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Col Lansing McVickar entered the army from the Militia Service on 18 June 1916. On 26 May 1917 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant.
He was rewarded the Distinguished Service Cross Medal for his action on 4 October 1918, when in the vicinity of Very, France he volunteered and took forward a gun to the aid of the infantry under most hazardous circumstances. Despite the loss of two horses and the wounding of several of his men, he continued until he encountered an enemy barrage, from which it was necessary to take cover. He exposed himself to the barrages on five different occasions to bring in wounded men.

He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on 16 November 1918 and entered the Reserve Corps on 5 June 1919.

In 1920 he worked as an investigation engineer and in 1930 he was a stock broker.

He rejoined the Army on 16 September 1940 with the rank of Colonel.
On 14 January, Col McVickar visited the 3th Battalion command post and advanced to visit the frontline. From L Company he started towards the I Company command post, but he took a wrong trail and ran into a German forward post manned by two soldiers. Col McVickar was captured by the enemy.

A search patrol with Lt Carlson and Sgt Blanchard was organised but after a firefight with the Germans, in which the lieutenant was killed, they found the colonels helmet and gloves next to the foxhole. Later the bayonetted body of the colonel was found not far from the place where he was captured.