Battineau, Bazil

Battineau/Bottineau was born in Red River in 1819 and joined the HBC in 1839. He served at Fort Simpson (1839-40) and Fort McLoughlin (1840-41) as a middleman before being transferred to the steamer Beaver in 1841 where he served as a woodcutter for three years. He then served at Fort Stikine (1844-49) and Fort Rupert (1849-51) before finishing his career with the Company at Fort Victoria in 1852. Amid the unrest at Fort Rupert in 1850 Helmcken appointed Battineau/Bottineau a constable where he gained experience which served him well three years later when he joined the Victoria Voltigeurs and served the para-military police force as a sergeant for several years. In addition to his leadership skills he developed as a reliable long distance paddler transporting passengers and mail between Fort Rupert and Fort Victoria.

Sources:

• Evans, Mike. "Basil Bottineau." BC Metis Mapping Project. http://ubc.bcmetis.ca/hbc_bio_profile.php?id=MzA3.
• McKelvie, B.A. and W.E. Ireland. "The Victoria Voltigeurs." British Columbia Historical Quarterly 20, 3-4 (July-October, 1956): 221-239.
• Smith, Dorothy Blakey, ed. The Reminiscences of Doctor John Sebastian Helmcken. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1975.