Hugh Clifford Chadderton, (9 May 1919 – 30 November 2013) was a Canadian
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military.
A military veteran that has ...
and Chief Executive Officer of
The War Amps
The War Amps is a Canadian registered nonprofit organization, established in 1918 to meet the needs of war amputees. The charity provides financial and advisory services to those who have lost a limb or total eyesight in military service during w ...
.
Life and career
Born in
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Since th ...
, he worked as a news editor for
Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
and a
reporter
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
for the ''
Winnipeg Free Press
The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...
'' and he attended the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Winnipeg Rangers hockey team, the farm team for the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
.
He enlisted on 15 October 1939, serving with
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles
The Royal Winnipeg Rifles (R Wpg Rif) are a Primary Reserve one-battalion infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Nicknamed the "Little Black Devils", they are based at Minto Armoury in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Royal Winnipeg Rifles are part of 3rd ...
of the
Non-Permanent Active Militia
The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent A ...
. Chadderton rose from non-commissioned rank to officer commanding an infantry company with the acting rank of Major. He was stationed in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. He was wounded twice, once by a bullet at the Abbaye d'Ardenne in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and once by a
grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
near the Leopold Canal, losing his right leg below the knee.
In 1965, Chadderton became the Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps.
In 1967, the Government of Canada named Chadderton to the position of Executive Secretary to the Canadian Pension Survey Committee along with Hon. Judge Randall and Colonel Roger Nantel under the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ottawa, Ontario.
He was Chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada, an umbrella organization for a variety of veterans' groups.
Chadderton played a leading role in the campaign against the controversial NFB documentary, '' The Kid Who Couldn't Miss'' and in pressuring the
Canadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in a ...
to rewrite its Bomber Command exhibit. In 1992, he led the fight to put pressure on the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC) from re-broadcasting a controversial documentary series it commissioned called '' The Valour and the Horror''. The CBC's Ombudsman, Bill Morgan, decided with Chadderton, and stated that "the series was 'flawed' and 'fails to measure up' to CBC's standards."
Chadderton married Dorothy Barnfather, with whom he had two children, four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. He married his third wife, Nina, in the 1980s.
He died at the age of 94 on 30 November 2013.
Honours
* In 1977, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
.
* In 1986, he was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada.
* In 1987, he was named a Serving Brother of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, more commonly known as the Order of St. John.
* In 1990, he was raised to the rank of Officer Brother of the Order of St. John (OStJ).
* In 1990, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) from
Acadia University
Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...
.
* In 1991, he was awarded the
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...
.
* In 1992, he received a
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
,
Honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
, from the
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and kinesiology and applied health as well as gr ...
.
* In 1998, he was promoted to a Companion of the Order of Canada (CC).
* In 1999, he was granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...
and inducted into the
Terry Fox Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadia ...
.
* In 2001, he was admitted to the Military and Hospitaller
Order of Saint Lazarus
The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, also known as the Leper Brothers of Jerusalem or simply as Lazarists, was a Catholic military order (monastic society), military order founded by crusaders around 1119 at a leprosy, leper hospital in Jerus ...
of Jerusalem in the rank of Commander (CLJ).
* In 2004, he was named a Knight in the Order of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...