Major-General G.L. Foster

KStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

, CB, MD, LLD, MD (29 May 1874 – 17 May 1940) was the 6th Canadian Surgeon General. Born in King's County,

Wolfville, Nova Scotia Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination due ...

, Gilbert Lafayette Foster was educated at

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the Scho ...

, where he graduated with a Medical Degree in 1896. After graduation, Foster took up general practice in both Canning and

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. He also joined "the Canadian Militia as Surgeon-Lieutenant of the 68th (King’s County) Regiment." From 1898 to 1900 Foster served in the Yukon Field Force "(during heSouth African Campaign)." He was promoted to Captain in 1901 and Major the following year. In 1905, Foster "joined the

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). S ...

nown as Permanent Active Militia Medical Corps (referred to as PAMC during WWI), and was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1907. With the outbreak of war, he was sent overseas in 1914 as the Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services (D.A.D.M.S.) for the first Canadian Contingent. He was soon promoted to Colonel and A.D.M.S. when Col. G.C. Jones was elevated to the overseas position of Director Medical Services Canadians. Foster accompanied the 1st Canadian Division to France in February 1915 and, upon arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division later that summer, was elevated to the new post of Deputy Director Medical Services (Canadian Corps), serving as the senior medical authority for the Canadian Corps in the field. In February 1917 he was promoted to replace Jones as Director Medical Services Canadians and was transferred to Canadian HQ in London. Remaining overseas until late 1919, Major-General Foster oversaw the repatriation of thousands of Canadian casualties who remained under medical care following the Armistice, the closure of Canadian hospitals in the U.K. and the demobilization of the C.E.F. medical service. Working side-by-side with the D.G.M.S., Maj.-Gen. J.T. Fotheringham, through 1920, he helped plan the re-organization of the post-war Canadian Army Medical Corps, and succeeded to the post of Director General Medical Services upon Fotheringham's retirement in September 1920, before retiring himself in Dec 1920. Upon leaving the military profession, Foster returned to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, living the remainder of his life in the

Annapolis Valley The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Stat ...

. His son, Major-General

Harry Wickwire Foster Major General Harry Wickwire Foster (April 2, 1902 – August 6, 1964) was a senior Canadian Army officer who commanded two Canadian divisions during World War II. He served in both the Pacific and European theatres. Early life Born in Halifax, ...

, had a distinguished career within the army, including " residingover the

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

of Canada’s top prisoner of war, SS General

Kurt Meyer Kurt Meyer (23 December 1910 – 23 December 1961) was an SS commander and convicted war criminal of Nazi Germany. He served in the Waffen-SS (the combat branch of the SS) and participated in the Battle of France, Operation Barbarossa, and ot ...

." Foster died on 17 May 1940 at the age of 65.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Gilbert Lafayette Surgeons General of Canada People from Kings County, Nova Scotia New York Medical College alumni Canadian Companions of the Order of the Bath Canadian generals of World War I 1874 births 1940 deaths Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps officers Canadian military personnel from Nova Scotia