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{{Short description|Canadian general (1870–1953)}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} | |||
{{Infobox military person | {{Infobox military person | ||
| name = Herbert Cyril Thacker | | name = Herbert Cyril Thacker | ||
| Line 18: | Line 20: | ||
| serviceyears = 1891–1929 | | serviceyears = 1891–1929 | ||
| laterwork = | | laterwork = | ||
| awards = [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[ | | awards = [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30716|page=6461|date=31 May 1918|supp=y}}</ref><br>[[Order of the Sacred Treasure|Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class]]<br>[[Military Medals of Honor (Japan)|Japanese War medal]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
[[Major general#Canada|Major General]] '''Herbert Cyril Thacker''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|sep=,|CB|CMG|DSO}} (16 September 1870 – 2 June 1953) was a Canadian soldier and [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]], the head of the [[Canadian Militia]] (later the [[Canadian Army]]) from 1927 until 1929. | [[Major general#Canada|Major General]] '''Herbert Cyril Thacker''' {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|sep=,|CB|CMG|DSO}} (16 September 1870 – 2 June 1953) was a Canadian soldier and [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]], the head of the [[Canadian Militia]] (later the [[Canadian Army]]) from 1927 until 1929. | ||
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Thacker was born the son of Major-General J. Thacker of the [[Bombay Staff Corps]] in 1870 in [[Pune|Poona]], [[British Raj|India]]. He attended [[Upper Canada College]] in [[Toronto]] and, in 1887, he graduated from the [[Royal Military College of Canada]].<ref name="ppmp193">[https://archive.org/stream/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft_djvu.txt (1922). ''Prominent People of the Maritime Provinces,'' p. 193.]</ref> Commissioned in the [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery|Royal Canadian Artillery]] in 1891, he conducted survey work in western Canada for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was promoted to [[Lieutenant]] in 1893.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | Thacker was born the son of Major-General J. Thacker of the [[Bombay Staff Corps]] in 1870 in [[Pune|Poona]], [[British Raj|India]]. He attended [[Upper Canada College]] in [[Toronto]] and, in 1887, he graduated from the [[Royal Military College of Canada]].<ref name="ppmp193">[https://archive.org/stream/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft_djvu.txt (1922). ''Prominent People of the Maritime Provinces,'' p. 193.]</ref> Commissioned in the [[Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery|Royal Canadian Artillery]] in 1891, he conducted survey work in western Canada for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was promoted to [[Lieutenant]] in 1893.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | ||
His service in the [[Second Boer War]] of 1900 in the Canadian Field Artillery<ref name="ppmp193"/> led to the award of the Queen's medal with three clasps.<ref name="trident1">Pacey, Elizabeth. [http://www.tridentnews.ca/PDFArchives/Oct18_2004.pdf " | His service in the [[Second Boer War]] of 1900 in the Canadian Field Artillery<ref name="ppmp193"/> led to the award of the Queen's medal with three clasps.<ref name="trident1">[[Elizabeth Pacey|Pacey, Elizabeth]]. [http://www.tridentnews.ca/PDFArchives/Oct18_2004.pdf "Commander's residence at Royal Artillery park,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124090710/http://www.tridentnews.ca/PDFArchives/Oct18_2004.pdf |date=2005-11-24 }} ''Trident.'' 38:20, 7. 18 October 2004.</ref> | ||
From 1904 to 1905 he had the unique Canadian assignment as a military attaché with the Japanese Army during the [[Russo-Japanese War]]<ref name="ppmp193"/> but he was joined by other colonials.<ref>Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1983479 "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War,"] ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; [http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf "Report No. 14,"], Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967; ''compare'' Australian Dictionary of Biography: [ | From 1904 to 1905 he had the unique Canadian assignment as a military attaché with the Japanese Army during the [[Russo-Japanese War]]<ref name="ppmp193"/> but he was joined by other colonials.<ref>Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1983479 "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War,"] ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; [http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf "Report No. 14,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803024013/http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf |date=2016-08-03 }}, Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967; ''compare'' Australian Dictionary of Biography: [https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hoad-sir-john-charles-6686 John Hoad at ADB]</ref> Along with other Western military attachés, Thacker had two complementary missions – to assist the Japanese and to observe the Japanese forces in the field during the Russo-Japanese War.<ref>Chapman, John and [[Ian Nish]]. (2004). [http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/is/IS475.pdf "On the Periphery of the Russo-Japanese War," Part I, p. 53 n42], Paper No. IS/2004/475. Suntory Toyota International Centre for Economics and Related Disciplines (STICERD), [[London School of Economics and Political Science]] (LSE).</ref> | ||
[[File:Major-General A.C. MacDonell and staff officers, 1st Canadian Infantry Division.jpg|thumb|left|Major-General [[Archibald Cameron Macdonell|A. C. MacDonell]] and staff officers, 1st Canadian Division, sometime in 1918. (Front row, from left to right): Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. R. Parsons, Brigadier-General '''H. C. Thacker''', Major-General A. C. Macdonnell, Lieutenant-Colonel [[James Sutherland Brown|J. Sutherland Brown]], Colonel H. P. Wright. (Back row, from left to right): Lieutenant-Colonel [[Halfdan Hertzberg|H. F. H. Hertzberg]], Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel [[Frederick George Scott|F. G. Scott]], Lieutenant [[James Macdonnell (Canadian politician)|J. M. Macdonnell]].]] | [[File:Major-General A.C. MacDonell and staff officers, 1st Canadian Infantry Division.jpg|thumb|left|Major-General [[Archibald Cameron Macdonell|A. C. MacDonell]] and staff officers, 1st Canadian Division, sometime in 1918. (Front row, from left to right): Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. R. Parsons, Brigadier-General '''H. C. Thacker''', Major-General A. C. Macdonnell, Lieutenant-Colonel [[James Sutherland Brown|J. Sutherland Brown]], Colonel H. P. Wright. (Back row, from left to right): Lieutenant-Colonel [[Halfdan Hertzberg|H. F. H. Hertzberg]], Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel [[Frederick George Scott|F. G. Scott]], Lieutenant [[James Macdonnell (Canadian politician)|J. M. Macdonnell]].]] | ||
