Oswald Asheton Critchley (1864 - 1935 London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

) was a former Canadian territorial level politician, rancher and also served as a soldier in the Canadian Forces

Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

Critchley began ranching in Southern Alberta in the 1880's. He purchased the Stapleton Ranch which was situated on the Bow River

Bow River

The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....

. His first wife, Maria Newbolt, had two sons. She died during the birth of her second son. Critchley quickly re-married to Ms. Winifred Holt.

In the 1894 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1894

The Northwest Territories general election of 1894 held 31 October 1894. This was the third general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the writs were dropped on 3 October 1894...

 Critchley ran for a seat in the West Calgary

West Calgary (N.W.T. electoral district)

West Calgary was a single member electoral district that was mandated to return members to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada, from 1894 until it was abolished in 1905.-History:...

 electoral district. He defeated two other candidates coming out on top of a close three way split to capture the district.

Critchley only served in the Northwest Territories Legislature for a single term, choosing not to run again at the dissolution of the Legislature in 1898. He sold his first ranch a year later in 1899 and returned to England.

He moved back to Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 and returned to ranching. In 1909, he purchased the Bell-Irving ranch in Grand Valley and continued ranching until the outbreak of World War I. He enlisted in the Canadian Army with his two sons. All three served with the Strathcona's Horse regiment and saw combat in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. After the war he moved back to London, England and stayed the rest of his life until he died in 1935.