Huntly Ketchen

Major General Huntly Douglas Brodie Ketchen, CMG (May 22, 1872 — July 28, 1959) was a Canadian soldier and politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Conservative representative from 1932 to 1945.

Ketchen was born to a Scottish family living in Sholopore, India. His father, Major James Ketchen, served in the Indian Army. The younger Ketchen was educated at Wellington College and Royal Military College, Sandhurst, England, and came to Canada in 1894, serving for a time with the North-West Mounted Police. In 1905, he married Margaret Elizabeth Robinson.

Ketchen served as a lieutenant during the Boer War. He saw active service in World War I, commanding the Sixth Canadian Infantry Brigade in France from 1915 to 1918.

Ketchen was nearly dismissed following the Battle of St-Eloi in April 1916. After British troops had taken a large crater near the ruins of the Belgian town of St Eloi, his brigade was ordered to hold the gain against German counter-attacks. Due to dreadful management of the Canadian forces by his immediate divisional commander Richard Turner and Ketchen himself, German soldiers overran the crater, causing 1,400 Canadian casualties and retaking the land around the crater, negating the gains made at heavy cost just a few days before. General Sir Herbert Plumer, the commander of British 2nd Army who had overall responsibility for the front, demanded Ketchen's immediate dismissal and when Turner claimed that if Ketchen was dismissed he would resign, the Canadian Corps' commander Lieutenant-General Alderson sought Turner's dismissal as well. Both officers were supporters of Militia Minister Sir Sam Hughes, who made it clear in no uncertain terms to Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig that if Turner went then Haig could no longer rely on Canadian support. This led to the diplomatic compromise of Alderson being relieved of his command and replaced by Julian Byng, while Turner and Ketchen retained their commands.

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