Arthur Currie
| Sir Arthur William Currie | |
|---|---|
Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie in June 1917
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| Nickname(s) | "Guts and Gaiters" |
| Born |
5 December 1875 Adelaide, Ontario |
| Died | 30 November 1933 (aged 57) Montreal, Quebec |
| Buried at | Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal, Quebec |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/branch |
Canadian Militia Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Years of service | 1897–1920 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held |
Inspector General of the Armed Forces (1919–20) Canadian Corps (1917–19) 1st Canadian Division (1915–17) 2nd Canadian Brigade (1914–15) |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Mentioned in Despatches (9) Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) Knight of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de guerre (Belgium) Distinguished Service Medal (United States) |
| Other work | Established Khaki University, President & Vice-Chancellor of McGill University |
General Sir Arthur William Currie, GCMG, KCB (5 December 1875 – 30 November 1933) was a senior officer of the Canadian Army who fought during World War I. He had the unique distinction of starting his military career on the very bottom rung as a pre-war militia gunner before rising through the ranks to become the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Corps. Currie's success was based on his ability to rapidly adapt brigade tactics to the exigencies of trench warfare, using set piece operations and bite-and-hold tactics. He is generally considered to be among the most capable commanders of the Western Front, and one of the finest commanders in Canadian military history.
Currie began his military career in 1897 as a part-time soldier in the Canadian militia while making his living as a teacher and later as an insurance salesmen and real estate speculator. Currie rose quickly through the ranks: commissioned as an officer in 1900, promoted to captain in 1901, then major in 1906 and became an artillery regimental commander in 1909. In 1913, Currie accepted the command of the newly created 50th Regiment Gordon Highlanders of Canada. Finding himself in debt following a real estate crash in Victoria, Currie embezzled ten thousand dollars earmarked for regimental uniforms into his personal accounts to pay off his debts. When the First World War broke out Canadian Minister of Militia Sam Hughes appointed Currie as commander of the 2nd Canadian Brigade. Following the Second Battle of Ypres Currie was promoted to Major General and commander of the 1st Canadian Division. Following the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian Corps commander Julian Byng was promoted to General and Currie, the 1st Canadian Division commander, was promoted to Lieutenant-General and assumed command of the Canadian Corps. Upon returning to Canada, Currie was promoted to General and was made inspector-general of the Canadian Army. Although he only held a high school diploma, Currie became the principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University in 1920, holding this post until his death in 1933.
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