Arthur Currie Sir Arthur William Currie GCMG , KCB ( 5 December 1875 – 30 November 1933 ) , was a Canadian general during World War I . He had the unique distinction of starting his military career on the very bottom rung as a pre - war militia gunner before rising through the ranks to become the first Canadian commander of the four divisions of the unified Canadian Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force . He was the first Canadian to attain the rank of full general . Currie ' s success was based on his ability to rapidly adapt brigade tactics to the exigencies of trench warfare , using " set piece " operations and " bite - and - hold " tactics . He is generally considered to be among the most capable commanders of the Western Front , and one of the finest commanders in Canadian military history . Currie was not afraid to voice his disagreement with orders or to suggest strategic changes to a plan of attack , something that his British Army superiors were unused to hearing from a former militia officer from the colonies . Often these disagreements were taken all the way up to BEF Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig . Haig sometimes agreed with Currie — allowing a strategic change to the attack on Hill 70 outside Lens , and approving Currie ' s audacious plan to cross the Canal du Nord — but he also insisted on the Passchendaele attack , to which Currie , who was sceptical that the strategic value justified the expected casualties , agreed with great reluctance . British Prime Minister David Lloyd George claimed to his biographer that had the war continued into 1919 , he would have sought to replace Field Marshal Haig with Arthur Currie , with Australian general John Monash as Currie ' s chief of staff . Early life . Arthur Currie ( his surname at birth was spelled " Curry " ) was born in the hamlet of Napperton , Ontario , just west of Strathroy , the son of William Garner Curry and Jane Patterson . The family home still stands , although privately owned and in a poor state of repair . He was educated in local common schools and at the Strathroy District Collegiate Institute , and briefly attended the University of Toronto before moving to British Columbia in 1894 . Businessman and gentleman soldier . For five years , he taught at public schools in Sidney and Victoria . It was during this period that he changed the spelling of his surname to " Currie " . On 6 May 1897 , he joined the 5th Regiment , Canadian Garrison Artillery ( C . G . A ) as a gunner , and by 1900 , he had achieved the rank of corporal . At this point , he was offered an officer ' s commission , which would give him a much higher status in the social circles of Victoria . However , a commission was an expensive proposition , since officers were expected to provide their own set of tailored uniforms and to donate their pay to the officer ' s mess . In addition , Currie was engaged to be married to Lucy Chaworth - Musters . Clearly a teacher ' s meagre salary would not suffice , so he entered the lucrative and socially acceptable world of finance , eventually becoming provincial manager of the National Life Assurance Company . The young businessman also took on his role as militia officer seriously , and showed an intense interest in artillery , and especially in marksmanship . He was promoted to captain in 1902 , and then to major in 1906 . He continued to be active in business and , with a land speculation boom in full swing , Currie and R . A . Power formed Currie & Power , and Currie invested heavily in the real estate market . By September 1909 , he had risen to lieutenant - colonel , commanding the 5th Regiment C . G . A . In 1913 , while he was helping to raise a new militia regiment , the Victoria real estate boom went bust , leaving Currie holding worthless properties and financially over - extended . At the same time , he was offered command of the newly formed 50th Regiment ( Gordon Highlanders of Canada ) as lieutenant - colonel , and the cost of the new uniforms and mess bills only added to his financial problems . Facing personal bankruptcy and a disgraced retirement from the militia , Currie diverted government funds of $ 10 , 833 . 34 that had been earmarked for regimental uniforms into his personal accounts to pay off his debts . As historian Pierre Berton noted , the Gordon Highlanders ' honorary colonel , William Coy had promised to underwrite the regiment to the tune of $ 35 , 000 , and Currie used the government money to save himself from bankruptcy on the understanding that Coy ' s money would be forthcoming almost immediately to cover it . Unfortunately for Currie , Coy did not follow through , leaving Currie ' s accounting sleight - of - hand potentially exposed . In the midst of this , he attended the Militia Staff Course , and qualified in March 1914 . World War I . Currie ' s third - in - command in the " Gay Gordons " was Garnet Hughes , the son of Sam Hughes , the bombastic Canadian Minister of Militia in Robert Borden ' s government . Observing Garnet Hughes during militia exercises , Currie came to suspect that although Hughes had been an able and even brilliant cadet officer at the Royal Military College of Canada , he was incompetent in the field and would prove to be unfit for a military command . When war broke out in Europe in 1914 , Sam Hughes personally gave many plum commands in the 1st Division of the nascent Canadian Expeditionary Force to his cronies and acquaintances . Since Currie was his son ' s commanding officer , Hughes offered Currie command of the 2nd Brigade . However , Currie considered turning down the offer and staying behind in Victoria so he could attempt to solve his financial woes . He only changed his mind at the urging of Garnet Hughes . It is ironic that both Sam and Garnet