75th Battalion

Lt. Col. W.O. Morris

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Lieutenant Colonel W.O. Morris
215th & 234th (Peel) BattalionMorris

The local cabal against Morris has resulted in the necessity for a change in the command of the 215th Battalion. Morris’ only fault was in trying to jack up, very moderately, a slack Battalion.

(Maj-Gen. Logie to Gen. Hodgins, 9 Dec 1916)

Born in Fort Battleford on 24 May 1885, just as the Northwest Rebellion ended, William Otter Morris had been named after the Canadian commander at the Battle of Cut Knife, Colonel William Dillon Otter. A secretary in civilian life and a prewar member of the 9th Mississauga Horse, he served on the headquarters staff of Major-General W.A. Logie before appointment to senior major in the 170th Battalion in January 1916.

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Lt. Col. Worsnop

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Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Worsnop
50th & 75th Battalions
Worsnop

Major Worsnop, who is heavy and strong in physique, was a source of strength to any forward line, and one of his most notable achievements was to kick off, catch the ball on the bounce, touch down, and kick the goal.

(Vancouver World, 31 Jan 1916, 2)

Born on 5 August 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charles Benson Worsnop was the son of British Colonel Charles Arthur Benson. Due to his connection with British museums of science and art, his father had travelled to Philadelphia for the 1876 Centennial Exposition and stayed for five years before moving to Canada. The younger Worsnop grew up in British Columbia and joined the 6th Regiment. A noted Vancouver sportsman, the six-foot-three Worsnop excelled as the city’s rugby captain and later team coach.

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The Redeemed

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Lieutenant Colonel C. C. Harbottle, D.S.O
75th (Mississauga) BattalionHarbottle

This deplorable affair has ruined him absolutely, and his character has been taken from him forever. His family and mother are heart-broken. For two years, since these things began, he has lived in a hell of torture, and whatever term he has to do he will be more than amply punished.

(Defence counsel Mr. Robinette, Toronto Globe, 9 May 1908, 4)

Colin Clark Harbottle assumed command of the 75th Battalion on 16 April 1917. He proved himself a dedicated leader through the last year and a half of the war and won the Distinguished Service Order for his “fine example of personal gallantry and determination.” Ten years, earlier Harbottle had been a disgraced fugitive from justice and convicted criminal.

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The Old Timer & The Whippersnapper

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Lieutenant Colonel Wellington Wallace
234th (Peel) BattalionWallace&
Lieutenant Colonel W.O. Morris
215th & 234th (Peel) BattalionMorris

Born in 1854 in Tipperary, Ireland, Wellington Wallace immigrated to Canada in 1878. He was a bank manager, militiaman and veteran of the Northwest Rebellion. He fought with the Queen’s Own Rifles against Cree Chief Poundmaker at the battle of Cut Knife on 2 May 1885. The son of a North West Mounted Police Inspector, William Otter Morris was born in Fort Battleford on 24 May 1885 and named after the Canadian commander at Cut Knife, Colonel William Dillon Otter. The thirty-year old Wallace and the two day old Morris were both present in Battleford when Poundmaker and the Cree surrendered on 26 May 1885. Over thirty years later, Morris succeed Wallace as commander of the 234th Battalion.

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The Cavalryman

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Lieutenant Colonel Sam Beckett †
75th (Mississauga) BattalionSBeckett

Col. Beckett ranked with the few most prominent and able military officers which Toronto and even Canada has produced in the present struggle abroad. That he was efficient and an authority on military tactics, particularly cavalry manoeuvers was attested when he was chosen one of the few officers who left here commanding battalions to take his regiment to France. He had innumerable friends in Toronto.

(Toronto World, 5 March 1917, 1)

Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Gustavus Beckett of the 75th Battalion was killed in action during a March 1917 trench raid near Vimy Ridge. Born on 2 December 1869 in Toronto, Beckett was a partner in an architect firm with fellow Lt. Colonel W. C. V. Chadwick of the 124th Battalion. A student of military history and expert on the cavalry tactics of American Confederate General Stonewall Jackson, Beckett had been involved in the Canadian militia since 1893. At the outbreak of the war, he was commanding officer of the 9th Mississauga Horse.

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