- Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Infobox Governor General
honorific-prefix =Field Marshal The Right Honourable
name = The Viscount Byng of Vimy
honorific-suffix = GCB GCMG MVO
order = 12th
office = Governor General of Canada
monarch = George V
primeminister =Arthur Meighen ,William Lyon Mackenzie King
term_start =August 2 ,1921
term_end =August 5 ,1926
predecessor = Victor Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire
successor = Freeman Freeman-Thomas, Marquess of Willingdon
birth_date = birth date|1862|9|11|mf=y
birth_place =Barnet ,England
death_date = death date and age|1935|6|6|1862|9|11
death_place =Thorpe-le-Soken ,England
spouse =Marie Byng, Viscountess Byng of Vimy
profession = Officer
religion = |Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy GCB GCMG MVO (11 September 1862 –6 June 1935 ) was aBritish Army officer who served with distinction duringWorld War I with theBritish Expeditionary Force inFrance , in theBattle of Gallipoli of theDardanelles campaign, as commander of theCanadian Corps , and as commander of theBritish Third Army .Known to friends as "Bungo", ["Canada's Army"] Lord Byng later became the twelfth
Governor General of Canada . The Canadian Government's eventual response to his actions in theKing-Byng Affair led to a marked redefinition of the role of Governor General in constitutional matters for Canada and for the otherdominion s of theBritish Empire .Early life and career
Byng was born at
Wrotham Park, Barnet ,Hertfordshire ,England , the seventh son and youngest child ofGeorge Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford , entitling him to the style "The Honourable". He was educated at Eton, but did not enter thesixth form . Despite their rank, his family were not well-off and could not afford to obtain a regular army commission for their youngest son, and at the age of seventeen he was instead commissionedSecond Lieutenant in the2nd Middlesex Militia (later 7th Battalion,King's Royal Rifle Corps ) in December 1879. [LondonGazette |issue=24794 |date=23 December 1879 |startpage=7536] He was promotedLieutenant in 1881. [LondonGazette |issue=24968 |date=3 May 1881 |startpage=2118] However, Byng's father was an old friend of the Prince of Wales, who obtained a place for him in his own regiment, the10th Royal Hussars . He transferred into the regiment as a Lieutenant in January 1883 [LondonGazette |issue=25192 |date=26 January 1883 |startpage=464] and in March joined them inLucknow ,India . It was an expensive regiment to belong to, but Byng managed by buying polo ponies cheaply, training them (he was an excellent horseman), and selling them for a profit.En route home to Britain in 1884, the 10th Hussars were diverted to
Sudan to join theSuakin Expedition. Byng rode in the charge at theBattle of El Teb on29 February 1884 and had his horse killed under him at theBattle of Tamai on13 March 1884 . In October 1886 he was appointed regimentaladjutant [LondonGazette |issue=25635 |date=19 October 1886 |startpage=5056] atHounslow , a post he held successfully for four years. He was promotedCaptain in 1889. On20 January 1892 he commanded thepallbearer s (who were from his regiment) at the funeral of Queen Victoria's grandson,Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence . [LondonGazette |issue=26254 |date=4 February 1892 |startpage=602 |supp=yes] In 1894 he graduated from theStaff College and was appointed asquadron leader . In 1897 he became Deputy AssistantAdjutant-General ofAldershot Command . In 1897 he was promotedMajor .taff officer and commanding officer
In November 1899 Byng went to
South Africa asProvost Marshal , [LondonGazette |issue=27126 |date=13 October 1899 |startpage=6179] but was instead immediately tasked to raise and command theSouth African Light Horse with the local rank ofLieutenant-Colonel . [LondonGazette |issue=27152 |date=9 January 1900 |startpage=149] He served in the front line throughout theSecond Boer War , ending up in command of a group of columns and returning to England in March 1902. He was promoted Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in November 1900 and BrevetColonel in February 1902 andmentioned in despatches five times. He married Marie Moreton in April 1902, was appointed Member of the Royal Victorian Order 4th Class (MVO) in May 1902, [LondonGazette |issue=27430 |date=2 May 1902 |startpage=2933] and was immediately sent back to India to command his regiment, the 10th Hussars, atMhow . He was promoted substantive Lieutenant-Colonel in October 1902. [LondonGazette |issue=27481 |date=10 October 1902 |startpage=6410] Severalmiscarriage s resulted in Marie being unable to bear children. In January 1904 Byng broke his rightelbow so badly while playingpolo that he feared he would have to leave the army, although after four months' treatment in England he was pronounced fit for duty.General
In May 1904 he became the first
commandant of the new Cavalry School atNetheravon . [LondonGazette |issue=27682 |date=3 June 1904 |startpage=3555] In May 1905 he was appointed commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade atCanterbury with the temporary rank ofBrigadier-General , being promoted to the substantive rank of Colonel at the same time. [LondonGazette |issue=27827 |date=15 August 1905 |startpage=5618] He was appointedCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1906. In April 1907 he took over the 1st Cavalry Brigade atAldershot . [LondonGazette |issue=28012 |date=12 April 1907 |startpage=2505]Byng was promoted
Major-General in April 1909 [LondonGazette |issue=28238 |date=2 April 1909 |startpage=2591] and placed on half pay. During this period he edited the "Cavalry Journal" and became firstBoy Scout district commissioner for NorthEssex . He bought a house,Newtown Hall , inDunmow , Essex, the first home he had ever owned. He took command of theEast Anglian Division of theTerritorial Force in October 1910 [LondonGazette |issue=28424 |date=14 October 1910 |startpage=7254] and in October 1912 he became commander of British troops inEgypt . [LondonGazette |issue=28663 |date=15 November 1912 |startpage=8375]World War I
