William Otter KCB CVO is/was a significant Ontarian .
General Sir William Dillon Otter, KCB, CVO, VD was a professional Canadian soldier who became the first Canadian-born Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Militia.
Family
Parents were Anna Louisa, née de la Hooke (1824–1907) and Alfred William Otter (1815–1866). They married in Ontario on 15 September 1842. In late 1865, he was married at St James’ Cathedral to Marianne "Molly" Porter, daughter of James Porter, Toronto’s superintendent of schools.
Otter was the grandfather of Canadian Military historian Desmond Morton.
Military
The high-toned Victoria Rifles, a company of the 2nd Battalion of Rifles (Queen’s Own Rifles of Toronto), accepted him in October 1861. By 1866, Captain William Otter was Adjutant of the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto and in the same year first saw combat with them at the Battle of Ridgeway during the Fenian Raids.
Became Permanent Force infantry officer when Canada established its own professional infantry unit in 1883. In July 1883, informed of his command of a new "Infantry School of Military Instruction” in Toronto. He recruited 100 men and established the new school at the New Fort (on the grounds of the present-day Canadian National Exhibition); it opened for instruction in April 1884.
May 2, 1885, led a Canadian force of more than 300 in the Battle of Cut Knife against Poundmaker's Cree Indians during the North-West Rebellion. Spring 1886, deputy adjutant general for Military District No.2 (Toronto and central Ontario).
1890, founded the Royal Canadian Military Institute as a body for "the promotion and fostering of military art, science and literature in Canada."
1893 appointed as the first Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.
On 13 October 1899 Otter was given command of the contingent authorized for South Africa, to be recruited from across Canada and called the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry. He played an important part in the Battle of Paardeburg in February, 1900.
In March 1908 appointed Otter chief of the general staff with the rank of brigadier-general. Otter’s confirmation as a major-general came in July 1912, but almost immediately he heard that he was to be retired on 1 December. Otter was in England when he learned that the governor general, the Duke of Connaught, had prevailed over his ministers and that he would be made a kcb. He was present at Buckingham Palace for his investiture on 11 June 1913.
During the First World War he came out of retirement to command operations for the internment of enemy nationals resident in Canada.
The Otter Commission was tasked to establish links of perpetuation from the units of Canadian Expeditionary Force back to the institutionally separate units of the Canadian Militia in the years following the First World War. This establishment of perpetuation, based primarily on geographical connections through original recruiting areas of the CEF battalions, provided a basis by which the achievements and battle honours of the CEF units transferred back to the units of the standing Militia. Without this work of the Otter Commission the CEF and its achievements would have had no continuance with existing units of the Canadian Army today.
Other Activities
A founding member of the Toronto Rowing Club in 1865, he stroked the Edrol to the 1867 championship against crews from Ottawa, Toronto, and Lachine, Que.
Summer 1867, he became the founding president and a leading player of the Toronto Lacrosse Club and in 1868 elected president of the National Lacrosse Association.
He was named to the board of the Mechanics’ Institute and also became secretary-treasurer of the reorganized Toronto Gymnasium Association and a judge of the Caledonian games.
He was secretary of the Ontario Rifle Association. In 1873, adjutant of the Canadian rifle team at Wimbledon (London). Departed for Wimbledon in June 1883 to command the rifle team.
Otter was initiated into the Ionic Lodge of Freemasonry in Toronto in February 1869. He became a Worshipful Master in 1873.
Sources
Brian A Reid "Our Little Army in the Field – The Canadians in the Boer War"
Desmond Morton, The Canadian general: Sir William Otter (Toronto, 1974).
"Ontario, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2YM-F8HL : 17 March 2018), William Dillon Otter and Mary Ann Porter, 03 Oct 1865; citing Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,030,065.
"Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKZ1-N29 : 27 April 2019), William Dillon Otter, 06 May 1929; citing York, Ontario, Canada, 4269, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,210,915.
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