Browse "Military"

Harjit Singh Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, soldier, policeman, politician, Minister of National Defence 2015–21, Minister of International Development 2021–present (born 6 September 1970, in Bombeli, Hoshiarpur, India). Harjit Sajjan enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces at age 19 and joined the Vancouver Police Department in 1999. He served for 11 years and became a detective. He also served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he was hailed as Canada’s “best single intelligence asset.” Sajjan rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and became the first Sikh Canadian to command an Armed Forces regiment. He was elected as a Liberal MP for Vancouver South in 2015. He was Minister of National Defence for nearly six years — one of the longest tenures in the country’s history. He has been Minister of International Development since 2021.

Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, army officer, governor general (b at London, Eng 10 Dec 1891; d at Slough, Eng 16 June 1969). The last British governor general of Canada (1946-52) was born into the Irish aristocracy.

Henry Duncan Graham Crerar, army officer (b at Hamilton, Ont 28 Apr 1888; d at Ottawa 1 Apr 1965). A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, he was commissioned into the artillery in 1910 and was counter battery staff officer of the Canadian Corps at the end of WWI.

Harry George DeWolf, naval officer and veteran of the Second World War, vice-admiral, Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Canadian Navy (born 26 June 1903 in Bedford, NS). DeWolf was best known as the commanding officer of HMCS Haida, one of Canada’s eight Tribal Class destroyers during the Second World War. DeWolf entered the navy in 1918 and retired in 1961. A new class of offshore patrol vessels has been named in his honour.

Henry Dearborn, doctor, soldier, politician, military figure in the WAR OF 1812 (b at North Hampton, New Hampshire, 1751; d at Roxbury, Massachusetts, 6 Jun 1829). Dearborn studied medicine and began a practice in Nottingham Square, New Hampshire.

Henry Milnes, soldier (birthdate unknown; died 25 August 1813). Captain Henry Milnes was an infamous figure more for his private life than for his soldiering.

Henry Louis Norwest, Cree sniper during the First World War (born 1884 in Fort Saskatchewan, North-West Territories [present-day Alberta]; died 18 August 1918 in Amiens, France). While serving overseas, Henry Norwest was credited with 115 confirmed kills and received a Military Medal and Bar for his exploits on the battlefield.

Henry Procter, army officer (b c 1763 at Kilkenny, Ireland; d at Bath, Eng 31 Oct 1822). Henry Procter was the son of a British army surgeon. He was considered by some as among the worst officers of the British forces in the WAR OF 1812.

Herbert Alexander Bruce, surgeon, military officer, politician, lieutenant-governor of Ontario (b at Blackstock, Ont 28 Sept 1868; d at Toronto 23 June 1963).

Herbert Cyril Thacker, army officer (b at Poona, India 16 Sept 1870; d at Victoria 2 June 1953). Thacker, briefly chief of the general staff in 1927-28, was commissioned in the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1891.

Herbert William Philp, MM, journalist and soldier (born 31 January 1889 in Sarnia, ON; died 19 January 1920 in Guelph, ON). From August 1914 to January 1919, Herbert Philp wrote detailed letters about his life as a soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War. Most of his correspondence has survived, providing present-day readers with a first-hand account of the war from an enlisted man’s perspective and a unique window into a period when letters from the Western Front were subject to strict military censorship (see War Measures Act).

Howard Douglas Graham, lawyer, army officer (b at Buffalo, NY 15 July 1898; d at Oakville, Ont 28 Sept 1986). A WWI veteran, having enlisted at age 17, Graham rose to become chief of the general staff 1955-58. He practised law in Trenton, Ont, 1922-39, and was mayor in 1933.

Howard William “Howie” Meeker, hockey broadcaster, player, coach (born 4 November 1923 in Kitchener, ON; died 8 November 2020 in Nanaimo, BC). Howie Meeker won a Junior B hockey championship and served with the army’s Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1946. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 1947, and won four Stanley Cups in his first five years with the Maple Leafs. He also served as a Member of Parliament and played a key role in the development of hockey in Newfoundland. He was perhaps best known for his enthusiastic and influential commentary on CBC TV’s Hockey Night in Canada. A Member of the Order of Canada, Meeker was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hugh Cairns, VC, plumber, soldier (born 4 December 1896 in Ashington, Northumberland, England; died 2 November 1918 in Valenciennes, France). During the First World War, Sergeant Cairns was the last Canadian soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.

Hugh Lester Campbell, air marshal (b at Salisbury, NB 13 July 1908; d at Ottawa 25 May 1987).