Can you guess the answer to following?
Who joined the Royal Engineers in 1885 after graduating from RMC and was part of the Lushai Expedition of 1888?
Was it:
No. 18 MacPherson, D.
No. 73 Cambell, D. C.
No. 53 Clarke, H.
No. 78 Nanton, H. C.
Who was presented with a collection of Indian weapons by the Maharajah of Cooch Behar during their service in India prior to the First World War?
Was he:
No. 53 Clarke, H.
No. 78 Nanton, H. C.
No. 18 MacPherson, D.
No. 73 Cambell, D. C.
Who was present for the inaugural meeting of the Royal Military College Club in 1884?
Is it:
No. 78 Nanton, H. C.
No. 18 MacPherson, D.
No. 53 Clarke, H.
No. 73 Cambell, D. C.
Click the link below to reveal the answers!
If you guessed H. C. J. Nanton for all three questions, you are correct! Herbet Colborne J. Nanton graduated from RMC in 1882 and became a civil engineer working as an assitant engineer for the Rocky Mountain section of the Canadian Pacific Railway thereafter. His memoir states that “On the outbreak of the Riel rebellion in 1885, he threw up his railway job and joined the Canadian Militia, serving throughout the operations in the north-west. He received the medaland clasp for this campaign.” After this, he was entitled to join the Royal Engineers since he obtained a first-class diploma from the College. He was “present for the first organizational meeting [of the RMC Club] which took place at 42 King Street East in Toronto on 7 February, 1884 that resulted in the formation of a committee.” He had an exceptional career and was even made a Temporary Major General while holding the position of Chief Engineer of the 34d Army in 1917. He passed away in Victoria, B.C. on the 2nd of May, 1935, but his family remembers him as “a hard-working, conscientious, and keen soldier, whose one idea was to get on active service on every opportunity.” The collection of Indian daggers and various other arms given to Nanton is now at the Royal Military College Museum.
~Assembled by C. W. Kunkel
