Lieutenant John Burgon Bickersteth

Lieutenant (British Army).

Military Cross

Military Cross First Bar

Order of Canada

John Burgon Bickersteth was born in England in 1888, the son of a Canon of Canterbury and grandson of the Bishop of Exeter. He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford and from University of Paris. He first came to Canada in 1911 to 1913 bur went to France and studied a year at The Sorbonne finishing in August 1914 but returned to England where he served in World War I with the British Army and received the Military Cross and Bar. He returned to Canada and was on the staff of the University of Alberta and from 1919-1921. In 1921 he was appointed Warden of Hart House, a position he held continuously (except for war service from 1939 to 1945) until his retirement in 1947. On his retirement, Dr. Sidney Smith, President of University of Toronto, stated that "Mr. Bickersteth in large measure is responsible for the varied life of Hart House which has made it unique among universities." On his retirement he returned to England. Mr. Bickersteth died in Canterbury, Kent, England on February 1, 1979.

After a few days at headquarters (Edmonton), I was sent out to Lac la Nonne, one of the country missions about 60 miles north-west of Edmonton. The Rev. G.D. Whitaker had already been in charge of this district for some little time, and during the next twelve months we did our best to work a district 100 miles long and about 20 miles broad. I was made responsible for the north-western part of this newly settled country. It took me about two weeks to make the round of my district, traveling in summer on horseback, in winter in a sleigh.(The Land of Open Doors by J. Burgon Bickersteth)

Wrote History of the 6th Cavalry Brigade, 1914-1919

Residing in the Belvedere/Lac la Nonne area prewar, he would be a Barrhead, Alberta veteran. On December 21, 1974 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.