George Pearkes

Major General the Honourable George Randolph Pearkes VC, PC, CC, CB, DSO, MC, CD, OD
Pearkes during the First World War
20th Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
In office October 12, 1960 – July 2, 1968
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Georges Vanier Roland Michener
Premier	W.A.C. Bennett
Preceded by	Frank Mackenzie Ross
Succeeded by	John Robert Nicholson
13th Minister of National Defence
In office June 21, 1957 – October 10, 1960
Prime Minister	John Diefenbaker
Preceded by	Ralph Campney
Succeeded by	Douglas Harkness
Member of Parliament for Esquimalt—Saanich
In office August 10, 1953 – October 12, 1960
Preceded by	Alan Chambers
Succeeded by	George Chatterton
Member of Parliament for Nanaimo
In office June 11, 1945 – August 9, 1953
Preceded by	Alan Chambers
Succeeded by	Colin Cameron
Personal details
Born	(1888-02-28)February 28, 1888 Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Died	May 30, 1984(1984-05-30) (aged 96) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian Expeditionary Force Permanent Active Militia Canadian Army
Years of service	1915–1945
Rank	Major General
Commands	Pacific Command Canadian Corps 1st Canadian Infantry Division 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade 13th Military District
Battles/wars	First World War Western Front Battle of Passchendaele Second World War Aleutian Islands Campaign
Awards	Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of Canada Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches Canadian Forces Decoration Croix de guerre (France) Legion of Merit (United States)

Major General George Randolph Pearkes, VC, PC, CC, CB, DSO, MC, CD, OD (February 28, 1888 – May 30, 1984) was a Canadian politician and soldier. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Imperial forces; and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Early life[]

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England on February 28, 1888, the oldest child of Louise and George Pearkes, he attended Berkhamsted School. In 1906, he and his brother emigrated to Alberta, Canada, where they settled near Red Deer. In 1911, George joined the North-West Mounted Police and served in Yukon until the outbreak of the First World War.^[1]

A comprehensive biography of Pearkes was written during his lifetime by Reginald Roy based on eighty-two one to two hour tape recorded interviews and considerable primary and secondary sources.^[2]

Military career[]

First World War and Victoria Cross[]

In 1915, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force 2nd Regiment, Canadian Mounted Rifles; transferring in September 1916 to the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles.^[3] In the photo obtained from Library and Archives Canada (PA-002310) dated December 1917, Major Pearkes, 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles, is shown wearing the Military Cross service ribbon, but has not yet received the ribbon for the Victoria Cross. He is wearing 4 wound stripes on his sleeve.

Pearkes was 29 years old, and an acting major during the Battle of Passchendaele when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC):

For most conspicuous bravery and skilful handling of the troops under his command during the capture and consolidation of considerably more than the objectives allotted to him, in an attack. Just prior to the advance Major Pearkes was wounded in the thigh. Regardless of his wound, he continued to lead his men with the utmost gallantry, despite many obstacles.

At a particular stage of the attack his further advance was threatened by a strong point which was an objective of the battalion on his left, but which they had not succeeded in capturing. Quickly appreciating the situation, he captured and held this point, thus enabling his further advance to be successfully pushed forward.

It was entirely due to his determination and fearless personality that he was able to maintain his objective with the small number of men at his command against repeated enemy counter-attacks, both his flanks being unprotected for a considerable depth meanwhile.

His appreciation of the situation throughout and the reports rendered by him were invaluable to his commanding officer in making dispositions of troops to hold the position captured.

He showed throughout a supreme contempt of danger and wonderful powers of control and leading.^[4]

During the war, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Aside from the VC, Pearkes was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross.

Interbellum[]

Following the First World War he became a career officer in the army. He was appointed to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was stationed as a staff officer in Winnipeg, Manitoba and in Calgary, Alberta. He also served as staff officer at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. In 1925 Pearkes married Constance Blytha Copeman and they had two children. In 1936, he attended the Imperial Defence College for two years.

From 1938 to 1940 he was District Officer Commanding 13th Military District in Calgary. With the opening of hostilities with Germany in the Second World War, Brigadier Pearkes was given command of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, a component of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, which comprised a number of units raised in western Canada.

Second World War[]

In December 1939, Pearkes, by then age 51, and his staff left for England where the 1st Division was finally concentrated in a single place as a formation.^[5] In February 1940 he developed a serious case of spinal meningitis, but soon recovered.

In November 1941 Pearkes was asked to assume temporary command of the expanding Canadian Corps, taking the place of Andrew McNaughton who was on an extended leave. General Bernard Montgomery of the British Army, whose opinions of Canadian officers were crucial in the careers of senior officers overseas in the mid-war period, said Pearkes was a "gallant soldier" with "little brains".^[6]

In August 1942 Pearkes was returned to Canada and became General Officer Commanding in Chief Pacific Command, primarily a home defence organization for western Canada. He oversaw defences on Canada's West Coast.

In 1943 Pearkes was part of the planning for Operation Greenlight, retaking the Aleutian Islands from the Japanese.

