author
J. W. Dunbar (John Wedderburn Dunbar) Moodie
1797–1869
A Scottish-born soldier, settler, and memoirist, he wrote vividly about military life, emigration, and the hard realities of early Canada. His work offers a direct, personal view of the 19th-century colonial world.
2 Audiobooks
Memoirs of the Late War, Vol 1 (of 2) Comprising the Personal Narrative of Captain Cooke, of the 43rd Regiment Light Infantry; the History of the Campaign of 1809 in Portugal, by the Earl of Munster; and a Narrative of the Campaign of 1814 in Holland, by Lieut. T. W. D. Moodie, H. P. 21st Fusileers
by Sir John Henry Cooke, J. W. Dunbar (John Wedderburn Dunbar) Moodie, Earl of George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence Munster
Memoirs of the Late War, Vol 2 (of 2) Comprising the Personal Narrative of Captain Cooke, of the 43rd Regiment Light Infantry; the History of the Campaign of 1809 in Portugal, by the Earl of Munster; and a Narrative of the Campaign of 1814 in Holland, by Lieut. T. W. D. Moodie, H. P. 21st Fusileers
by Sir John Henry Cooke, J. W. Dunbar (John Wedderburn Dunbar) Moodie, Earl of George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence Munster
About the author
Born in the Orkney Islands in 1797, he served as an officer in the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers during the Napoleonic era. Later, he spent time in South Africa before emigrating to Upper Canada in 1832 with his wife, the writer Susanna Moodie.
In Canada, he worked as a farmer and later held public posts, including sheriff of the Victoria District. Alongside his administrative career, he wrote about his experiences as both a soldier and a settler, drawing on a life that crossed Britain, Africa, and colonial Canada.
He is best remembered for Scenes and Adventures as a Soldier and Settler During Half a Century (1866), a memoir that mixes travel, hardship, and personal observation. His life and writing also remain closely linked with Susanna Moodie’s, making the couple an important part of early Canadian literary history.