| Georges-Philéas Vanier (1888-1967), who would become Governor General of Canada in 1959, enlisted in the army in 1914 and was sent overseas as an officer. Vanier was with the Canadian Corps in the spring of 1918. The Allied victory near Amiens, in August, began a series of hard-fought battles which would lead to the German defeat. In a letter from the field that August he wrote: "...I have been protected in a special manner during the last three days. I have seen so many narrow escapes myself that I am beginning to think that one should not worry much about possible eventualities..." Soon after, his left leg was shattered by an artillery shell and had to be amputated. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery. After the war Vanier had a brilliant military and diplomatic career. He died in office in 1967, one of Canada's most beloved governor generals. Pencil sketch
PA-166146 |