William Okell Holden Dodds (3 July 1867 – 25 August 1934) was a Canadian Brigadier General of the First World War. Dodds was born in

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. A port town, industries include fishing, and tourism. It is the terminus of a ferry service to Bar Harbor, Maine, run by Bay Ferries. History Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the regio ...

, the son of Charles and Agnes (Smith) Dodds. In 1910 he married Jean Hamilton Holt Tyre. A militia officer before the war, Dodds had served with the

Canadian Garrison Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): " British Grenadiers/ Th ...

(1884-1886), the Royal Scots of Canada (1897-1905), the Canadian Field Artillery (1905-1912), and the Canadian Grenadier Guards (1912-1914). Dodds joined the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

in 1914 as Officer Commanding the 1st Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery (CFA). After arrival in England, and being promoted Lieutenant Colonel, he became Commanding Officer of the 1st Brigade, CFA. In October 1916 he was promoted to Brigadier General and given the position of Commander Royal Artillery for the

4th Canadian Division The 4th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army. The division was first created as a formation of the Canadian Corps during the First World War. During the Second World War the division was reactivated as the 4th Canadian Infantr ...

. After the end of hostilities Dodds served in Germany and was briefly the military governor of Bonn. He was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in the

1916 Birthday Honours The 1916 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

list. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the

1919 New Year Honours The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...

list. Dodds returned to civilian life in 1919 and was later Honorary Colonel of the

Royal Montreal Regiment The Royal Montreal Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Westmount, Quebec. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 34 Canadian Brigade Group. Lineage File:RMR Colour.jpg, The regimental colour of The R ...

and Honorary Colonel Commandant, Canadian Artillery. Dodds worked in the insurance industry, having joined the Mutual Life of New York in 1892. In 1916, while serving overseas, he was promoted to Canadian manager of the company. Among his papers, which are held at the University of Victoria, is a photo album of people and scenes of the First World War which is now in the public domain.

References

External links

The Quebec History EncyclopediaWilliam Okell Holden Dodds fonds
at University of Victoria Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives 1867 births 1934 deaths Canadian generals of World War I Canadian military personnel from Nova Scotia Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery officers Canadian Grenadier Guards officers {{Canada-mil-bio-stub