Lieutenant-Colonel  William “Bill” Sibbald Wilson, CD was born in Toronto, Ontario on 20 March 1926, the son of James Wilson and Elizabeth Sibbald.

He joined the 2^nd Field Regiment as a Private in January 1942 and was called to active duty in July 1944 as a Sergeant, serving in the Pacific theatre. He was then recommended for educational upgrading and graduated from the University of Toronto.

In June 1956, Wilson married Patricia Ruth Evelyn Sinnott in Victoria, British Columbia, and together they had four daughters.

In June 1952, he was commissioned in The Queen’s Own Rifles, serving with the 2^nd Battalion until 1957, including a tour in Korea in 1954-55. He was promoted to Captain and attended Staff College from 1957 to 1961 before being posted as a staff officer to Eastern Command in Halifax.

As a Major, he served in Ghana from 1962 to 1964 before returning to the 2^nd Battalion. In 1966, he was appointed temporary Commanding Officer, prior to serving as GSO2 in Cyprus in 1967.

From 1967-70, he was Directing Staff Co-ordinator at the Canadian Forces Staff School, then served for three years on the headquarters staff of the Director of Infantry in Warminster, England.

In 1973, he retired from the Regular Force after 31 years’ service and took up duties as Director of Administration for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. However, he soon heard the call of the bugles once again and joined the Battalion, serving as Adjutant and then Deputy Commanding Officer, before assuming command in April 1978.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson’s accomplishments as Commanding Officer included the establishment of a ceremonial guard at Queen’s Park, after lengthy negotiations with the Provincial Government. Another innovation was the creation within the Battalion of a special Recce Company, whose training concentrated on airborne operations; this would lead to the Battalion receiving an airborne tasking. The highlight of Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson’s tenure was the visit of our Colonel-in-Chief, HRH Princess Alexandra, on 26 April 1980.

Sadly, on 12 January 1981, just three months short of completing his three-year tour of command, Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson suffered a fatal heart attack while driving home from the Armoury. A large crowd attended his funeral four days later at St. Paul’s Anglican Church.