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In 1907, his appointment as Director of Artillery at Ottawa accompanied a promotion as [[Commanding Officer]] of the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery (RCGA),<ref name="ppmp193"/> and he became one of the 65 to live in the Commanding Officers’ Residence at Royal Artillery Park in Halifax.<ref name="trident1"/> In 1911 he became Inspector of Coast Defense Artillery.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | In 1907, his appointment as Director of Artillery at Ottawa accompanied a promotion as [[Commanding Officer]] of the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery (RCGA),<ref name="ppmp193"/> and he became one of the 65 to live in the Commanding Officers’ Residence at Royal Artillery Park in Halifax.<ref name="trident1"/> In 1911 he became Inspector of Coast Defense Artillery.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | ||
At the outbreak of [[World War I]], Thacker joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF), sailing for Europe with the [[1st Canadian Division]]. | At the outbreak of [[World War I]], Thacker joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF), sailing for Europe with the [[1st Canadian Division]]. Thacker went on to command the 2nd Canadian Divisional Artillery from 1914 to 1915. After General Sir [[Henry Edward Burstall|Henry E. Burstall]] was promoted, Thacker, promoted to temporary brigadier general in June 1915,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29305|page=9395|date=21 September 1915|supp=y}}</ref> commanded the 1st Canadian Divisional Artillery from September 1915 through the end of World War and the CEF return to Canada.{{fact|date=July 2025}} | ||
After the war, Thacker was appointed the District Officer Commanding Military District 6,<ref name="ppmp193"/> returning with his family to live at Royal Artillery Park.<ref name="trident1"/> His career was capped with service as [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]] from 1927 to 1929.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | After the war, Thacker was appointed the District Officer Commanding Military District 6,<ref name="ppmp193"/> returning with his family to live at Royal Artillery Park.<ref name="trident1"/> His career was capped with service as [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]] from 1927 to 1929.<ref name="ppmp193"/> | ||
Thacker retired from military service in 1929. He died in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], in June 1953. | Thacker retired from military service in 1929. He died in [[Victoria, British Columbia]], in June 1953.{{fact|date=July 2025}} | ||
==Honors== | ==Honors== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
* Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1983479 "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War,"] ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; [http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf "Report No. 14,"], Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967. | * Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1983479 "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War,"] ''Military Affairs'', Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; [http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf "Report No. 14,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803024013/http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/rep-rap/doc/cfhq/cfhq014.pdf |date=2016-08-03 }}, Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967. | ||
* Armstrong, Captain J.G., "A Gunner in Manchuria: Canada Observes the Russo-Japanese War," ''Canadian Defence Quarterly'', Vol. 12, No.4 (Spring 1983), 37–44. | * Armstrong, Captain J.G., "A Gunner in Manchuria: Canada Observes the Russo-Japanese War," ''Canadian Defence Quarterly'', Vol. 12, No.4 (Spring 1983), 37–44. | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* {{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft|title=Prominent people of the Maritime Provinces (in business and professional life)|work=[[Internet Archive]]|year=1922}} | * {{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/prominentpeopleo00stjouoft|title=Prominent people of the Maritime Provinces (in business and professional life)|work=[[Internet Archive]]|year=1922}} | ||
* [http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007934 Herbert Cyril Thacker] at [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] | * [http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007934 Herbert Cyril Thacker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518181359/http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007934 |date=2011-05-18 }} at [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] | ||
{{s-start}} | {{s-start}} | ||
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[[Category:Canadian Militia officers]] | [[Category:Canadian Militia officers]] | ||
[[Category:Military attachés]] | [[Category:Military attachés]] | ||
[[Category:Military personnel from Pune]] | |||
Latest revision as of 08:48, 12 September 2025
Herbert Cyril Thacker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | 16 September 1870 Poona, British India |
| Died | 2 June 1953 (aged 82) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/ | Canadian Militia |
| Years of service | 1891–1929 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Royal Canadian Artillery |
| Commands held | Chief of the General Staff |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War Russo-Japanese War World War I |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order[1] Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class Japanese War medal |
Major General Herbert Cyril Thacker CB, CMG, DSO (16 September 1870 – 2 June 1953) was a Canadian soldier and Chief of the General Staff, the head of the Canadian Militia (later the Canadian Army) from 1927 until 1929.
