Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A mounted group of seven miniature dress medals named to Brigadier-General C. F. Winter, Royal Canadian Regiment, late Royal Fusiliers

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, 1 clasp, Tel-El-Kebir; North West Canada 1885, 1 clasp, Saskatchewan; Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg; Jubilee 1935 (Br. Gen. C. F. Winter, Canada); Coronation 1937 (Br. Gen. C. F. Winter); Colonial Auxiliary Officers’ Decoration, E.VII.R., with top bar; Khedive’s Star 1882, all unnamed except where stated, cleaned and mounted court style; together with an older mounting bar with original ribbons, good very fine (7) £260-300

Charles Francis Winter was born in Montreal, Quebec on the 3 February 1863 and was educated at Prescott, Ontario. After some time working in banking he decided to join the British Army aged 17 in 1880 and he served with the 7th Royal Fusiliers. He took part in the Egypt campaign of 1882, seeing action at Kassassin and Tel-el-Kebir. On his return to Canada he entered the Civil Service while continuing his military service as a member of the Governor General’s Foot Guards. He served in the North West campaign of 1885 as Colour-Sergeant of the Ottawa Sharpshooters, served at the relief of Battleford, 24 April 1885; was wounded at Cut Knife Hill on 2 May 1885 and served in operations against Chief Big Bear’s Band, June-July 1885. Winter was later commissioned in the Foot Guards and served in the South African War as Captain in the Royal Canadian Regiment. There he served in operations in the Orange Free State, April-May 1900, including the action at Zand River; operations in the Transvaal, May-June 1900, including actions near Johannesburg and Pretoria; operations in the Transvaal, east of Pretoria, July and September 1900; operations west of Pretoria, August 1900 and operations on the Orange River Colony, August 1900. He transferred to the Canadian Permanent Staff in 1907 as a Major and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1913, serving as Military Secretary at Headquarters until 1917, working for the Minister of Militia and Defence, Lieutenant-General Sir Sam Hughes.

He served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association, and was Adjutant of the 1912 Bisley Team, and Captain of the 1922 Team. Winter retired as a Brigadier-General in 1921 and died on 21 October 1946.

He was a prolific author, who published articles containing anecdotes and accounts of his service at Tel-el-Kebir, in the North West Rebellion, and in South Africa. Copies of a selection of these are included with the group, including pieces from The Canadian Magazine and Canadian Defence Quarterly. Research also includes a copy of Winter's original diary kept during his service in Egypt. In addition to various monographs, Winter also wrote one book (in lot), The Hon Sir Sam Hughes, Canada’s War Minister 1911-1916, an account of his experiences with the latter. With a large quantity of copied documents and research, including copied photographs.