Brigadier-General Dennis C. Draper Fonds
Dennis Colburn Draper was born in Sutton Junction on February 20, 1917 and worked as a farmer in Brome County before the outbreak of the First World War. Before enlisting with the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles in June 1915, Draper served as a Captain of the 13th Scottish Light Dragoons in the Canadian Militia. As a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he was given the rank of Major and served as Baker’s second-in-command for the 5th C.M.R. Draper sailed to England with the unit on July 18, 1915 and arrived eleven days later.After spending the summer training, the 5th C.M.R. was sent to France on October 24, 1915. On June 3, 1915 – during the Battle of Mount Sorrel – Baker was wounded but recovered the body of George Baker. For his gallantry under fire, Draper was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) and promoted to the rank of Colonel in command of the 5th C.M.R. In 1917, while still serving on the Western Front, Draper ran as a candidate for
the Conservative Party in the 1917 Federal Election in Brome County (Baker’s old constituency). Unfortunately for Draper, he would lose the election. For his actions during the Battle of Passchendaele, Draper was awarded a Bar to his D.S.O. – effectively being awarded the award a second time – and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in command of the 8th Brigade in May 1918. Draper would go on to lead the 8th Brigade until the end of the war. For his service, Draper was made a companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George on January 1, 1919 and on January 7, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre. Throughout the War, Draper was mentioned multiple times in Douglas Haig’s dispatches which were added to the London Gazette: November 13, 1916; April 9, 1917; December 28, 1917; May 28, 1918; December 31, 1918. On February 13, 1919, Draper returned to England and stayed there for two months before heading back to Canada. He was officially demobilised on April 30, 1919 and returned to Sutton Junction but would quickly leave once more to become commissioner of the Toronto Police Department. Draper died of natural causes on November 8, 1951.
The Lac-Brome Museum's Archives presents an online publication entitled :
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"General Sir Arthur Currie’s After Action Report on the Attack on Vimy Ridge, with Commentary by Robert Paterson"
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This publication is based on General Currie's report and is part of the Brigadier-General Dennis C. Draper fonds preserved at the archives of the LBM.
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We invite you to download and discover the publication!
