Horatio Asprey Wicksteed was born in Camberwell, England, on 11 July 1811. In 1834, he emigrated to Québec City, where he started a career in business.
During the Lower Canada Rebellion in 1837, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Royal Quebec Volunteer Artillery under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Kirby. In 1851, he transferred to the Montreal Regiment of Artillery, and was promoted to captain.
After relocating to Ottawa, he joined the Civil Service Rifles, a Militia unit made up of volunteer civil servants. He served during the 1866 Fenian Raids as a private, patrolling the streets of Ottawa as a private under Major Anderson. The Canada General Service Medal with Fenian Raid 1866 clasp (in possession by the Museum) was sent 15 January 1900 to his house at 228 Cobourg Street in Ottawa (according to a modern hand-scrawled note that once accompanied the medal).
On 30 September 1867, Wicksteed was promoted to captain and Paymaster of the Civil Service Rifles. When the Governor General’s Foot Guards were formed in 1872, he soon became major and Paymaster to the regiment (effective 18 June 1872), a position he held until October 1887. In 1902, he received a Colonial Auxiliary Force Officer’s Decoration for his long and faithful service.
Wicksteed held several important positions during his civilian career. In 1839, he was appointed to the Montreal Post Office, where he re-organised the department. He remained there until 1851, when the postal service was transferred to the provincial government. He was living in Kingston on 11 July 1852, when he married Caroline Condy, and was employed as Inspector of the Kingston Postal Division. He held this position until 1859, when he was hired as an accountant with the Postal Department in Ottawa. He retired in 1887.
Wicksteed died in Ottawa on 26 January 1906 while living at 228 Coburg Street in Ottawa, and is buried with his wife in Beechwood Cemetery, Section 50, Lot 81. At the graveside ceremony, as a mark of respect and recognition of his military service, “The Last Post” was sounded by three buglers from the Governor General’s Foot Guards. There is also a plaque in his memory in the sanctuary at St. Alban’s Anglican Church in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighbourhood.
Which reads:
To the glory of God and in thankful remembrance of Horatio Asprey Wicksteed, first Churchwarden of St. Alban’s Church and a devout and loyal member of the congregation. Born 11 July 1811 – Died 26 Jan 1906.
Library and Archives Canada.
MG 29-D61, Volume #22 MF C-1997
RG 9 IIA5, Item Number: 32598. MF C-1861. Canada General Service Medal Roll.
Ancestry.ca
Canada, British Army and Canadian Militia Muster Rolls and Pay Lists, 1795-1850
Canada, Nominal Rolls and Paylists for the Volunteer Militia, 1857-1922
Soldier, Veteran & Prisoner Rolls & Lists
Draft, Enlistment and Service
Beechwood Cemetery Ledger Books
Quebec Marriages
Civil Service Lists.
Family Search.com
Ontario Death Records
Newspapers
Ottawa Evening Journal. 11 July 1904. Anniversary of his Birth Major Wicksteed is 93 years of today.
Ottawa Evening Journal. 27 January 1906. Maj. Wicksteed is dead at 94.
Ottawa Evening Journal. 30 January 1906. Obituary. Horatio Asprey Wicksteed.
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