Major General Bertram Meryl Hoffmeister, (15 May 1907 – 4 December 1999) was a Canadian Army officer, businessman, and conservationist. He served with distinction during the last two years of the Second World War, becoming, in Jack Granatstein's words, "the best Canadian fighting general of the war", rising from captain and a company commander in 1939 to major-general and commander of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division in 1944.

Early life and career

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia to parents Louis and Flora, Hoffmeister was a sales manager with the Canadian White Pine Co. Ltd. in Vancouver. He enlisted with the Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM, the Canadian Army Reserve Force) in 1927. He was promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1934. After he was promoted to major, in 1939, he was made officer commanding a company of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, who went to England in 1939, the year the Second World War began, as part of

Andrew McNaughton Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

Second World War

Hoffmeister attended the Canadian Junior War Staff courses at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. On 11 October 1942, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. In 1943, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) while fighting in Sicily as a battalion commander. He received a Bar to the DSO the following year. 1st Canadian generals

In October 1943, promoted to brigadier, Hoffmeister was named commanding officer of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, which fought in the early stages of the Italian campaign, including at the

Battle of Ortona The Battle of Ortona (20–28 December 1943) was a battle fought between two battalions of elite German ''Fallschirmjäger'' (paratroops) from the German 1st Parachute Division under ''Generalleutnant'' Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian ...

towards the end of the year. On 20 March 1944, as a reward for his successful command of the 2nd Brigade, he was promoted to major general and made general officer commanding (GOC) the

5th Canadian Armoured Division Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

. After VE-Day, he was made GOC of the 6th Canadian Division (Canadian Pacific Force) which disbanded after the atomic bombings of Japan. Hoffmeister retired from active service in September 1945. That same year, he was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with swords as well as a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

, and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1947, he was made a Commander of the Legion of Merit.

Post-war

After the war, Hoffmeister became president of MacMillan Bloedel Limited in 1949 and was its chairman from 1956 to 1958. From 1958 to 1961, he was British Columbia's agent general in London. From 1961 to 1968, he was chairman of the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia, an association for the British Columbia interior forest industry. From 1971 to 1991 he was the founding chairman of the Nature Trust of British Columbia, a non-profit land conservation organization. In 1982, Hoffmeister was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* *
Generals of World War IICanada's 25 Most Renowned Military Leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffmeister, Bert 1907 births 1999 deaths Businesspeople from Vancouver Companions of the Order of the Bath Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Canadian conservationists Officers of the Order of Canada Commanders of the Legion of Merit Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau 20th-century Canadian businesspeople Canadian Army generals of World War II People from Vancouver Canadian Militia officers Canadian generals Canadian military personnel from British Columbia The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada officers The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada soldiers Seaforth Highlanders of Canada