Description
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officer’s Decoration, VRI Cypher, Major Wallace Harris, Retired List, 69th Annapolis Regiment, Canadian Militia.
Impressed on the reverse: “Major W. Harris Retired List”.
Confirmed as awarded during August 1902.
This rare decoration was established circa May 1899, in recognition for long and meritorious service as a part-time commissioned officer in any of the organised Military Forces of the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates.
Previous to this point, since 1894, Colonial Recipients would receive a slightly different “VRI” cypher Volunteer Officers Decoration for this service.
This exact issue was short lived, established in Mid 1899, only a few would meet the criteria for award before the upcoming death of Queen Victoria, it being replaced by the King Edward VII version less than 3 years later.
Service required for the award was 20 years of long service in any of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces.
This man Spent many years as a Volunteer Officer with the 69th (1st Annapolis) Battalion of Militia in Nova Scotia, his family having been locals of Annapolis for generations.
His son Captain Garnet Wolseley Harris, served with the same regiment and was severely wounded in WW1 with the C.E.F.
Major William John Harris, was born in Bear River, Nova Scotia, Canada on 26th December 1841.
His family had an unusual arrival in Canada the story of his Great Grandfather Henry Harris reads:
“Henry Harris, born in England on 4th February 1757, went to New York before the Revolution, and as Lorenzo Sabine (1800-1877) says in his ‘American Loyalists’, was taken as a Prisoner on Staten Island and sent to Trenton, New Jersey, residence unknown, but we find that Captain Henry Harris at Bear River, Nova Scotia, right after the Revolution, spoken of as a good citizen, farmer etc…”
He spent his whole live in Annapolis, Nova Scotia. Like his family he was also a local Farmer throughout his life.
When the Militia Battalion of Annapolis was re-organised, he was appointed as a Captain in commander of the 7th Bear River Company.
He died on 14th April 1912 in Waldeck, Annapolis, Canada.
There are some other local newspaper articles where he is mentioned such as on training camps for the regiment when he was in command etc.
