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Foster, William W., Major-General
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Dates of existence
1875-1954
History
William Wasbrough (Billy) Foster (1875-1954) was born in Bristol, England in 1876 and immigrated to Canada in 1894. In a 1913 by-election, Foster was elected Conservative member for The Islands in the British Columbia legislature. In November 1914, he joined the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles. After distinguishing himself at the Somme and Vimy Ridge, he was promoted to command the 52nd Battalion in August 1917. Aside from a temporary post to command the 9th Infantry Brigade in September 1918, Foster remained with the 52nd until the end of the war. He received two DSO Bars, was twice wounded and was five times mentioned in dispatches. Foster was appointed Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department on 3 January 1935. Foster remained active in veteran affairs during peacetime and was the president of the Royal Canadian Legion from 1938 to 1940. His career as chief constable was cut short when he was called off to war in 1939 and was promoted to major general. Foster died in 1954 in Vancouver.
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