Hughes were responsible for Currie ' s overseas command and subsequent success , since Currie and the Hughes would become implacable enemies by the end of the war . Currie ' s promotion to brigadier - general was confirmed on 29 September 1914 . Currie ' s financial predicament was brought to the attention of Prime Minister Borden as the 1st Division reached England , but unwilling to bring Currie home , Borden chose to do nothing about it for the time being . Second Battle of Ypres . The 1st Division spent the winter of 1914 - 15 training in England , and were sent to France in February 1915 . After a period of indoctrination in the realities of trench warfare , they took control of a section of trench in the Ypres Salient on 17 April 1915 . Only five days later , the Germans used poison gas for the first time on the Western Front , sending clouds of chlorine wafting over the Allied trenches . French colonial troops on the Canadians ' left flank broke , leaving a long hole in the Allied line . In the chaos that followed , Currie proved his worth as a combat officer , coolly issuing commands from his brigade headquarters even as it was gassed and then destroyed by fire . Faced with a situation not covered by doctrinaire tactics , Currie threw away the tactical rule book and cobbled together a fluid defense and counterattack that bent but did not break . At one point , Currie personally went back to the rear and brought up two regiments of British reinforcements that had been unwilling to move forward . After several days of fierce fighting , Allied counterattacks re - established a stable defensive line , denying the Germans the breakthrough they had sought . The Second Battle of Ypres proved to be the making of Currie . His superiors noted his natural instinct for tactics and his coolness under fire . He was promoted to major - general , and given command of the entire First Canadian Division . He was also invested as a Companion of the Order of Bath ( CB ) and as a commander of the Legion d ' Honneur . Garnet Hughes , however , had proved to be unreliable under fire , confirming Currie ' s suspicions . The Somme . Although the Canadians did not take part in the infamous Anglo - French offensive on the Somme on 1 July 1916 , they did eventually move into the line in the fall to aid the slow crawl forward . Unlike some of his senior commanders , Currie was under no illusion that a full frontal assault would bring about a breakthrough that would end the stalemate of the trenches . Instead , Currie proved himself to be the master of the set piece assault , designed to take limited objectives and then hold on in the face of inevitable German counterattacks . In a battle where every foot of ground was fiercely contested , Currie ' s talent at these bite and hold tactics became apparent as did his almost obsessive unwillingness to squander men ' s lives in costly frontal assaults . When the battle finally ground to a halt in the mud of November , the Canadians had taken every objective ordered of them , although at the cost of 24 , 000 casualties . It was at this time that Currie lost favour with former friends Sam and Garnet Hughes . Sam Hughes wanted Garnet promoted to command of a division , but Currie , having seen Garnet in action at the Second Battle of Ypres , believed Garnet to be an incompetent officer , and refused . By this time , Currie ' s reputation was on the rise , and Hughes did not have the necessary leverage to force Currie to comply . From that point until his death in 1921 , Hughes began a personal vendetta , using his seat in the House of Commons to verbally attack Currie and his record , although he was careful never to repeat his words outside the House , where he was not protected by parliamentary privilege . Vimy Ridge . By late 1916 , four Canadian divisions were in France , gathered together as the Canadian Corps under the command of Sir Julian Byng . The British High Command informed Byng that the Canadians would have a central role in the upcoming spring offensive at Arras . Near the French villages of Vimy and Petit - Vimy , a high chalk ridge dominated the flat Douai Plain . When the war had bogged down in 1914 , the Germans had driven the French from the ridge , and had strongly fortified it . Offensives by both the French and British had failed to dislodge the Germans from the high ground . Now as part of a major British operation in April designed to achieve a breakthrough at Arras , the Canadians were expected to do the impossible — take the ridge in just eight hours . Both Byng and Currie were firm advocates of analysis and preparation . Byng first ordered Currie to examine the Battle of the Somme and advise what lessons could be taken and applied . Next , Byng sent Currie to Verdun to interview French officers about the grinding battle that had taken place there . Currie not only questioned senior French officers , he then sought out junior officers and asked the same questions , carefully noting the discrepancies between the senior officers ' beliefs and the junior officers ' experiences . On 20 January 1917 , Currie began a series of lectures to the generals of the Canadian Corps based on his research , and he set out what he believed would be the keys to the battle : Training of the Canadian soldiers started immediately . As Currie had dictated , every soldier was shown maps of the battlefield , was told his platoon ' s objectives , and was given a small map of his part of the battlefield . Distances from Allied to German trenches were carefully taped out on practice battlefields , and the soldiers endlessly rehearsed the slow walk that would keep them only paces behind the creeping barrage . Tunnels were dug into the soft chalk so that Canadian soldiers could move as close to the German lines as