During the Second World War, in 1944, Pearkes was instrumental in suppressing the Terrace Mutiny, a revolt by conscripts stationed in Terrace, British Columbia resulting from the announcement that conscripts would be deployed overseas. Although successful, Pearkes was extremely critical of the actions that led to it in the first place, stating he had been placed in the "intolerable position of being ordered to enforce a policy which his past experience gained in applying similar policies has proven ruinous to discipline of [troops], and of being in an utterly dishonourable position, and [Pearkes said] that he will NOT issue instructions to his [junior commanders] placing them in an impossible situation."^[7]

When it became clear that the government was not considering deploying troops for the fighting in the Pacific, Pearkes requested a change of command, or to be allowed to retire. The Cabinet War Committee eventually decided on the latter, and he retired from the Army in February 1945. He went into federal politics, winning the Nanaimo, British Columbia riding for the Progressive Conservative Party.

Political career[]

In the 1945 federal election, he was elected as a Progressive Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Nanaimo, British Columbia. He was re-elected in 1949. In the 1953 election, he was elected in the riding of Esquimalt—Saanich, British Columbia. He was re-elected in the 1957 and 1958 elections.

He was Minister of National Defence from 1957 to 1960 under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. In 1958, Pearkes recommended that the Avro Arrow programme be cancelled. In a historic turning point for Canadian aviation, the costly programme was cancelled in 1959 in favour of a less costly reliance on missile defense with NORAD. He resigned from federal politics in 1960.

Lieutenant governor and later life[]

He became Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia on October 13, 1960, and became one of the few Lieutenant Governors to agree to an extended term, serving until July 1968.

In 1967, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Pearkes died on May 30, 1984 in Victoria, British Columbia, and is commemorated at the Holy Trinity Cemetery, West Saanich, Sidney, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Section 4 – West. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Family[]

In August 1925, he married Constance Blytha Copeman. A daughter, Priscilla Edith ("Pep"), was born in 1928 though she died while still a young child. A son, John Andre, was born in 1931.

Legacy[]

Pearkes' name has been honoured in various ways, including:

• in Saanich, British Columbia.
• , along the mainland British Columbia south coast.
• The George R. Pearkes Children's Foundation
• The George R. Pearkes Centre for Children, a treatment facility for children with cerebral palsy, now part of the in Victoria, British Columbia.
• General George R. Pearkes Elementary School in Hudson's Hope, British Columbia.
• The George R. Pearkes Building which houses the Canadian Department of National Defence Headquarters, in Ottawa.
• The George R. Pearkes, VC Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
• CCGS George R. Pearkes, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker.
• There are numerous thoroughfares named for him.

He donated a ceremonial sword to Berkhamsted School in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire to be awarded each year to the school's best senior NCO cadet.

Honours and awards[]

Major General George Pearkes received numerous awards during his life these include

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Victoria Cross (VC)	1917
	Order of Canada (CC)	Companion 1967
	Order of the Bath (CB)	Companion
	Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	1919
	Military Cross (MC)	1918
	Order of St John (K.stJ)	Knight of Grace
	1914-15 Star
	British War Medal
	World War I Victory Medal	With MID Oakleaf
	Defence Medal
	Canadian Volunteer Service Medal	With Overseas Clasp
	War Medal 1939–1945
	King George V Silver Jubilee Medal	1935
	King George VI Coronation Medal	1937
	Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	1953
	Canadian Centennial Medal	1967
	Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal	1977 Both UK and Canadian Versions of this Medal
	Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)	3 Clasps 42 years service in the Canadian Forces
	Croix de Guerre	1914–1918 French Version With Palme Awarded in 1919
	Legion of Merit	1942 Degree of Commander From United States of America

He was sworn in as a Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on June 21, 1957. This gave Him the right to use the honorific prefix "The Honourable" and the post nominal letters "PC" for life.

He Received the Key to the City of

• North Vancouver in British Columbia on March 21, 1966.
• Burnaby in British Columbia on June 14, 1968.
• Vancouver in British Columbia on August 27, 1968.

He Received the Freedom of the City of

• Nelson in British Columbia 1961.
• Port Alberni in British Columbia on October 26, 1967.[1]
• Kelowna in British Columbia 1967.
• Central Saanich in British Columbia 1970.
• Vernon in British Columbia 1970.
• Penticton in British Columbia 1973.
• He also received the Order of the Dogwood in 1968.

[2]

Scholastic[]

Honorary degrees[]

• He received honorary degrees from many universities including

Honorary degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree	Gave Commencement Address
British Columbia	October 1944	University of British Columbia	Doctor of Laws (LL.D) [8]
British Columbia	May 1965	University of Victoria	Doctor of Laws (LL.D) [9]
British Columbia	1965	Simon Fraser University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D) [10]
Ontario	31 May 1976	Royal Military College of Canada	Doctor of Military Science (DMSc) [11]

This list is incomplete; you can help by . (September 2020)

References[]

Notes

External links[]

• Order of Canada Citation
• Biography from the website of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
• George Pearkes – Parliament of Canada biography
• Legion Magazine Article about George Pearkes and the Victoria Cross
• George Randolph Pearkes fonds at University of Victoria, Special Collections
• Canadian Great War Project – profile of George Pearkes
• www.british empire.co.uk Photo and role in RNWMP
• George Randoph Pearkes digitized service file