Historical Stones of
Toronto's Mount Pleasant
Cemetery
Lieut William Charles Fitch
Plot F, Lot 8
Birth: Sep. 10, 1858
Death: May 12, 1885
The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people under Louis Riel, and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine, of the District of Saskatchewan against the government of Canada. The Métis believed that Canada had failed to protect their rights, their land and their survival as a distinct people. Riel had been invited to lead the movement but he turned it into a military action with a heavily religious tone, thereby alienating the Catholic clergy, the whites, nearly all of the Indians and most of the Métis. He had a force of a couple hundred Métis and a smaller number of Indians at Batoche in May 1885, confronting 900 government troops. The rebellion ended when the Métis were defeated at the siege of Batoche. Riel was convicted of treason and despite many pleas across Canada for amnesty, he was hanged. During the Northwest Rebellion, the settlement of Batôche on the South Saskatchewan River was the site of the headquarters of Louis Riel and his Métis. On May 9, 1885, almost six thousand government troops under General Frederick Middleton attacked Batôche. The siege lasted three days and on the 12th, Captain William Fitch of the Toronto-based 10th Royal Grenadiers was killed, as the official record states, “by a bullet through the heart.” In total, seven government soldiers were killed during the Battle of Batôche. Riel surrendered to Middleton two days later.
Capt Francis Granger "Frank" Quigley
Birth: Jul. 10, 1894
Death: Oct. 20, 1918
World War I Flying Ace. A native of Toronto, he was educated at the prestigious St. Andrew's Seminary and later Queen's University. At the outbreak of the first World War, he initially enlisted as a Private with the Canadian Army Engineers on December 16, 1914, and fought on the Western Front. He subsequently then joined the Royal Flying Corps in Liverpool in early 1917 and was posted to the 70 Squadron in France on September 17 of that year. He flew a Sopwith Camel Scout aircraft and scored a total of 33 confirmed victories, but was seriously wounded in action on March 27, 1918, and returned home to Canada. After returning to his native Toronto he took work as a flight instructor while recovering from his injury. In October 1918, he returned to Liverpool but on the way there he came down with influenza while on board his ship and passed away two days later at Liverpool General Hospital. Following his death, his body was returned to Canada and given a full military funeral. For his gallantry and service Captain Quigley was awarded the Military Cross, and the Distinguished Service Order.
Eliza Balmer
F - 9 - 24
Birth: 1863
Death: 1915
Eliza Balmer was one if the best known leaders in the fight for women's admission to University of Toronto. She wrote a petition to the university and encouraged eleven other women to do the same. The petitions were politely worded and were just as politely rejected, so Eliza decided to attend lectures anyway. There is some disagreement about the actual date of her decision to defy the university rules, as well as how she was received by the male students and professors. Some sources give the date as 1883, a year before the formal admission of women in 1884. She came into a philosophy lecture given by a professor who had a reputation for being kind and openly supportive of women's cause. As she entered the room she was greeted wuth many cheers and unfortunately some boo's. She was a heroine as we look back now. It took great courage. Following graduation in 1885, Eliza taught at Hardbord Collegiate in Toronto.
