|
Julian Hedworth George
Byng, Canada's twelfth Governor General,
brought to his office a distinguished
military record. Born on September 11th,
1862, the son of the second Earl of
Strafford, he became a professional
soldier and served in India; in the
South African War; with the occupation
forces in Egypt and in the First World
War.
He commanded an army
corps in the ill-fated Dardanelles
Campaign and supervised the evacuation
from the Straits.
In May 1916 Byng was
given command of the Canadian Corps in
France and led them in the capture of
Vimy Ridge. At the end of the war, in
recognition of his outstanding
leadership and service, he was created
Baron. He took his title from Vimy and
retained the name in 1928 when he was
created Viscount.
In 1921 Byng came to
Canada and assumed his duties with a
high respect for Canadians, gained from
his intimate wartime associations. He
set out to explore the country from cast
to coast and visited far into the North,
including a trip down the Mackenzie
River and along the Arctic Ocean
coastline.
In 1926, he found himself
the central figure in an explosive
constitutional issue. Prime Minister
Mackenzie King, carrying on in the House
with the aid of the Progressive party,
faced a vote of censure and feared
defeat. He asked Byng to dissolve
Parliament so that a general election
could be held. Byng refused and asked
Arthur Meighen, the Conservative
opposition leader to form a government.
Meighen tried but was quickly defeated
in the House. King held that Byng should
follow the advice of the sovereign's
Canadian Prime Minister. He was returned
to power in the resultant election, and
the constitutional issue was clarified
and thereafter , Governors general were
bound to abide by the recommendations of
the Canadian Government.
Byng returned to England
in 1926 and in 1928 was appointed
Commissioner of the Metropolitan
Police in London. He relinquished the
post in 1931.
He died in 1935 and there
being no children, his title became
extinct. |
