Lieutenant Colonel Victor Brereton Rivers (2 February 1860 - 25 September 1911) was the first Intelligence Staff Officer of the Canadian militia on 6 February 1901. His staff work led shortly after, on 1 April 1903, to the formation of the Corps of Guides, a forerunner of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch.

Early life

He was born 2 February 1860 and lived in Broockville,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

. He was educated as part of the first class at the Royal Military College of Canada in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, student No. 10, one of the "Old Eighteen". He entered the college on 1 June 1876. Since cadets received their numbers based on their standings in the entrance examinations, he was 10 of 18. As a sergeant, having completed his full period of instruction at the College, he was granted a second-class certificate of graduation dated 30 June 1880. ''The Dominion Annual Register and Review'' recorded that the aggregate number of marks he obtained was 24274 (honours).

Career

He became a career soldier with the Canadian Permanent Active Militia, as a lieutenant in 'A' Battery, which operated the first

Gatling Gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling of North Carolina. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operatio ...

to be used in combat in Canada. He was a veteran of the Battle of Fish Creek (24 April 1885) and the

Battle of Batoche A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(5–12 May 1885). At the Battle of Fish Creek, District of Saskatchewan, the Dominion forces under General Middleton attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion retreated. At the Battle of Batoche, District of Saskatchewan, the Dominion forces defeated the

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

' attempt to maintain Aboriginal independence in the disputed "Canadian" North-West Territories. Portions of letters he sent to his wife Maud from the front were posted in the Brockville newspaper of the time. He was elected president of the Royal Military College Club in 1891. During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

in South Africa (1899–1902), Canadian mounted troops gathered information of intelligence value with the Strathcona’s Horse and British scout units. Canadian intelligence efforts in South Africa led to his appointment on 6 February 1901 as the first Intelligence Staff Officer of the Canadian Militia. He reported to the first Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMI) Brevet-Major William A.C. Denny, Royal Army Service Corps. His staff work led shortly after, on 1 April 1903, to the formation of the

Corps of Guides (Canada) The Corps of Guides was an administrative corps of the Non-Permanent Active Militia in Canada. It was responsible for both intelligence staff duties as well as the collection of military intelligence for the defence of Canada through its moun ...

, "The Guides should be intelligent men and capable of active work with a knowledge of the topographical features of the country as well as the roads, the country between the roads, sidepaths, names of farmers, etc. in the area, and when possible, should be in possession of a horse". This organization was the forerunner of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch. He served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Militia headquarters staff, Ottawa. He died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1911.

Family

He married Maud Gertrude Gildersleeve, born 26 March 1864, who after his death never remarried and died 19 December 1954 at age 90. Their home in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, was at 252 Daly Avenue. They had four children: Helen who died at 2 months of age; Marjorie, born 11 August 1889 who died 6 September 1911 of

at age 20 (nineteen days before her father); Charles, who served in WW1 as a pilot and who died of stomach cancer in 1967 at age 72 having had no children; and the youngest, Victor Henry, who served in the trenches during WW1 where he was gassed but survived and died in 1994 at age 96. He had two children Victor B. Rivers and Timothy C. Rivers. Maud's father was Charles Fuller Gildersleeve, originally a lawyer but became general manager of the Northern Navigation Company.

References

Books

*4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976. *H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto,

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...

, 1969. *H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982 *H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968 *H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876–1918. Volume II: 1919–1984. Royal Military College. ingston The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Victor Brereton 1860 births 1911 deaths Royal Military College of Canada alumni Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian military personnel of the Second Boer War