Captain William Waite Patterson

When the First World War broke out, Captain William Patterson was put in charge of the Paris contingent of the 125^th Battalion. The 9^th and 10^th Platoons of C Company were raised and trained in Paris. They used the armoury at 7 Broadway Street East, on the property which now is the site of Paris Central School.

Captain Patterson, at the time a 52-year-old dentist, was born and raised in Paris. He served in the Second Boer War in South Africa, which lasted from 1899 to 1902. He also had six years of experience with the 25^th Brant Dragoons and one year with the 38^th Dufferin Rifles. He transferred to the 125^th in November, 1915 to organize the training and overseas deployment of the soldiers of the 125^th. He was also a magistrate, and so would have signed many of the attestation papers of the young men who enlisted in the 125^th battalion. He was permitted to resign his appointment in May, 1916 since, at 52 years of age, he was too old to take part in the trench warfare in France. However, his organizational skills, as well as his experience and influence, would have been very useful in preparing the men of C Company for war.

Captain Patterson’s dental office was on Grand River Street North, above the current site of the Cobblestone Pub. He owned and lived in the Asa Wolverton house at 52 Grand River Street South with his wife Margaret. He served as mayor of Paris from 1905 to 1907, in 1915, from 1919 to 1920, and in 1923 to 1924.