Crerar, Henry Ducan Graham “Harry”.

Crerar, Henry Ducan Graham “Harry”, born 28-04-1888 in Hamilton, Ontario,  to lawyer Peter Duncan Crerar and Marion, born Stinson Crerar , was educated at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario , from 1906 to 1909 and joined the Militia in the years preceding WWI. During the war, Henry served with distinction as a Canadian Field Artillery officer on French and Flanders battlefields, being awarded the Distinguished Service Order . When hostilities came to an end, Crerar was a lieutenant colonel of the Canadian Corps’ General Staff. Back in Canada, Crerar opted for a military career and joined the Permanent Force as Staff Officer Artillery in Ottawa. In 1923, he matriculated at the Camberley Staff College in England. Upon graduating, rather than returning to Ottawa, he accepted a posting as General Staff Officer 2 with the War Office in London. In 1929, Crerar was appointed General Staff Officer 1 at the National Defence HQ in Ottawa, and started working on a major reorganization of the Canadian Militia. In 1934, Crerar was once again in Great Britain, following courses at the Imperial Defence College in London. Back to NDHQ, he became Director of Military Operations and Intelligence.

 He had then a reputation of being a brilliant mind and was perceived as the best officer on the Canadian General Staff. In March 1939, after serving a few months as Commander of the Royal Military College, Crerar was recalled to Ottawa to prepare a mobilization plan, as the possibility of another war increased. As WWII began, Crerar was posted in London as Brigadier General Staff at the Canadian Military Headquarters. He was responsible for ensuring that the required equipment, barracks and training plans were in place when Canadian troops arrive. In July 1940, he was called back to Ottawa as Vice-Chief General Staff, but promoted a few days later to Chief General Staff by Defence Minister James Layton Ralston, he died age 66, on 21-05-1948.  Crerar took immediate measures to improve the efficiency of National Defence HQ and set up emergency recruitment and training programmes for territorial defence, as volunteers were already pouring in, the National Resources Mobilization Act having been adopted on 21-06-1940. He also put together a training programme for officers and soldiers slated to serve overseas . Crerar returned to England, where, on 23-12-1941, he was appointed General Officer Commanding, I Canadian Corps. He would, therefore, find himself right in the middle of the crisis that followed the Dieppe raid on 19-08-1942,  since the Canadian troops that took part in that ill-fated operation were with I Canadian Corps. No Canadian officer had his say in the planning and Crerar’s only option was to try to rationalize the losses and draw lessons from the failure. Crerar lacked battlefield experience and thought he would have an opportunity to gain some as I Canadian Corps joined the 1^st Canadian Infantry Division   in Italy in October 1943. His hopes did not materialize, being recalled to England as soon as March 1944, to take over the command of the 1^st First Canadian Army, replacing General Andrew McNaughton, he died age 79, on 11-07-1966. The 1^st Canadian Army was mustered in Normandy on 23-07-1944 and under Crerar’s command, played a major role as the Allies circled German troops in the Falaise Gap in August 1944. (see Michael Wittmann)

  Ill health forced Crerar to be replaced temporarily by Major-General Guy Simonds     during the Battle of the Scheldt. In February 1945, the 1^st Canadian Army , with Crerar back at the helm, was once more on the front line.  During the Rhineland campaign, he found himself at the head of a 450.000-men strong army, including allied units under 1^st Canadian Army command. Infantry battalions of the 1^st Division suffered 52.559 casualties during its years in the field, some 15.055 of them fatal—statistically, representing almost the original strength of the entire division. Twenty-four soldiers of the division were awarded the Victoria Cross. Crerar made his way to the Dutch city of Arnhem, which the First Canadian Army helped liberate on 14-04-1945. Head to Wageningen where the orders of surrender for the German army in the Netherlands were signed, by Generaloberst der Artillery Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz  on 05-05-1945. Crerar retired from the military in 1946. Later, he occupied diplomatic postings in Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands (see About) and Japan. Harry Crerar was an outstanding General Staff officer.

      He left his mark on the largest army Canada ever levied, structuring the HQ, organizing training for the troops that were to join its ranks, and commanding the 1^st Army during the last major campaigns. After the war, he was the one in charge of the demobilization process. Canada lost 7.600 troops in all European operations. Henry Crerar died in Hamilton Ontario on 01-04-1965, age 76 and is buried on the veteran section of Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.