Crerar, General Henry (1888–1965),Canadian artillery officer who as a lt-general was appointed Chief of the Canadian General Staff in 1941. He was therefore responsible for the dispatch of Canadian troops to
Hong Kong just before its fall and for the difficult task of expanding the Canadian Army at a time when there was considerable controversy over conscription (see
Canada, 3).
In 1942 he was appointed to command the 2nd Canadian Division and the following year briefly commanded the 1st Canadian Corps fighting in the
Italian campaign. When
McNaughton was recalled to Canada at the end of 1943, Crerar was appointed C-in-C of the First Canadian Army in his place, and in this capacity led it in the
Normandy campaign as part of
Montgomery's Twenty-First Army Group. Montgomery was not impressed with him and when, on one occasion, Crerar was unable to attend an important conference, Montgomery threatened to dismiss him, which he had no power to do. Early in the critical 85-day
Scheldt Estuary battle, which started in September 1944, Crerar had to go to the UK for medical treatment and he was replaced by
Simonds, the 2nd Canadian Corps commander, whose reputation stood high with Montgomery. But Crerar returned, was promoted general in November 1944, and led his army, which included American, Belgian, British, and Polish troops as well as Canadians, in some of the most crucial operations during the battle for
Germany.
