General Wolfe Elementary School is named in honour of Major-General James Peter Wolfe. The school was built in 1910 on the corner of Ontario Street and West 26th Avenue, and is maintained by the Vancouver School Board.
Major General James Peter Wolfe (January 1727 – September 1759) is known chiefly for his victory at the Battle of Quebec in 1759. The son of a distinguished general, Wolfe was destined for a military career, entering his father’s 1st Marine Regiment at the age of thirteen. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) as well as in Flanders and in Scotland in 1746. The advancement of his career was halted by the Peace Treaty of 1748 and he spent much of the next eight years in garrison duty in the Scottish Highlands. Already a major at the age of eighteen, he was a lieutenant-colonel by the age of twenty-three.
The outbreak of the Seven Years’ War in 1756 offered Wolfe fresh opportunities for advancement. His part in the raid on Rochefort in 1757 led to his appointment as second-in-command of an expedition to capture the Fortress of Louisbourg. Following the success of the Siege of Louisbourg he was made commander of a force which sailed up the Saint Lawrence River to capture Quebec City. After a lengthy siege, Wolfe captured the city. Wolfe was killed at the height of the battle due to injuries from three musket balls.
