Robert Moncel

Robert William Moncel, O.C., D.S.O., O.B.E., C.D., LL.D. (1917-2007) was a Lieutenant-General of the Canadian Army and former Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. He was the youngest general officer in the Canadian Army, when promoted to Brigadier General on August 17, 1944, at the age of 27.

Early life

Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was educated at Selwyn House School, Bishop's College and McGill University. He served as an officer with the Victoria Rifles of Canada.

World War II

When World War II broke out, Moncel went to Europe with the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). In May 1940, he was ordered along with the RCR to France to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force facing the German "blitzkrieg". Soon however, Lieutenant Moncel, who commanded a Bren gun carrier platoon, was ordered to retreat to the French coast. When being evacuated, he was ordered to destroy his equipment to save it from German hands, but Moncel, with his cool judgement, managed to evacuate the Bren Gun carriers. This act caught the eyes of his superiors and he was promoted to Captain.

In 1941, he finished first on a staff course under the command of Guy Simonds, and was promoted to major in 1942, and lieutenant-colonel in January 1943. Moncel became the commanding officer of 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons). Later, Moncel was posted as the General Staff Officer 1 of the II Canadian Corps, where he reorganized its general staff. Here, he was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a chevalier of the Legion d'honneur (receiving the Croix de guerre with Palme in the process). In August, 1944, he was promoted to brigadier general, the youngest ever to achieve that rank.

In the Normandy Campaign, he was the commanding officer of the 4th Canadian Armoured Brigade until the end of the war in 1945. During this, Moncel won the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his leadership of Tiger Group during the battle of Hochwald Forest, when the II Canadian Corps launched Operation Blockbuster

Post-War

After the war, in 1946, he became the Director of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. From 1947 to 1949, he was the Director of Military Training, Army Headquarters in Ottawa. From 1949 to 1950, he attended the National War College in Washington, DC. From 1951 to 1953, he was the Senior Canadian Army Liaison Officer in England. From 1954 to 1956, he was the Deputy Chief of General Staff. From 1957 to 1958, he was the Senior Canadian Military Officer, International Truce Commission in Indochina. From 1958 to 1959, he was the Commander, 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade at Camp Gagetown. From 1959 to 1962, he was the Quartermaster general. From 1962 to 1964, he was the General Officer Commanding Eastern Command. From 1965 to 1966, he was the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. He retired in 1966 prior to unification of the armed services, which resulted in the formation of the Canadian Forces. In 1967, he was the co-ordinator for Visits of Heads of State.

In 1967, Lieutenant-General Moncel was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He passed away at Veterans’ Memorial Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on December 10, 2007, in his 91st year.

References

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* cite web|url=http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=90843&sc=93|title=Moncel was armoured commander - Rise through ranks in Second World War was meteoric entry|accessdate=December 31|accessyear=2007