Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Percival Talbot "Percy" Molson, MC (August 14, 1880 – July 5, 1917) was a Canadian star athlete and soldier. After an outstanding sports career with McGill University, Molson joined its administration. Molson died fighting in World War I. In his will, he donated funds for McGill to build its football stadium, named

Percival Molson Memorial Stadium Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (also known in French as ''Stade Percival-Molson''; commonly referred to as Molson Stadium in English or Stade Molson in French) is an outdoor football stadium in Downtown Montreal, on the slopes of Mount Royal, ...

in his honour.

Biography

An Anglo-Quebecer, Molson was born in the resort community of Cacouna, Québec, on the St. Lawrence River. He was the son of John Thomas Molson (1837–1910) and Jane (Jennie) Baker Butler (1850–1926). A gifted athlete, at the age of sixteen Percival Molson participated in several sports and as an ice hockey player he was a member of the Montreal Victorias that won the 1897 Stanley Cup championship. While studying at McGill University, Percival Molson captained the hockey team, starred in track and field competitions, played racquet sports, and made the football team. He was named McGill University's best "all-round athlete" three years in a row, a feat unmatched in the university's history. Throughout competitions in which he participated, he was acclaimed for his sense of fair play and achieved the remarkable distinction of never having been penalized for misconduct in any sport. In track and field he competed in several events including the Long Jump in which he set a world record at the American Athletics Meet in 1900. In 1903, he won the United States Outdoor Track and Field Long Jump championship. After Molson easily beat American Harry Hillman at the 1903 Canadian Championships in the 400 meter race, it was thought he had a chance in that event at the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. However, he finished well back in the field. After graduation in 1901, Percival Molson was appointed to his University's Board of Governors, the youngest person ever named to that position. While a McGill University Board member he served as the chair of its Finance and Stadium committees. The university authorised construction of a new stadium to be built in Macdonald Park at the corner of University and Pine Avenues. However, with the onset of World War I, matters had to be delayed. Percival Molson along with George McDonald were instrumental in establishing the University Companies at McGill and other Canadian campuses to reinforce

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

. Over a thousand men joined the Regiment through six University Companies. Many were subsequently commissioned from the ranks and went on to serve as officers in other Canadian and British units. Captain Molson joined the Patricia's in the field with the 2nd University Company in October 1915. In June 1916, he was badly wounded in the Battle of Mount Sorrel at Sanctuary Wood near Hooge, West Flanders in Belgium. During horrific encounters with the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

, where members of the 1st,

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...

and

3rd Canadian Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from th ...

s suffered 8,430 casualties, Percival Molson received the Military Cross for his valour. After recovering from his wounds, he returned to the front lines with his Regiment (PPCLI) and on July 5, 1917, at the outskirts of

Avion Avion may refer to: * Avion, the French and Spanish name for airplane (powered fixed-wing aircraft); coming from Latin "avis" (bird). Same family as "aviation" ** Avion II and Avion III by Clément Ader * Avion (band) * Avion (car) * Avion, Pas-de ...

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

near Vimy Ridge in France, Captain Percival Molson was killed by a direct hit from a German

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

. Captain Molson is interred in the Villers Station Cemetery in

Villers-au-Bois Villers-au-Bois () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Villers-au-Bois is surrounded by woodland and situated some northwest of Arras, at the junction of the D65 and D58 roads. Popu ...

in Pas-de-Calais. In Percival Molson's will he left $75,000 to McGill University to help pay most of the costs for the construction of the stadium. Although it was officially dedicated as McGill Graduates' Stadium at an intercollegiate track meet on October 22, 1915, the Board of Governors of the university renamed the facility

on October 25, 1919, in honour of this fallen hero. In 1996, Captain Percival Molson was an inaugural inductee to th
McGill University Sports Hall of Fame

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Molson, Percival 1880 births 1917 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Athletes (track and field) at the 1904 Summer Olympics Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian ice hockey players Canadian male long jumpers Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Ice hockey people from Quebec McGill Redbirds football players McGill Redmen ice hockey players Percival Molson Olympic track and field athletes of Canada Canadian people of English descent People from Bas-Saint-Laurent Players of Canadian football from Quebec Canadian recipients of the Military Cross Sport at McGill University Stanley Cup champions Canadian military personnel from Quebec Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry officers

Biography

See also

References

External links