Nichols, born and raised at St. John's, Newfoundland, entered HBC service at age 19 in 1913 and served three years as a Motor Engineer and Assistant at Wolstenholme Post before he was made Manager of Wolstenholme serving five years there. He continued as Post Manager at Netchilik, Pond Inlet, Port Harrison, Bathurst Inlet, Coppermine, Fort Fitzgerald, Fond du Lac, Camsell Portage, Kitwanga, and Hazelton, finally retiring at age 59 in 1953.

Nichols' manager career was interrupted in 1926-1927 when he is listed as Investigator at Sikinik. Perhaps Nichols had something to do with the Davey incident which Parsons and Burton indicate came to official light in 1926, the year Parsons presumably forwarded the 1921-1922 Lake Harbour Post journal to RCMP. Otherwise Nichol's 40 years of service appear unremarkably ordinary.