Born Hippolyte Johanny Wicky in Lyon, France on 9 June 1899 to Swiss parents, he attended school in Switzerland and grew up fluent in French and German. During the First World War, he saw military service in 1917. He made Sergeant Major at the age of 18 and won three field decorations during the conflict.
The family settled in Manitoba in 1928. They lived at Winnipeg, in the Maple Leaf Apartments. He began working as a school teacher including as Principal of Winnipeg Beach School (1934-1938).
He joined the Fort Garry Horse Regiment in 1931 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1937. On 1 September 1939, he was promoted to Captain upon enlistment for wartime service.
In 1944, he answered a call for French and German-speaking personnel to report to London, Between 23 May 1944. and 9 June 1944, he operated behind enemy lines, eventually crossing back over into the Canadian area of the Normandy beachhead on his birthday.
In 1945, he was named Military Governor of 718 Military Government District at Wuppertal, Germany within the British Occupation Zone. He returned to the FGH post-War as a Major and worked as a training officer at Winnipeg. For his contributions to the liberation of the Netherlands, he was awarded the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords (Officer) by the Dutch government (1947).
In 1947, he joined the Canadian civil service as a Corrections Officer at the Stony Mountain Penitentiary where he was later Deputy Warden (1963). In 1952, he became the first Officer Commanding the #5 Intelligence Training Company based in Winnipeg and retired later a Lieutenant Colonel.
He died at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital on 15 February 1994. His remains were buried locally in the Mountain View Cemetery.