Memorable Manitobans: William Wallace “Bill” Wright (1891-1979)

Educator, farmer.

Born at Easton, Huntingdonshire, England on 11 June 1891, son of George J. Wright and Mary Ann Lowe, he came to Canada in 1910 to join his brother Alf who was working at Medora. He was a farm labourer until enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1915. He went overseas in 1916 and participated in several battles, most notably Vimy Ridge. He was wounded in 1917 and, after being hospitalized in France and Scotland, spent the remainder of the First World War at Buxton, Derbyshire. He returned to Canada in 1918, received a medical discharge from the military, and returned to farm work.

He completed his secondary education at Medora School from 1922 to 1923 then attended the Manitou Normal School (1924-1925). He taught at Manitou School (1925-1927) and Sandy Lake School (1927-1929) then returned to the Manitou Normal School to upgrade his training. He then taught at Elva School (1929-1930) and, following his marriage on 23 December 1930 to Nancy Caldwell Tweed of Medora, at Dublin School (1931-1939). While there, he completed his teacher training and received a principal’s certificate. He was then Principal of Medora School (1939-1940), after which he moved to Brandon and worked as a postal clerk. He was a teacher at Otter School (1943-1944). He leased farm land near Medora in 1944 and resided on a farmstead there, eventually buying the property and farming. He was Principal of Medora School (1945-1946, 1955-1960) and taught at Sherwood School (1952-1954). He retired from teaching in 1961 and moved into a home at Medora in 1967. He was Secretary of the Medora Pool Elevator for 15 years and served two years on the Antler River School Board.

He died at Medora on 10 May 1979 and was buried in the Roselawn Cemetery.

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.

Reflections of Time: A History of the RM of Albert by RM of Albert History Book, 1984. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5648.A43 Ref]

Bridging Brenda: The History of Brenda Municipality and Area, Volume 2 by Brenda History Committee, 1990.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 12 January 2015

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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