Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Benning Monk was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1907, he enlisted with the active militia and in 1908 became a gunner with the 13th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery (Manitoba Regiment). He later went into law and real estate. He moved to Victoria in 1908 and started work in the City Engineer's Department. He established his own real estate firm with Roger Monteith, and among other real estate activities sought to develop the coastal town of Clo-ose, B.C. as a resort. In World War I he served with the 54th Battalion and fought in Vimy Ridge. He was Commanding Officer of the Gordon Head Cadet Training Camp at the present campus of the University of Victoria, 1940-1941, and became a liaison officer of the U.S. Army from 1942-1944. From 1930 on, Monk campaigned actively for a uniquely Canadian flag and submitted numerous designs to the competition for a new flag in 1968.