Milton Fowler Gregg

Milton Fowler Gregg
Born	10 April 1892 Kings County, New Brunswick
Died	13 March 1978 Fredericton, New Brunswick
Buried at	Snider Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery, Fredericton
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Canadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service	1914 - 1943
Rank	Brigadier
Unit	The Royal Canadian Regiment
Commands held	West Nova Scotia Regiment
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Victoria Cross Order of Canada Order of the British Empire Military Cross & bar Canadian Efficiency Decoration Canadian Forces Decoration
Other work	Cabinet minister, academic, diplomat

Brigadier Milton Fowler Gregg, VC, PC, OC, CBE, MC, ED, CD (1892 – 1978) was a Canadian officer, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces during the First World War. In later life, he was a Member of the Canadian Parliament, cabinet minister, academic, soldier and diplomat.

Early life

Gregg was born on 10 April 1892 in Mountain Dale, Kings County, New Brunswick, the son of Elizabeth Celia (Myles) and George Lord Gregg. He enlisted with the Canadian Black Watch in September 1914 while still studying at Acadia University. He graduated with an MA in 1916.

Victoria Cross

Milton Gregg served during the First World War as a sergeant in the medical corps and later as an officer of The Royal Canadian Regiment. During combat in France in 1917, his actions earned him the Military Cross and in 1918 further valour added a bar to the Cross. Near Cambrai, Nord, France on September 28, 1918 his actions during the Battle of the Canal du Nord earned him the Victoria Cross. The citation for Gregg's Victoria Cross reads:

Lt. Milton Fowler Gregg, M.C., R. Can. Regt., Nova Scotia R. - For most conspicuous bravery and initiative during operations near Cambrai, 27th September to 1st October, 1918.
On 28th September, when the advance of the brigade was held up by fire from both flanks and by thick, uncut wire, he crawled forward alone and explored the wire until he found a small gap through which he subsequently led his men and forced an entry into the enemy trench. The enemy counter-attacked in force and, through lack of bombs, the situation became critical. Although wounded Lt. Gregg returned alone under terrific fire and collected a further supply. Then rejoining his party, which by this time was much reduced in numbers, and in spite of a second wound, he reorganized his men and led them with the greatest determination against the enemy trenches, which he finally cleared. He personally killed or wounded 11 of the enemy and took 25 prisoners, in addition to 12 machine guns captured in the trench. Remaining with his company in spite of wounds he again on the 30th September led his men in attack until severely wounded. The outstanding valour of this officer saved many casualties and enabled the advance to continue.

Later career

From 1934 until 1939 he was the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Commons. Following the outbreak of World War II, Gregg served overseas for two years with the West Nova Scotia Regiment and then commanded officer training centres at various military facilities in Canada and retired with the rank of Brigadier in 1943.

In 1944, he was appointed President of the University of New Brunswick, serving in that position until 1947 when he was elected to Parliament as Liberal member for the York-Sunbury riding. Gregg served in the cabinets of Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent for almost ten years as the Minister of Fisheries, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Minister of Labour.

Defeated in the 1957 election, Gregg went on to become the United Nations representative in Iraq, the UNICEF administrator in Indonesia, and the Canadian High Commissioner in Georgetown, British Guiana. He retired in 1968. He died on 13 March 1978 and is buried at Snider Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery in Snider Mountain, New Brunswick.

Honours

In 1951 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia.

He was sworn into the Privy Council for Canada on September 2, 1947 by Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 22, 1967 and accepted the award in a ceremony performed on April 26, 1968.^[1]

Legacy

After his death the Milton Fowler Gregg VC Memorial Trust Fund Bursary was created in his name. It is offered annually to students entering the Royal Military College of Canada Division of Graduate Studies and Research.

The Brigadier Milton F. Gregg, VC, Centre for the Study of War and Society was created at the University of New Brunswick in 2006 to further Canadians' knowledge about conflict, and is devoted to excellence in the study of war as a complex social phenomena. Dr Marc Milner is the first Director. The centre incorporates the UNB History and UNB Military and Strategic Studies Programs.

