Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin

Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin, soldier (b in Eng 11 Aug 1859; d at Twickenham, Eng 2 Feb 1925). Educated at King's College, Cambridge, and commissioned in the British army in 1882, Gwatkin was permanently seconded to Canada in 1911.

Gwatkin, Sir Willoughby Garnons

Sir Willoughby Garnons Gwatkin, soldier (b in Eng 11 Aug 1859; d at Twickenham, Eng 2 Feb 1925). Educated at King's College, Cambridge, and commissioned in the British army in 1882, Gwatkin was permanently seconded to Canada in 1911. As chief of the general staff, Canadian militia, 1913-19, Gwatkin had the key responsibility for implementing Canada's military policies during WWI. An able and scholarly administrator who found diversion in writing Latin verse, Gwatkin also guided the formation of a postwar Canadian air force and was a pioneer in promoting the development of military and civil AVIATION. He was KCMG and CB.