Canada, Dominion. An Important Presentation Sword to Assistant Quarter Master General of Militia, Major Wily from the 39th Regiment Following Crimea Action, 1856

A unique piece of Canadian history in the form of a sword and scabbard, presented to Thomas Wily, the founder of the Cartier Square Military Museum, predecessor of the Canadian War Museum.

The sword measures 100cm in total length, the slightly curved, single edged blade measures 81.5cm with a shallow three quarter length fuller, the shaft bears floral and military engravings along with the iconography of the Royal Rifles, the ricasso presents a small disc marked PROVED on the obverse side. The blade has been lathered in Vaseline for protection. The hilt in steel, features a simple pommel with a smooth backstrap, the handguard and cross guard bearing the Royal Rifle insignia, the handle is composed of fishskin with seven sets of twisted copper wire. The hilt is worn and shows oxidation consistent with age, however the sword remains in extremely fine condition.

The Scabbard, also in steel, features two ring hangers at the neck and middle mount, with a smooth chape at the tip. Between the two hangers, the scabbard has been engraved “To Major Thomas Wily Ass’ Q’ Mas’ General of Militia by the Citizens of Montreal as a token of their appreciation of his services and Secretary to the committee of Management for the reception of the 39th Regiment on their arrival from the Crimea on 28th June 1856”. The scabbard features oxidation and minor wear, remains in very fine condition.

Footnote: Wily was born in 1806 at the Cape of Good Hope, the son of a half-pay captain of the British Army. He joined the army as a private on October 4, 1828, and later arrived in British North America at Halifax in 1834 as a pay sergeant with the 83rd Foot. The regiment was transferred to Quebec, providing Wily the opportunity, as a fluent French speaker, to be a link between the British and local militia. He left the British Army in 1838 to become adjutant of the 1st Provincial Regiment, a unit of Lower Canada Militia. In 1844, Wily was appointed chief of police in Montreal, and stayed in this position until 1849.

He resigned following the community opposed legislature which compensated those – mostly the French – who had suffered during the loss of the rebellions of 1837-1838. Shortly thereafter, Wily was appointed Quarter Master General for the militia in the Montreal district. He was later promoted to Director of Stores and Military Properties in 1862. On November 21, 1872 Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Wily, the militia department’s Director of Stores and Keeper of Military Properties sent a request to the Department of Public Works that it draw up plans and specification for a new “Drill Shed” for Ottawa to serve as a “resource” for the capital’s active militaria force. Originally designed as a two-story brick building, this request ultimately became the precursor to Canada’s War Museum, located in Ottawa, Ontario.

The 39th Regiment embarked for Crimea in the spring of 1854 and participated in the Siege of Sevastopol in the winter of 1854 prior to returning to Canada in 1856. From here, the regiment moved to Bermuda in 1859, returned to England in 1864, and was posted back to India in 1859. Pulisfer, Cameron. " Colonel Wily’s Brainchild: The Origins of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa’s Cartier Square Drill Hall, 1880–1896," Canadian Military History, Vol 16 [2007], Iss. 2, Art. 6.