His Victoria Cross was donated to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum in London, Ontario, but was stolen from the museum shortly afterwards.

References

• Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)

External links

• The Royal Canadian Regiment and The First World War - 1914-1919 - Lieut. Milton Fowler Gregg, V.C., M.C.
• Short biography with picture
• Trust Fund Bursary
• Order of Canada citation
• Milton Fowler Gregg - Parliament of Canada biography
• Legion Magazine Article of Milton Gregg
• The Brigadier Milton F. Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society
• The Royal Canadian Regiment
• Veterans Affairs Canada

v t e Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans Ministers of Marine and Fisheries (1867–1930)1 Mitchell Smith Pope McLelan Foster Tupper Costigan Davies Sutherland Préfontaine Laurier (acting) Brodeur Lemieux Hazen Ballantyne Lapointe Cardin Black (acting) Patenaude (acting) Cardin (acting) Ministers of Marine (1930–1936)2 Cardin Duranleau Gendron Howe Ministers of Fisheries (1930–1969) Macmillan Rhodes Duranleau (acting) Stirling (acting) Ernst Michaud Bertrand Bridges Bertrand (acting) Gregg MacKinnon Mayhew Sinclair MacLean Robichaud Davis Minister of Fisheries and Forestry (1969–1971) Davis Ministers of the Environment (1971–1976)3 Davis Sauvé LeBlanc (acting) Marchand LeBlanc (acting) Ministers of State (Fisheries) (1974–1976) LeBlanc Minister of Fisheries and the Environment (1976–1979) LeBlanc Ministers of Fisheries and Oceans (1979–) LeBlanc McGrath LeBlanc de Bané Breau Fraser Nielsen Siddon Valcourt Crosbie Reid Tobin Dingwall (acting) Mifflin Anderson Dhaliwal Thibault Regan Hearn Shea Ashfield 1The office of Minister of Marine and Fisheries was abolished and the offices of Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Marine were created in 1930 2The offices of Minister of Marine and Minister of Railways and Canals were abolished and the office of Minister of Transport was created in 1936 3From 1971 to 1976 the Minister of the Environment was also the Minister of Fisheries.

v t e Ministers of Veterans Affairs Ministers of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment (1918-1928) Lougheed Manion Béland Elliott Manion (acting) Morand (acting) Paquet King Ministers of Pensions and National Health (1928-1944) King Ralston McLaren Sutherland Power Mackenzie Ministers of Veterans Affairs (1944-) Mackenzie Gregg Lapointe Brooks Churchill Lambert Teillet Dubé Laing MacDonald McKinnon MacDonald Lamontagne (acting) Campbell Hees Merrithew Campbell McCreath Collenette Young Mifflin Baker Duhamel Pagtakhan McCallum Guarnieri Thompson Blackburn Blaney

v t e Ministers of Labour Ministers of Labour (1900-1996) Mulock Aylesworth Lemieux1 W.L.M. King Crothers Robertson Murdock J.H. King (acting) Elliott Manion (acting) Jones Heenan Robertson Gordon Rogers McLarty Mitchell Martin (acting) Gregg Starr MacEachen Nicholson Pépin Mackasey O'Connell Munro Ouellet (acting) O'Connell Alexander Regan Caccia Ouellet McKnight Cadieux Corbeil Danis Valcourt Axworthy Robillard Ministers of Human Resources Development (1996-2005)2 Young Pettigrew Stewart Frulla Dryden Ministers of Human Resources and Skills Development (2005-) Stronach Finley Solberg Finley Ministers of Labour (1996-) Robillard Gagliano MacAulay Bradshaw Fontana3 Blackburn Ambrose Raitt 1Until 1909, the office of the minister of Labour was a secondary function of the Postmaster-General of Canada. W.L.M. King was the first to hold the office independently. 2The office of Minister of Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Labour were abolished and the office of Minister of Human Resources Development went in force on July 12, 1996. Under the new provisions, a Minister of Labour may be appointed. However, when no Minister of Labour is appointed, the Minister of Human Resources Development shall exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister of Labour. 3Styled "Minister of Labour and Housing".