possible before the actual assault . In addition , ammonal mines were set under German strongpoints . Canadian engineers laid of water pipes , of railway track , of plank road , and they also maintained and repaired of local roads , which had been shelled heavily by the Germans during previous battles . In addition , the corps signallers buried of telephone cable and laid another of surface cable . The counter - battery operations were going to be essential to the success of the attack . Currie and Byng had their eye upon the youngest brigade commander in France , 29 - year - old Andy McNaughton . McNaughton was an unconventional soldier , raised in Canada ' s western frontier , and not afraid to apply new scientific methods to conventional knowledge about artillery . Placed in charge of counter - battery operations , McNaughton took the opportunity to try new techniques such as flash - spotting and sound - ranging . The results were unprecedented : Allied artillery destroyed 83 % of the German guns before the battle started . At 5 : 30 a . m . on 9 April ( Easter Monday ) , the largest artillery barrage of the war to date began . Thirty thousand Canadian soldiers climbed out of trenches and tunnels in the middle of a snowstorm to slowly walk behind a curtain of artillery shells that destroyed everything in its path . German soldiers were captured while still in their bomb - proof dugouts . Primary , then secondary and tertiary trenches were rapidly taken . By 12 : 30 p . m . , Canadian soldiers stood on top of Vimy Ridge . By the end of 12 April , the ridge was completely in Canadian hands , at a cost of 10 , 602 casualties , including 3 , 598 killed . Although the overall Battle of Arras was a failure — British regiments on the Canadians ' right flank failed to reach their objectives , making a breakthrough impossible — the four Canadian divisions had worked as one unit to score a nation - building victory . Currie was recognized as the architect of this triumph , and was knighted by King George V with his appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George ( KCMG ) in the King ' s Birthday Honours of 4 June 1917 . When Byng was promoted to general in command of the British Third Army in mid - 1917 , Currie was raised to the temporary rank of lieutenant - general on 9 June , and given command of the entire Canadian Corps . Just as he was taking command of the Corps , word reached Currie that news of his embezzlement had reached the Canadian cabinet , and in order to avoid news of the scandal from breaking , Currie borrowed money from two wealthy subordinates , David Watson and Victor Odlum , to finally pay back the money he had " borrowed " from the 50th Regiment . Hill 70 . The British High Command needed a diversion to take German attention away from the Third Battle of Ypres . Currie ' s first objective upon assuming command of the Canadian Corps was to take the city of Lens , which was strategically important to the Germans due to its nexus of rail lines . After examining the area , Currie instead proposed to take the high ground outside the city ( marked on Allied maps as Hill 70 ) . The Germans would be forced to counterattack to retake the high ground or lose operational control of the city . During their counterattacks , the Germans would have to cross killing grounds in front of the Canadian lines , enabling the Canadians to inflict enormous casualties . Sir Douglas Haig finally approved the change in plan , but predicted the Canadian assault on Hill 70 would fail . It was not an idle comment , since Hill 70 was defended by pillboxes with overlapping fields of fire , deep dugouts and trenches fronted by coils of barbed wire . Currie insisted on the same level of preparations as had been used at Vimy Ridge . Once again , the men studied maps of their objectives , and practiced on fields marked with tape that indicated trench lines , and a complex artillery barrage was planned . At 4 : 25 a . m . on 15 August 1917 , after several hours of precise artillery fire to destroy barbed wire and plaster the German trenches , men of the 1st , 2nd and 4th Divisions went over the top . ( The 3rd Division was held in reserve . ) Walking slowly behind a creeping barrage , the Canadians took the hill in a mere twenty minutes and immediately began to dig in . As Currie had predicted , the Germans realized that they could not remain in Lens with the Canadians occupying Hill 70 , and the first counterattack took place by 9 : 00 a . m . Over the next three days , the Canadians repulsed 21 German counterattacks , which saw the Germans use both mustard gas and flamethrower s . By 18 August , the Canadians were low on rations , water and ammunition , but the Germans , having suffered thousands of casualties trying to retake the hill , were unwilling to expend more resources . Although the city of Lens itself was not taken , German operations inside the city were compromised as Currie had predicted , and the city lost its strategic importance . Passchendaele . The Third Battle of Ypres , known to history as Passchendaele , was Sir Douglas Haig ' s attempt in the summer of 1917 to " wear down " the Germans and break through their lines in a series of bite - and - hold attacks . His immediate objective was to take the key railway junction of Roulers , which lay just behind the Passchendaele ridge which overlooked the Ypres Salient - of great tactical importance in the artillery - dominated warfare of the time . From there , Haig envisioned a German withdrawal from western Belgium , enabling the liberation of the Belgian ports in order to stop submarine depredations in the English Channel . However , the preliminary bombardment of the low ground in front of the ridge destroyed canals and ditches that drained the fields , and an unusually heavy