Ernest Alexander "E. A." Cruikshank (29 June 1853 – 23 June 1939), was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, a

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

who specialized in military history and the first Chairman of the

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as bein ...

Early life

Cruikshank was born in Bertie Township,

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

in 1853, and was educated at St. Thomas Grammar School and

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

. He worked as a journalist and translator in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, before returning to Canada where he served as Reeve of

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of Ni ...

and Warden of

Welland County Welland County (area, excluding cities was 226,970 acres) is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was formed in 1845 from Lincoln County. The county was named from the Welland River. The river got its name from J ...

Military career

Cruikshank enlisted in the 44th Welland Battalion as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1877, becoming Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment in 1899. While serving, he wrote a number of books on the history of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, particularly its military history, and in 1908 he was seconded to the Public Archives of Canada as keeper of military documents. He resigned from the Archives in 1911 to become a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on the permanent staff of the active militia. Rising to the rank of brigadier-general in 1915, he commanded Military District 13, which was headquartered in Calgary,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. In 1917, Cruikshank was assigned to the Western Front in France. At the end of the

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 ...

, Cruikshank was assigned to Ottawa where he was appointed director of the Historical Section of the General Staff. He retired as a brigadier-general in 1921.

Historian

In 1919, Cruikshank was among the first group of appointees to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, a new body charged with the task of making recommendations in respect of National Historic Sites of Canada. At the first meeting of the HSMB, Cruikshank was elected Chairman, a role he served until his death in 1939. Cruikshank was a prolific writer. Among his most notable writings were: ''The Story of Butler's Rangers and the Settlement of Niagara'' (1893), ''A memoir of Colonel the Honourable James Kerby'' (1931), ''The Settlement of the United Empire Loyalists on the Upper St. Lawrence and Bay of Quinte in 1784'' (1934), ''The Life of Sir Henry Morgan'' (1935), ''The Political Adventures of John Henry: The Record of an International Imbroglio'' (1936) and the edited volumes of the papers of

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada and a President of the Ontario Historical Society. He died at Ottawa.

Honours

He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public lif ...

(F.R.S.C.) in 1905 and was awarded the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal for historical research in 1935. Cruikshank is commemorated with a HSMB plaque in the city of

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

and an

Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust (french: link=no, Fiducie du patrimoine ontarien) is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural herita ...

plaque in Ottawa. The plaque in Ottawa is located on the grounds of the former Canadian War Museum building and reads: "A noted authority on the history of Ontario, Cruikshank became the first director of the Historical Section of the Adjutant-General's Branch of the General Staff in 1918. From 1919 until his death, he served as the first chairman of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada." Cruikshank was named a

Person of National Historic Significance Persons of National Historic Significance (National Historic People) are people designated by the Canadian government as being nationally significant in the history of the country. Designations are made by the Minister of the Environment on the re ...

in 1943.Ernest Alexander Cruikshank National Historic Person
Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada - Parks Canada

Selected works

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References

External links

* * *
Works of Ernest Alexander Cruikshank
at Our Roots: Canada's Local Histories Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruikshank, Ernest Alexander 1853 births 1939 deaths Canadian generals Canadian Militia officers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Lincoln and Welland Regiment Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian military historians Canadian military personnel of World War I Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Historians of Canada People from Fort Erie, Ontario Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)