Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Geoffrey Walsh, CBE, DSO, CD (19 August 1909 – 3 April 1999) was a Canadian soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Army from 1961 – 1964; Walsh was the last officer to hold this appointment as it was eliminated in 1964 as part of the reorganization of Canada's military in the lead-up to the 1968 unification of the Canadian Forces. The most senior army appointment after unification, the Commander of Mobile Command, had a much-reduced scope of authority.Peter Kasurak, A National Force: The Evolution of Canada's Army, 1950-2000, (Vancouver and Toronto: UBC Press, 2013), pp. 95-99.

Military career

Educated at St Catherine's Collegiate School, Walsh was commissioned into the

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; french: links=no, Génie militaire canadien) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engi ...

in 1930. He served in World War II with the Canadian Army Service Force and took part in the

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...

Raid in 1941. In 1942 he transferred to the

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 ...

and fought in Sicily and Italy. In 1944 he was made

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Royal Engineers for

4th Canadian (Armoured) Division The 4th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army. The division was first created as a formation of the Canadian Corps during the World War I, First World War. During the World War II, Second World War the division was reactivated ...

. and he later became CRE with II Canadian Corps, commanded by Guy Simonds, which took part in

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

. After the war he was appointed Commander, Eastern Ontario Area, followed by Commander, 27th Brigade before his appointment as Director-General of Military Training. In 1955 he was appointed Quartermaster-General of the Canadian Army and in 1959 he became General Officer Commanding, Western Command. In 1961 he was made Chief of the General Staff and in 1964, became Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.

Family

In 1935, he married Gwynn Abigail Currie with whom he had one son.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Geoffrey 1909 births 1999 deaths Canadian generals Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Vice Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada) Canadian Army personnel of World War II Royal Canadian Engineers officers Commanders of the Canadian Army Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian Militia officers