| Henry Duncan Graham (Harry) Crerar | |
|---|---|
| April 28, 1888 - April 1, 1965 | |
 General The Honourable Henry Duncan Graham (Harry) Crerar |
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| Place of birth | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Place of death | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Resting place | Beechwood Cemetery Ottawa, Ontario |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1910 - 1946 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Director of Military Operations & Military Intelligence (1935 - 1938) Commandant of Royal Military College of Canada (1938 - 1939) Chief of General Staff, National Defence Headquarters (1940 - 1941) 2nd Canadian Infantry Division (1941 - 1942) I Canadian Corps (1942 - 1944) First Canadian Army (1944 - 1946) |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Order of the Companions of Honour Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John Canadian Forces Decoration |
| Other work | Aide-de-Camp General to the King (1948 - 1951) Aide-de-Camp General to the Queen (1952) Queen's Privy Council for Canada (June 25, 1964) |
General Henry Duncan Graham "Harry" Crerar CH, CB, DSO, KStJ, CD, PC (April 28, 1888 - April 1, 1965) was a Canadian general and the country's "leading field commander" in World War II.
Contents |
Early years
Born in Hamilton, Ontario to lawyer Peter Crerar and his wife Marion Stinson, he died in 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 Highfield School in Hamilton in 1906, 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. [1]
World War II
In World War II, he commanded various Canadian formations, finally the First Canadian Army during the final campaigns in north-west Europe in 1944 - 1945. Crerar was on the September 18, 1944 cover of Time magazine. He was promoted to full general in November 1944.
Crerar was recovering from a bout of dysentery during the Battle of the Scheldt and his role as General Officer Commanding was assumed by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds.
He has been described as an able administrator and politically astute, assessments of his performance as a military commander range from "mediocre" to "competent". [2]
Farewell
A Farewell sign posted on behalf of Gen. H.D.G. Crerar to troops of the 1st Canadian Army departing from Holland in 1945 "Here's wishing you a satisfactory and speedy journey home, and that you find happiness at the end of it. You go back with your share of the magnificent reputation earned by the Canadians in every operation in which they have participated in this war. A fine reputation is a possession beyond price. Maintain it - for the sake of all of us, past and present - in the days ahead. I know that you will get a great welcome on your return. See to it that those Canadian units and drafts which follow after you get just as good a 'welcome home' when they also get back. Good luck to each one of you - and thanks for everything. (H.D.G. Crerar) General" [3]
Post-war
Crerar returned to Ottawa on 7 August 1945 after World War II. Crerar 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.
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.
References
- ^ www.canadaveteranshallofvalour.com/CrerarHDG.htm Harry Crerar Canada Veterans of Valour
- ^ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-154332082.html
- ^ http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Farewell_Sign_Holland_1945.jpg
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- 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
Books
- 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1969.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
- H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968 Kingston, Ontario.
- H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. RMC. Kingston, Ontario. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Victor Anderson |
Chief of the General Staff 1940-1941 |
Succeeded by Kenneth Stuart |
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