When the First World War broke out, Byng was recalled to Britain to command the
3rd Cavalry Division . He went toFrance with theBritish Expeditionary Force and handled his men well at theFirst Battle of Ypres . In March 1915 he was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) and in May 1915 he was given command of theCavalry Corps as a TemporaryLieutenant-General . Three months later he went toGallipoli to command IX Corps [LondonGazette |issue=29429 |date=4 January 1916 |startpage=306 |supp=yes] and supervised the successful British withdrawal from the ill-fated campaign, for which he was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1916.In February 1916, after spending some time commanding the
Suez Canal defences, Byng returned to the Western Front in command of XVII Corps. Three months later he took over the Canadian Corps and was promoted substantive Lieutenant-General for distinguished service. With his subordinate, Major-GeneralArthur Currie , he gained his greatest glory with the Canadian victory at theBattle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, an historic military victory for Canada that inspired nationalism at home.Following this victory, Byng took command of the Third Army in June 1917 with the temporary rank of
General , [LondonGazette |issue=30178 |date=10 July 1917 |startpage=6956 |supp=yes] where he conducted the first surprise attack usingtank s at Cambrai, considered a turning point in the war. For these services he was promoted to the substantive rank of General. He remained in command of the Third Army, the largest of Britain's armies, until the end of the war.After the war he was appointed
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1919 New Year Honours [LondonGazette |issue=31092 |date=31 December 1918 |startpage=1 |supp=yes] and raised to thepeerage as 1stBaron Byng of Vimy and Thorpe-le-Soken, in Essex, on7 October 1919 . Although offered theSouthern Command , he instead opted for retirement in November 1919 [LondonGazette |issue=31640 |date=11 November 1919 |startpage=13768 |supp=yes] to Thorpe Hall, which his wife had bought atThorpe-le-Soken in Essex while he was in Egypt in 1913.Byng as Governor General
Lord Byng was appointed Governor General of Canada on
2 August 1921 , [LondonGazette |issue=32424 |date=16 August 1921 |startpage=6483] having been appointedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in July 1921. He was very popular in Canada, and during his travels across the country throughout his term of office he was enthusiastically greeted by the men he had led in wartime. His appointment was far less controversial than that of his predecessor, the Duke of Devonshire. This was partly due to his popularity, but also because he was appointed following direct consultation with the Canadian government.Lord Byng took to the office enthusiastically, further entrenching many of the traditions established by his predecessors. He also broke with tradition and was the first Governor General to appoint Canadian aides-de-camp. One of them was
Georges Vanier , who later himself served as Governor General from 1959 to 1967.He was always passionate about sport, and both he and his wife particularly loved
ice hockey ; Lord Byng rarely missed a game played by the Ottawa Senators. In 1925, Lady Byng presented theLady Byng Memorial Trophy to theNational Hockey League , which, to this day, recognises sportsmanship and excellence in play.Lord and Lady Byng also travelled more than any of their predecessors, making extended trips to Western Canada and the North, taking the opportunity to meet with many Canadians. Lord Byng established the
Governor General's Cup at theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair inToronto , and Lady Byng created a rock garden atRideau Hall , which still delights visitors today.The King-Byng Affair
The most notable issue during Lord Byng's term of office was the "King-Byng Affair", a political crisis that arose between the Governor General and Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King . It was watched closely by both the Canadian and British governments, and led directly to the redefinition of the role of Governor General, theBalfour Declaration of 1926 , and theStatute of Westminster 1931 .Life after Rideau Hall
Following his term as Governor General, Lord and Lady Byng returned to England, where he was created 1st
Viscount Byng of Vimy in January 1928. [LondonGazette |issue=33348 |date=17 January 1928 |startpage=366] He served asCommissioner of the Metropolitan Police from November 1928 [LondonGazette |issue=33437 |date=9 November 1928 |startpage=7302] to September 1931, instituting many reforms and reorganising the force. He introduced a system of promotion based on merit rather than length of service, improved discipline, retired inefficient senior officers, abolished the regularity of policemen's beats (which had allowed criminals to work out the system), introducedpolice box es, greatly extended the use ofpolice car s, and established a central radio control room. He was promoted to the rank ofField Marshal in July 1932, [LondonGazette |issue=33872 |date=11 October 1932 |startpage=6416] finally retiring with his wife to Thorpe Hall, where he died suddenly of an abdominal blockage in 1935. Lady Byng returned to Canada duringWorld War II to live with friends and died there in 1949.Footnotes
References
*Biography, "
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "External links
* [http://www.gg.ca/gg/fgg/bios/01/byng_e.asp Governors General of Canada]
* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/byng.htm First World War]
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