WARTIME LESSONS, PEACETIME ACTIONS: HOW VETERANS LIKE MAJOR-GENERAL DAN SPRY INFLUENCED CANADIAN SOCIETY AFTER 1945 By Gordon Christopher Case Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the PhD degree in History Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa © Gordon Christopher Case, Ottawa, Canada, 2017 ABSTRACT WARTIME LESSONS, PEACETIME ACTIONS: HOW VETERANS LIKE MAJOR-GENERAL DAN SPRY INFLUENCED CANADIAN SOCIETY AFTER 1945 Gordon Christopher Case Supervisor: University of Ottawa, 2017 Professor Serge Durflinger This study examines some of the ways in which Second World War veterans helped shape Canadian society in the years after 1945 by using the life experience of one of their number, Major-General Daniel Charles Spry, as an interpretive model. Just over one million Canadian men and women re-entered civil life after their wartime military service. Representing approximately 35 per cent of Canada’s adult male population aged 25 to 49 in 1951, and found in nearly every facet of Canadian life, Second World War veterans possessed social importance that extended far beyond their experience of the Veterans Charter. Using Dan Spry’s documented thoughts and actions in war and peace, this study argues that a number of these individuals learned lessons regarding leadership, character, citizenship, and internationalism during their wartime military service and – finding them useful – applied such lessons to various aspects of their lives after the war’s end. In so doing, Second World War veterans helped to influence the character of postwar Canada’s institutions, workplaces, and the lives of many Canadians by providing societal leadership, moulding children’s character, developing future citizens, and trying to build a better world. Appreciating their varied contributions provides new insight into both veterans’ attitudes and the sort of place that Canada was after the guns fell silent in 1945. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This examination of the varied ways in which Second World War veterans like Major- General Daniel Charles Spry helped shape Canadian society in the years after 1945 has been produced with the assistance of many people. First and foremost of these is my dissertation advisor, Dr. Serge Durflinger. A talented scholar, Serge challenged me to question the evidence, listened patiently when I encountered problems, and he rejoiced with me when I made new discoveries. Serge encouraged me to develop my own thoughts, to which he offered well- founded and constructive criticism. I am a better historian for it. Equally valuable has been the support of General Spry’s children, Margot and Toby, who permitted me to use their father’s papers that remain in their possession, such as letters, photos, and, most importantly, a binder containing nearly four dozen of their father’s postwar speeches. They also granted interviews which helped to fill in certain gaps in the documentary record. Had it not been their unfailing willingness to assist me in my scholarly endeavours, this dissertation would have been nearly impossible to write. Since our first meeting in October 2013 Toby has become a friend with whom I often meet. Toby and Margot, thank you for everything. There were, of course, many others who have helped me along the way. Those who assisted in locating files and documents or granted access to archival sources include Ilene McKenna, at Library and Archives Canada; Captain Tim Robinson, the Regimental Adjutant of The Royal Canadian Regiment; Dan Smith, at the Royal Canadian Legion; Gord Kelly, curator of the Scouts Canada Museum; and Jacqueline Paschoud, the Senior Assistant, Information Services at the World Scout Bureau Global Support Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Jim Buckland, an enthusiastic unofficial historian of Scouts Canada, provided me with valuable information from his collection. Dr. Steve Harris, the Director of History and Heritage in the iii Department of National Defence, allowed me to use J.L. Granatstein’s interview notes from his work, The Generals (which were published in August 2016 under the title The Weight of Command: Voices of Canada’s Second World War Generals and Those Who Knew Them), as well as maps from the Canadian Army’s official history of the Second World War. Mark Zuehlke, who has published several books on Canada’s military history, provided me with letters and interview notes from various veterans. Fellow scholar Jamie Trepanier loaned an advance copy of his PhD study regarding the Boy Scouts’ role in the building of Canadian boyhoods. Several individuals also granted interviews. Prior to commencing my doctoral studies, I had the privilege to speak and correspond with Sheridan (“Sherry”) Atkinson, the late Tom Burdett, and the late John (“Spin”) Reid, all of whom served in The Royal Canadian Regiment with Dan Spry before and during the Second World War. They gave me valuable insights into the manner in which Spry conducted himself as a regimental officer. The late Colonel Ernest Côté, who worked closely with General Spry in the headquarters of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, shed light on how Spry ran large and complex military organizations in battle. From Colonel (retired) Joe Aitchison, I learned aspects of Spry’s honorary service as Colonel of The Royal Canadian Regiment. The University of Ottawa Office of Research Ethics and Integrity approved my conduct of interviews in support of this project after it was formally approved. I must also acknowledge the late Richard Holt, a talented historian and author of the recently-published Filling the Ranks: Manpower in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914- 1918, a former military superior, and friend whose personal example in taking up graduate studies later in life inspired me to follow a similar path. Lastly, and most importantly, I owe my wife, Natasha, and our two daughters, Annemarie and Sara, a debt that I will never be able to fully repay. Without their loving encouragement and support, this study would not exist. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ v List of Figures and Tables............................................................................................................. vii List of Maps ................................................................................................................................. viii List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... ix Major-General Daniel Charles Spry, CBE, DSO, CD in 1945 ...................................................... xi INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 THE FOUNDATIONS OF UPBRINGING .....................................................26 CHAPTER 2 TRAINING OVERSEAS: EARLY WARTIME LESSONS ............................50 CHAPTER 3 BATTLEFIELD LESSONS (I) ........................................................................76 CHAPTER 4 BATTLEFIELD LESSONS (II) .......................................................................95 CHAPTER 5 TRANSITIONS: WAR TO PEACE, SOLDIER TO CIVILIAN ...................141 CHAPTER 6 PROVIDING POSTWAR LEADERSHIP .....................................................174 CHAPTER 7 SHAPING CHILDREN’S CHARACTER .....................................................229 CHAPTER 8 TEACHING AND PRACTISING DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP .............277 CHAPTER 9 BUILDING A BETTER POSTWAR WORLD .............................................330 CONCLUSION: VETERANS IN POSTWAR CANADA ........................................................ 375 Appendices: Appendix 1 The Boy Scout Promise and Law, 1919...............................................................399 Appendix 2 Canadian Army Organizational Hierarchy, 1939-1945 .......................................400 Appendix 3 Personnel Intake and Strengths of the Canadian Forces, 1939-1945 ...................401 Appendix 4 Distribution of Canadian Second World War Veterans, 1951 .............................402 Appendix 5 Leading Second World War Veterans in Canadian Society, 1971-1972 .............403 Appendix 6 Second World War Veterans in the House of Commons, 1945-2001 .................404 Appendix 7 Second World War Veterans in the Senate, 1945-2001 ......................................405 Appendix 8 Second World War Veterans in Federal Cabinets, 1935-1993 ............................406 Appendix 9 Second World War Veterans as Federal Department Ministers, 1935-1993 .......407 Appendix 10 Second World War Veterans in the Federal Civil Service, 1945-1962 ...............408 Appendix 11 Second World War Veterans in the Supreme Court of Canada, 1956-1990 .......409 v Appendix 12 University of Ottawa Ethics Approval Notice .....................................................410 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 411 I. Primary Sources .............................................................................................................