The Best Nickname in Shilo
Hugh Sinclair, also known as Mr. Shilo, championed community development for twenty years. From 1954 to 1973, Hugh was the townsite officer or civilian base administrative officer responsible for buildings and other infrastructure, including the 700-plus married quarters. Under his direction, the base flourished with excellent housing and recreational facilities. Hugh Sinclair received a Centennial Award in 1967, the Shilo Good Citizen Award in 1973, and an Order of Canada in 1979, all for making Shilo a better place to live.
Hugh was born in Virden, Manitoba, in 1916. At sixteen, he joined the Active Militia with the Manitoba Border Horse. He trained at Camp Hughes in the summer of 1933 and then at Camp Shilo in the summer of 1934. He said, “They paid the horses more than they did the soldiers” back then. “The Virden area farmers were paid $1.50 a day for the use of their horses, while we were paid a dollar a day.” He stayed with the Horse Calvary until 1940 when he enlisted for WW2 and married his longtime girlfriend, Violet Menser.
In 1940, Hugh trained at Camp Shilo, and then in 1941, he served in Great Britain with the XII Manitoba Dragoons, part of the Canadian Armoured Corps Regiment. He attained the rank of Major and commanded an armoured squadron in North-West Europe. He returned to civilian life and rejoined the Reserves with the XII Dragoons as the squadron leader in 1946.
Hugh Sinclair pointing at a map of married quarters in Shilo, dated 1979.
Hugh Sinclair on the left, Club Championship Winners in Shilo, 1968.
Hugh rejoined the Permanent Forces as a training officer at Camp Shilo in 1950. He worked at Shilo Base Headquarters from 1951 to 1954, forming the backbone of the administrative corps. In 1951, he became a battery commander for the 79th Field Regiment, which became 3 RCHA, and assisted with their pre-deployment to Korea in the spring of 1954.
In 1954, Major Sinclair left the Active Force and accepted the civilian position of Administrative Officer for CFB Shilo—a position he maintained for twenty years. Hugh spearheaded the development of married quarters for over seven hundred families. Shilo had some of the best facilities of any base for its size in Canada, and much of the credit should go to Hugh.
Hugh volunteered for many organizations on base, including as the Administrative Officer for the Shilo School system, the deputy mayor of Shilo, the Officers’ Mess Council, and many sports executive committees, including at the Shilo Golf Country Club and Curling Club. He also advanced the RCA Museum in 1986, when the museum moved to the old Officers’ Mess, Building A12.
After Hugh Sinclair died in April 2000, his family donated his Shilo photo albums, memorabilia, awards, and military decorations, including the Order of Canada. These items represent the life of a great individual who spent fifty years advancing the community of Shilo. We proudly display Mr. Shilo’s military decorations in our new Gunner’s Gallery.
By Andrew Oakden