Captain Andrew Drew

Born in London, England, in 1792, Drew volunteered for the navy at 14, and took part in naval actions during the Napoleonic wars with France. In 1832 he settled with his wife, Mary, in Woodstock, one of a growing number of British military officers to take up crown land there. In the next few years his family expanded to 5 children. Then came rumours of a rebellion and Drew was involved in defence preparations. After an unsuccessful uprising in 1837, the rebel leader, William Lyon Mackenzie, escaped with others to New York. But Mackenzie made plans to return and that December hired an American boat, Caroline, to ferry arms and supplies to Navy Island, above Niagara Falls.

Ordered to take the ship, Drew led a militia group in small boats that captured and burnt the Caroline. Unfortunately, during the raid, an American was killed on Navy Island, in American territory.

As Drew was the British officer in charge, many Americans held him responsible for the death and someone put a bounty on his life. After several failed attempts to kill him, Drew fearing for his family returned with them to England in the early 1840s.

• By Irene Crawford
• Paperback
• 20 pages