Military career[edit | edit source]
Thacker was born the son of Major-General J. Thacker of the Bombay Staff Corps in 1870 in Poona, India. He attended Upper Canada College in Toronto and, in 1887, he graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada.[2] Commissioned in the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1891, he conducted survey work in western Canada for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1893.[2]
His service in the Second Boer War of 1900 in the Canadian Field Artillery[2] led to the award of the Queen's medal with three clasps.[3]
From 1904 to 1905 he had the unique Canadian assignment as a military attaché with the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War[2] but he was joined by other colonials.[4] Along with other Western military attachés, Thacker had two complementary missions – to assist the Japanese and to observe the Japanese forces in the field during the Russo-Japanese War.[5]
In 1907, his appointment as Director of Artillery at Ottawa accompanied a promotion as Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery (RCGA),[2] and he became one of the 65 to live in the Commanding Officers’ Residence at Royal Artillery Park in Halifax.[3] In 1911 he became Inspector of Coast Defense Artillery.[2]
At the outbreak of World War I, Thacker joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF), sailing for Europe with the 1st Canadian Division. Thacker went on to command the 2nd Canadian Divisional Artillery from 1914 to 1915. After General Sir Henry E. Burstall was promoted, Thacker, promoted to temporary brigadier general in June 1915,[6] commanded the 1st Canadian Divisional Artillery from September 1915 through the end of World War and the CEF return to Canada.[citation needed]
After the war, Thacker was appointed the District Officer Commanding Military District 6,[2] returning with his family to live at Royal Artillery Park.[3] His career was capped with service as Chief of the General Staff from 1927 to 1929.[2]
Thacker retired from military service in 1929. He died in Victoria, British Columbia, in June 1953.[citation needed]
Honors[edit | edit source]
For his service in the Boer War, Thacker was awarded the Queen's Medal with three clasps (1900).[2]
He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class by the Japanese government for his services during the Russo-Japanese War.[7] He also received the Japanese War medal for service during that campaign.[2]
For service in World War I, he was made a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) in 1916. Thacker was appointed to the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1918. He was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1919.[2]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "No. 30716". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 May 1918. p. 6461.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 (1922). Prominent People of the Maritime Provinces, p. 193.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Pacey, Elizabeth. "Commander's residence at Royal Artillery park," Archived 2005-11-24 at the Wayback Machine Trident. 38:20, 7. 18 October 2004.
- ↑ Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War," Military Affairs, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; "Report No. 14," Archived 2016-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967; compare Australian Dictionary of Biography: John Hoad at ADB
- ↑ Chapman, John and Ian Nish. (2004). "On the Periphery of the Russo-Japanese War," Part I, p. 53 n42, Paper No. IS/2004/475. Suntory Toyota International Centre for Economics and Related Disciplines (STICERD), London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
- ↑ "No. 29305". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 September 1915. p. 9395.
- ↑ L'Harmattan web site (in French)
See also[edit | edit source]
- Library and Archives Canada: CEF Attestation paper
References[edit | edit source]
- Hitsman, J. Mackay and Desmond Morton. "Canada's First Military Attache: Capt. H. C. Thacker in the Russo-Japanese War," Military Affairs, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1970), pp. 82–84; "Report No. 14," Archived 2016-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, Directorate of History, Canadian Forces Headquarters, 8 September 1967.
- Armstrong, Captain J.G., "A Gunner in Manchuria: Canada Observes the Russo-Japanese War," Canadian Defence Quarterly, Vol. 12, No.4 (Spring 1983), 37–44.
External links[edit | edit source]
- "Prominent people of the Maritime Provinces (in business and professional life)". Internet Archive. 1922.
- Herbert Cyril Thacker Archived 2011-05-18 at the Wayback Machine at The Canadian Encyclopedia
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir James MacBrien |
Chief of the General Staff 1927–1929 |
Succeeded by Andrew McNaughton |