Military Wiki
Harry Wickwire Foster
Major General Harry Wickwire Foster
Harry Wickwire Foster
Born (1902-04-02)2 April 1902
Died 16 August 1964(1964-08-16) (aged 62)
Place of birth Halifax
Buried at Halifax
Allegiance Flag of the United Kingdom British Empire
Canadian Red Ensign 1921-1957 Canada
Service/branch Canadian Army Flag Canadian Army
Years of service 1924 - 1952
Rank Major General
Commands held 7th Infantry Brigade
1st Infantry Division
4th Armoured Division
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
1939-1945 Star
Italy Star
France - Germany Star
Defense Medal
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
War Medal (1939-45) with Oak Leaf
Silver Star
Officer of the Legion of Merit
Officier de Légion d'Honneur
Croix de Guerre avec Palme

Major General Harry Wickwire Foster, CBE, DSO, (April 2, 1902 – August 6, 1964) was a Canadian Army officer who commanded two Canadian army divisions during World War II. He served in both the Pacific and European theatres.

Early life[]

Born in Halifax, he was the son of Major General Gilbert Lafayette Foster, who had been the director general of the medical services of the First World War. Foster was educated at King’s College at Windsor, Nova Scotia as a cadet. He attended school at Berkhamsted, England; Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec; Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario; and McGill University, Montreal.

Military career[]

Having failed his third year, but with a Certificate of Military Qualification (which all cadets earned when they finished two full years at RMC) Foster withdrew from RMC to receive the Queen's Commission and a posting to the Permanent Force (PF) with Lord Strathcona’s Horse in July 2, 1924.[1] As a young officer, he spent considerable time in debt: the army only paid for saddle, harness, and stabling. He had to pay for his own horse (which cost nearly a month’s salary) and for mess, uniforms, and tailoring.[2]

By 1934 he held the rank of Captain. He attended the Staff College, Camberley in from 1937-1939 and was promoted to Major and posted as Brigade Major of 1st Canadian Infantry Brigade at the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 1941, promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, Foster assumed command of 4th Reconnaissance Regiment--4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, the recently activated scout formation assigned to 1st Canadian Infantry Division in England. In 1942, appointed CO, Highland Light Infantry of Canada[1]

He led Canadian troops in the Kiska campaign in 1943 (Operation Cottage), for which he was awarded the American Legion of Merit. Unknown to the Allies, the Japanese had withdrawn three weeks before the attack. Foster commented in his diary “I feel bloody silly coming all this way for nothing.”[3]

In 1943, he was promoted Brigadier and became the CO, 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade .,[1] which landed on Juno beach on D-Day.[4]

In 1944 was promoted to Major General and took over 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division in Normandy relieving George Kitching. On September 12, 1944 he entered the historic city of Bruges (Belgium) with his troops. The Liberation of this medieval town was done successfully, without fight or damage. In recognition for this achievement, Foster was named an honorary citizen of Bruges, award only bestowed upon two people since 1900: Foster and Hendrik Brugmans, first rector of the College of Europe.

Later, swapping commands with Chris Vokes (because Vokes had a poor relationship with new I Canadian Corps commander Charles Foulkes),[5] he led 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Italy, then returned with this division to North-West Europe as part of Operation Goldflake.

Foster was said to have had a "hands off" style and loathed paperwork.[6]

Post war[]

After the war, Foster (with four brigadiers) presided over the court martial of Canada’s top prisoner of war, SS General Kurt Meyer. The trial was a showcase for Canada, the first time[7] that the country had conducted an international prosecution of this sort. Meyer was found guilty of three of five charges and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. When asked by his son (author Tony Foster) why the death sentence had been imposed he replied, "Because I had no choice according to those rules of warfare dreamt up by a bunch of bloody barrack-room lawyers who had never heard a shot fired in anger." [8]

Foster organized and commanded Eastern Army Command from 1946. Upon retirement in 1952 he took the civilian appointment of Chief Administrator of the Central European District, Imperial War Graves Commission. In 1959, he married his third wife Mona Leonhart (née Parsons), a Canadian spy for the Dutch Resistance during the Second World War, and was appointed honorary Aide-de-Camp to Governor General Georges Vanier.

Timeline[]

Date Event
April 2, 1902 born
1924 joined Lord Strathcona’s Horse
1934 promoted to Captain
1939 graduated from Camberley
1939 promoted to Major
1941 promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
1943 promoted to Brigadier
1944 promoted Major General
1952 retires from army; War Graves Commission
1959 3rd marriage
August 6, 1964 dies

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Caravaggio, Angelo N. (2009). "Commanding the Green Centre Line in Normandy: A Case Study of Division Command in the Second World War". Wilfrid Laurier University. pp. 351. http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2074&context=etd&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgeneral%2520%2522harry%2520foster%2522%2520canada%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D46%26ved%3D0CEwQFjAFOCg%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fscholars.wlu.ca%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D2074%2526context%253Detd%26ei%3Diw0kULyVF6aK6QGgr4CACw%26usg%3DAFQjCNErfHWebzNvhapvpnntrE-vOBclBw#search=%22general%20harry%20foster%20canada%22. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  2. "World War II plus 55: THE LAST WEEK - THE ROAD TO WAR". http://usswashington.com/worldwar2plus55/dl30au39_10_4.htm. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  3. "Canada’s Unknown War". http://www.rusi.ca/Canada's%20Unknown%20War.htm. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  4. "3rd Canadian Infantry Division on D Day". http://forums.army.ca/forums/index.php?topic=16915.0. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  5. Copp, Terry (April 10, 2010). "Operation Chuckle: No Laughing Matter: Army, Part 87". Legion Magazine. http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2010/04/operation-chuckle-no-laughing-matter-army-part-87/. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  6. Caravaggio, Angelo N. (2009). "Commanding the Green Centre Line in Normandy: A Case Study of Division Command in the Second World War". Wilfrid Laurier University. pp. 352. http://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2074&context=etd&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dgeneral%2520%2522harry%2520foster%2522%2520canada%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D46%26ved%3D0CEwQFjAFOCg%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fscholars.wlu.ca%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D2074%2526context%253Detd%26ei%3Diw0kULyVF6aK6QGgr4CACw%26usg%3DAFQjCNErfHWebzNvhapvpnntrE-vOBclBw#search=%22general%20harry%20foster%20canada%22. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  7. "War Crimes: The Sentence". Time. Jan 07 1946. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,797732,00.html. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 
  8. Stickney, Kenneth. "Taking No Prisoners". Books In Canada. http://www.booksincanada.com/article_view.asp?id=32. Retrieved August 9, 2012. 

References[]

External links[]


Military offices
Preceded by
Major General George Kitching
GOC 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division
August 21, 1944 - November 30, 1944
Succeeded by
Major General Chris Vokes
Preceded by
Major General Chris Vokes
GOC 1st Canadian Infantry Division
December 1, 1944 - September 15, 1945
Succeeded by
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