Lieutenant George Buchanan Foster, (19 August 1897 – 3 June 1974) was a Canadian

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. He was credited with seven aerial victories. After the First World War, Foster would become a King's Counsel and prominent attorney as a principal in a major law firm, as well as being appointed a member of the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (French; ''Conseil législatif du Québec'') was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower hou ...

Early life

George Buchanan Foster was born on 19 August 1897 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His mother was Mary Maud Buchanan; his father was Senator George Green Foster. He had one sister, Ruth Elizabeth Foster. He was the great-grandson of Alexander Buchanan, a noted lawyer and judge. When George Buchanan Foster joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force to serve in the First World War, he was a single student.

First World War

On 13 November 1917, Foster was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on probation. After training, he was assigned to 24 Squadron in France as a SE.5a pilot from 8 March to 27 August 1918. During this posting, he destroyed an observation balloon, two Pfalz D.III fighters, a

Fokker Triplane The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

, and a

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

two-seater; he also shared in destruction of a Hannover, and drove a Fokker Triplane down out of control. His exploits won him a Distinguished Flying Cross, which was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 2 November 1918.

After the First World War

After the First World War ended, "Bunny" Foster returned to Montreal, Canada and married Barbara Helen MacDougall. He studied law at McGill University, with his prior education having been at

Lower Canada College Lower Canada College (LCC) is an English-language elementary and secondary level independent school located in Montreal, Quebec. The school offers education from Kindergarten through Grade 11. Students graduate from Grade 11 and then have the opt ...

and the

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...

. He was admitted to the

Bar of Quebec The Bar of Quebec (french: Barreau du Québec) is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower Ca ...

on 16 July 1920, and practised law in Montreal, becoming King's Counsel on 10 January 1931. He became a principal in his own law firm of Foster, Hannen, Watt, Leggatt, and Colby. George Buchanan Foster was awarded the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

on 1 July 1946. He was appointed to the

on 21 August 1946, and served there until the abolition of that institution in 1968. In addition to his legal career, he served as president of the Children's Memorial Hospital of Montreal and was a member of the Protestant Board of Education for the province of Quebec. He served as president of Canada and Dominion Sugar Co. Ltd. and of Wire Rope Industries of Canada Ltd. and vice-president of Noranda Mines Ltd. He served on the boards of many companies, including IAC Ltd., Travelers Insurance, Brompton Pulp & Paper, Acme Glove,

Holt Renfrew Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (doing business as Holt Renfrew and known colloquially as Holt's) is a Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. It has been owned by the Weston family since 1986, and was previo ...

, Lake St. John's Paper,

Montreal Trust The Montreal Trust Company was formed in 1889 and 100 years later described itself as "one of Canada's largest trust companies." History Montreal Trust was founded by the Bank of Montreal. Donald Smith and Edward Clouston were amongst its chart ...

, St. Lawrence Corporation, Sherbrooke Machinery, Donnacona Paper, Sagamo Penmans, Gaspe Copper,

Seven Up 7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up comp ...

, J. S. Mitchell, Combustion Engineering Superheater, Hilton of Canada and British Bank Note. He died on 3 June 1974 and was buried in Knowlton Cemetery,

Knowlton, Quebec The Town of Brome Lake (officially Ville de Lac-Brome) is a town in southern Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 5,609. Tourism is a major industry in the village of Knowlton because of skiing in the winter, lake activ ...

, Canada.

Bibliography

* also . * * also .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, George Buchanan 1897 births 1974 deaths High School of Montreal alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Canadian Members of the Order of the British Empire Union Nationale (Quebec) MLCs Canadian King's Counsel Canadian World War I flying aces Military personnel from Montreal McGill University Faculty of Law alumni