Edward Jeffery Williams (January 16, 1920 – April 5, 2011) was a Canadian army officer and military historian."Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffery Williams"
'' The Telegraph'', May 8, 2011. He was most noted for his book ''Byng of Vimy'', a biography of Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy which won the

Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Litera ...

at the

1983 Governor General's Awards Each winner of the 1983 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts. English French References {{GovernorGeneralsAwards Governor General's Awards Governor ...

Background

Williams was born in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Alberta, and was raised by a single mother after his father died a month before his birth."Calgarian dedicated life to military; Jeff Williams named to Order of Canada". ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', April 11, 2011. He attended Calgary's Sunalta High School, and signed up for The Calgary Highlanders when he reached enlistment age.

Military career

With the outbreak of World War II, he was commissioned and sent to London, although due to his skill as an administrator he saw little action on the front as he was usually assigned to logistical and organizational work. Following the end of the war, he briefly returned to Calgary to civilian work, but soon went back into active service. He was

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...

during the Korean War, receiving the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

with

"V" device A "V" device is a metal capital letter "V" with serifs which, when worn on certain decorations awarded by the United States Armed Forces, distinguishes an award for heroism or valor in combat instead of for meritorious service or achievement. ...

. After the Korean War he served as secretary and flag officer to the Canadian Joint Staff in Washington, D.C., playing a role in the negotiation of the Canada-U.S. agreement on the exchange of nuclear information, served as chief of staff to the

4th Canadian Brigade The 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army active during World War I and World War II. Raised in 1915, the brigade formed part of the 2nd Canadian Division and fought on the Western Front (World War I), Weste ...

in Germany, and worked for the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom. He retired from the military in the early 1970s.

Writing

In addition to ''Byng of Vimy'' his other books included ''Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, 1914-1984: Seventy Years' Service'', a history of the Princess Patricia's regiment first published in 1972 and then updated and expanded in 1986; ''The Long Left Flank: The Hard Fought Way to the Reich, 1944-1945'' (1988); ''First in the Field, Gault of the Patricias'' (1995), a biography of Princess Patricia's founder

Hamilton Gault Andrew Hamilton Gault (18 August 1882 – 28 November 1958) was a Canadian Army officer and British politician. At his own expense, he raised the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the last privately raised regiment in the British Emp ...

; and ''Far from Home: A Memoir of a 20th Century Soldier'' (2004), his own memoir of his military career. He was also a regular writer of obituaries of Canadian soldiers for '' The Telegraph'', and played a role in the creation of the Canada Memorial in London's Green Park. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2001."New appointees to Order of Canada". '' Montreal Gazette'', February 16, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jeffery 1920 births 2011 deaths Canadian Army officers Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel of the Korean War 20th-century Canadian biographers Canadian male biographers Canadian military historians Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers Writers from Calgary Members of the Order of Canada Canadian military personnel from Alberta 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Calgary Highlanders soldiers Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry officers 21st-century Canadian memoirists