Captain Edward Lyman Abbott (May 1, 1891 – August 14, 1918) was a Canadian multisport athlete and soldier. Abbott was considered a fine sportsman in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina ( ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 Canadian census, ...

, and won national championships in ice hockey, and rugby football. He is the namesake of the

Abbott Cup The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" ice hockey Champion for Western Canada. The Cup was named after Captain E.L. (Hick) Abbott who was a noted hockey ...

, and is honoured in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame. Abbott was a decorated officer in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

, and died in action during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Early life

Abbott was born on May 1, 1891, in Lovering, Ontario, the son of James Henry Abbott and Mary Ann Jackson. He moved westward with his family in 1897, and acquired the nickname "Hick," short for hickory. Abbott played hockey in high school, and developed into a fast-skating right-winger, with a knack for scoring. As a member of the Regina Shamrocks and the Regina Bees, he won the Valkenburg Cup in 1911 and 1912, as champion of the

Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League (SSHL) was a senior amateur ice hockey league that operated in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on-and-off from 1938 to 1971. History Before the 1938–39 season there were Northern and Southern leagues in ...

. He was captain of the

Regina Victorias The Regina Victorias (often shortened to ''Vics'') were two ice hockey teams, one at the senior level (1914–1938) and one at the junior level (1917–1921), based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The senior Vics played in the Allan Cup finals three tim ...

that won the

1914 Allan Cup The 1914 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1913–14 season. The final challenge was hosted by the Regina Victorias in Regina, Saskatchewan. The 1914 playoff marked the seventh time the Allan Cup had a champion ...

, and was a member of the

Regina Rugby Club The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

from 1913 to 1915, that won the

Western Canada Rugby Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 191 ...

each year. Abbott was a

law student Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

, and senior

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

for the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...

before joining the military.

Military career

Abbott enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on September 23, 1915, in Regina. He completed officer training in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, and was assigned to the 68th Battalion as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He was deployed for duty on April 28, 1916, from

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural har ...

, aboard . Abbott was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 52nd Battalion on October 30, 1916. In combat, he suffered gunshot wounds to his shoulder, and shrapnel in his eye, but continued to serve. Abbott was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(MC) in July 1917, the citation for which reads as follows: A

medal bar A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the Military campaign, campaign or Military operation, operation the recipient received t ...

was added to his MC three months later after he led a raid on enemy trenches despite being outnumbered. The bar's citation reads: During the Battle of Amiens on August 14, 1918, Abbott was killed in action, by a sniper's bullet to the head. Abbott was interred in the New British Cemetery in Roye, France, grave reference I.B.13.

Legacy

Captain Abbott is listed on page 357 of the

Book of Remembrance A book of remembrance is a book commemorating those who have died, usually listing their names in date or alphabetical order. They are often compiled to commemorate war dead and others who have died on military operations. Another use is to com ...

for World War I. Joe Potts of the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association offered a memorial trophy to the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; ) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction included senior ice hockey leagues and the Allan Cup, ...

, in memory of Abbott. The

was founded in 1919 in his honour, and was awarded for the Western Canada junior hockey championship, and a berth in the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...

. The Abbott Cup and his war medals are displayed at the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

, as an exhibit on World War I. Abbott was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

References

External links

Digitized service file – Library and Archives Canada
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Edward Lyman 1891 births 1918 deaths 20th-century Canadian civil servants 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Burials in Hauts-de-France Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Canadian rugby league players Ice hockey people from Ontario Ice hockey people from Regina, Saskatchewan Sportspeople from Simcoe County