Lieutenant Colonel Watty Burland
14th (Royal Montreal Regiment) Battalion

A cablegram was yesterday received by Mr. B. S. Burland from his brother, Lt. Col. “Watty” Burland senior major and second in command of the 14th Battalion, stating that he had come through the fighting at Langemarcke without injury. Lt. Col. Burland’s cable was brief, but to the point, simply saying, “Pulled through all right.”

 (Montreal Gazette, 4 May 1915, 4)

William Watt Burland was born on 9 September 1877 in Montreal. He had joined the Victoria Rifles of Canada in 1894 and become commanding officer in 1912. He joined the 14th Battalion as second-in-command with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Although he made it through the second battle of Ypres uninjured, he was wounded less than a month later on 10 May 1915.

On 19 June, Burland replaced Lieutenant Colonel Frank Meighen, who had returned to Canada. He remained in command of the 14th for a short time until the end of summer 1915, when he was assigned to reorganize the Canadian Military School at Shorncliffe. Command passed to Colonel Frank Fisher of the 23rd Battalion. Burland later served with the Imperial Forces as a staff officer. He was three times mentioned in dispatches and received the D.S.O.

He died in Montreal on 17 December 1935.

Militia Personnel File, 7807-1: https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_t17547/5294