George Harold Baker (November 4, 1877 – June 2, 1916) was a lawyer, political figure, and soldier from

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. He represented Brome in the House of Commons of Canada from 1911 to 1916 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

. He is the only sitting Canadian MP to be killed in action on military service. Fellow MP

Samuel Simpson Sharpe Lt-Col. Samuel Simpson Sharpe , M.P. (March 13, 1873 – May 25, 1918) was a lawyer, political figure, and soldier from Ontario, Canada. He represented Ontario North in the House of Commons of Canada from 1909 to 1917 as a Conservative a ...

also served at the front, was wounded and died by suicide in 1918 while on convalescent leave in Canada.

Early life

He was born in Sweetsburg, Quebec, the son of

George Barnard Baker George Barnard Baker (January 29, 1834 – February 9, 1910) was a Quebec lawyer and political figure. He was a Liberal-Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada representing Missisquoi from 1870 to 1874, from 1879 to 1887 and from ...

, a member of parliament and Senator. He studied at

Bishop's College School Bishop's College School or BCS is an English-language non-profit independent boarding prep school in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada for students in Grades 7 to 12.Thomson, Ashley; Lafortune, Sylvie (1999). Handbook of Canadian Boarding Schools. To ...

from 1889 to 1893. Prior to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Baker served as a member of the 6th Duke of Connaught’s Royal Canadian Hussars and the

13th Scottish Light Dragoons The 13th Scottish Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia (now the Canadian Army). History Founded as the 52nd Bedford Battalion of Infantry in Knowlton, Quebec on 14 September 1866, th ...

Political career

Baker was elected as the Member of Parliament for Brome in the 1911 federal election, representing the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

First World War

Baker fought in World War I as a Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding the

5th Canadian Mounted Rifles The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth (Canadian) Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Que ...

. He was killed in action at Wieltje Salient, West Flanders, Belgium on June 2, 1916, during the

Battle of Mount Sorrel The Battle of Mont Sorrel (''Battle of Mount Sorrel'', ''Battle of Hill 62'') was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Bel ...

. Baker was carried out of the action by his second-in-command Major Dennis Draper. He was buried at Poperinghe New Military Cemetery, where his gravestone bears the inscription: DEATH IS A LOW MIST WHICH CANNOT BLOT THE BRIGHTNESS IT MAY VEIL. Baker's life and death were commemorated by the publication of ''A Canadian Soldier'' (1917). A memorial service was held at Christ Church in Sweetsburg, Quebec, on June 18, 1916. Tributes were paid by the Reverend W. P. R. Lewis and General Sir

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. He was notable for being the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, until he was dismissed from his cabinet post ...

, Minister of Militia. Baker's death was also marked by the Prime Minister of Canada Sir

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

, with a statement published in the press and a further tribute given at the opening of parliament on January 18, 1917. A bronze memorial statue to Baker by R. Tait McKenzie was unveiled on February 29, 1924, by Governor General Lord Byng in the House of Commons foyer in the

Centre Block The Centre Block (french: Édifice du Centre) is the main building of the Canadian parliamentary complex on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, containing the House of Commons and Senate chambers, as well as the offices of a number of members ...

building of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, Canada. The Prime Minister of Canada

William Lyon MacKenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...

spoke at the unveiling, and his speech and those of others were recorded in the red leather-bound commemorative volume ''Parliamentary Memoir of George Harold Baker, M.P.'' (1924). This volume also included a funerary poem for Baker: "Non Mortuus". The base of the memorial statue bears the following inscription: Either side of the recess holding the memorial statue, there are inscriptions on the walls. The inscription to the left is a biblical quote (

2 Maccabees 2 Maccabees, el, Μακκαβαίων Β´, translit=Makkabaíōn 2 also known as the Second Book of Maccabees, Second Maccabees, and abbreviated as 2 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which recounts the persecution of Jews under King Antiochus I ...

6.31) and the inscription to the right is the final five lines of the poem "

In Flanders Fields "In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and ...

" by John McCrae.The McCrae inscription is as follows: TO YOU FROM FAILING HANDS WE THROW THE TORCH BE YOURS TO HOLD IT HIGH IF YE BREAK FAITH WITH US WHO DIE WE SHALL NOT SLEEP THOUGH POPPIES BLOW IN FLANDERS FIELDS. George Harold Baker in 1911.jpg, Glenmere, East Bolton, September 1911 George Harold Baker on horseback in uniform in 1915.jpg,

Camp Valcartier Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebe ...

, July 1915 Grave of George Harold Baker.jpg, Baker's grave in Belgium Parlement du Canada - Edifice du Centre - 071.jpg, Baker memorial statue

Electoral record

References

External links