Frederick William Benson.

About Frederick William Benson

Major-General Sir Frederick William Benson, was a Canadian-born British Army officer. Born into a prominent Canadian family, Benson fought in the Fenian raids as a teen, before proceeding to England to pursue a military career. A cavalry officer, Benson spent much of his early career in India, with the exception of a stint in England to attend the Staff College. He then commanded the Egyptian Cavalry and fought in the Second Boer War as a staff officer with the 6th Division, held a number of senior administrative appointments, before retiring in 1909. On the outbreak of the First World War, Benson went to Canada as the head of the British Remount Commission, tasked with buying horses and mules for the British Army. He died in post in Montreal in 1916.