Harry Crerar
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Henry Duncan Graham (Harry) Crerar, PC, CH, CB, DSO, KStJ, CD (April 28, 1888 - April 1, 1965) was a Canadian general and the country's "leading field commander" in World War II.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he died at Ottawa, Ontario. Prior to his military service, he worked as an engineer with the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario, where he founded the research department in 1912. He attended and graduated from Upper Canada College, and then went to the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ontario graduating in 1910. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of artillery in World War I. Unlike most officers, he remained in the army after the war and became:
- Director of Military Operations & Military Intelligence, 1935-38
- Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario 1938-39.
- Brigadier General Staff Canadian Military Headquarters, England 1939-40,
- Vice Chief of the General Staff 1940,
- Chief of the General Staff 1940-41
- General Officer Commanding 2nd Canadian Division, England, 1941-43,
- General Officer Commanding I Canadian Corps, England-Italy 1942-43,
- General Officer Commanding 1st Canadian Army, North-West Europe 1944-45.
Crerar was on the September 18, 1944 cover of Time magazine. Promoted to full general in November 1944, he retired from the army in 1946 and later occupied diplomatic postings in Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands and Japan.
He was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on June 25, 1964.
[edit] Tribute
The Crerar neighbourhood on the Hamilton, Ontario mountain is named after him. It is bounded by the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway (north), Stone Church Road East (south), Upper Wellington Street (west) and Upper Wentworth Street (east). Landmarks in this neighbourhood include Ebenezer Villa (retirement home) and Crerar Park, also named after him.
[edit] References
- MapArt Golden Horseshoe Atlas - Page 657 - Grids M13, M14
- J.L. Granatstein. The Generals : the Canadian Army's Senior Commanders in the Second World War (Toronto, 1993). ISBN 0-7737-5728-7
- "Hillfield-Strathallan College celebrates 100 years", The Spectator. Hamilton, Ont.: Sep 8, 2001. pg. A.08
- Juno Beach Centre - General H.D.G. Crerar
| Military Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Victor Anderson |
Chief of the General Staff 1940-1941 |
Succeeded by Kenneth Stuart |
Categories: 1888 births | 1965 deaths | Canadian diplomats | Canadian generals | Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour | Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Companions of the Order of the Bath | Knights of St John | Companions of the Distinguished Service Order | Canadian people of World War II | People from Hamilton, Ontario | Scottish Canadians | Upper Canada College alumni | Canadian military personnel stubs
