 1970s, Bushell served as a Lieutenant in the Royal North American Army. He served with his fellow Lieutenant Horace Bragg and was assigned Staff Sgt. Samuel Stanley as his senior non-com on the border with Nueva España. Several disputes arose during this period which resulted in border skirmishes. In one, Bushell was wounded attempting to rescue one of his men who was down. Both were saved by Stanley.