rain the night before the first assault ( 31 July ) turned the low ground into a quagmire . Unseasonably hard summer rain fell , turning the battlefield into a vast sea of liquid mud . Wooden duckboards were the only way to traverse the ground , and soldiers who slipped off often drowned . The Germans were by that time using a more flexible defense , including dozens of pillboxes made of reinforced concrete that were set up to enfilade . Able to withstand direct hits from artillery and hard to pick out in the drab brown landscape of mud , these had to be found and attacked at close range by flamethrowers or Mills bomb s . Attacking one pillbox inevitably drew deadly machine gun fire from two or three others . The attack , under Gough ( Fifth Army ) , quickly stalled in August , at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties . Methodical attacks in drier weather in late September , under Plumer ( Second Army ) , were more successful at gaining the high ground of the Gheluveld Plateau , and by early October a breakthrough seemed imminent . At this point the rain returned and Anzac troops were bled white trying to gain the rest of the high ground . Haig turned to the Canadian Corps for the final push . After examining the battlefield , Currie protested , saying that the village could only be taken at a cost of 16 , 000 Canadian casualties , was not strategically significant " and we have to know if the success would justify the sacrifices ” . Haig visited the Canadian Corps and addressed the officers . In his speech he “ asked ” ( not ordered ) the Canadian Corps to do the job , admitting that Currie had opposed the plan but that he had agreed after Haig had agreed to provide “ unprecedented ” artillery support . Currie ' s Corps was put under the command of Plumer ( Second Army ) with whom he got on , not Gough who had had a poor reputation with the Canadians since the Somme . Currie ’ s preparations included reconnaissance , by himself and other picked officers , massive artillery ( 587 guns , up from the Canadian Corps ’ 320 normal complement - many of the extra guns were heavy and used for shelling pillboxes to stun the defenders , and despite Haig ’ s promise were only obtained after a row with the British Artillery General Noel Birch ) , breech covers to protect rifles and machine guns from mud , combing his ranks for lumberjacks to saw down trees to make extra duckboards , and a massive barrage of heavy machine guns to prevent reinforcements and supplies reaching the German defenders . It was not until 20 October that the Canadian offensive began . Rather than one battle , Currie designed a series of well - prepared , sharp attacks that allowed the Corps to take an objective and then hold it against the inevitable German counterattacks . By 30 October , the Canadians , aided by two British divisions , gained the outskirts of the village in a driving rainstorm , and then held on for five days against intense shelling and counter - attacks , often standing waist deep in mud as they fought . The Third Ypres Offensive ended on 11 November 1917 , but Haig ' s breakthrough never materialized . The German doctrine of " defence in depth " meant that there was always another set of trenches waiting for them to fall back to . The Canadians ' Pyrrhic victory came at the cost of 15 , 654 casualties , including 4 , 028 killed . Currie ' s grim prediction had been accurate . That said , Currie later wrote of Haig “ I met him many times , and although he never had much to say , he always impressed me greatly . Leaving on one side his manner , his bearing and his appearance – all of which fitted so well with his high rank , one felt that here you were dealing with a thoroughly honest , decent , manly man ” . Hundred Days Offensive . In the spring of 1918 , the Germans launched a major Spring Offensive , but by the summer , it had been contained , and it was the turn of the Allies to counterattack . German intelligence always kept a close watch on the whereabouts of the Canadian Corps since their move to a new sector usually indicated an imminent attack . Therefore , in August 1918 , when Currie was ordered to move the Corps south to Amiens to join the Australians under General John Monash , the Canadians took pains to camouflage their move . This included sending a radio unit and two battalions to Ypres as a diversion . With no preliminary artillery bombardment to warn the Germans , the attack on 8 August was a complete surprise . Currie ' s usual careful planning paid off as the Canadians and Australians opened up an enormous hole in the German lines and advanced on the first day , although suffering enormous casualties . After three days of continued Allied advances , the Germans abandoned their lines at Amiens and fell back to their prepared defences on the Hindenburg Line . The Canadians were withdrawn from the line , and moved to the Somme , where they next attacked the Hindenburg Line at the powerful Drocourt - Quéant Line on 2 September . The Corps smashed a hole in the " invulnerable " line , forcing the Germans to fall back behind the flooded Canal du Nord . Currie took three weeks to prepare for the next attack . In what was perhaps Currie ' s most audacious plan , he proposed to have the entire Corps cross a dry part of the canal using bridges that would have to be built by engineers while under fire . Currie ' s superiors refused to approve the plan , but finally Douglas Haig gave his assent . On 27 September , covered by the most massive artillery bombardment of the war , the entire Corps moved across the canal as planned , and then through the German lines in a series of planned zig - zag maneuvers designed to confuse the Germans as to the Canadians ' objectives . The Canadians broke through three German lines and as a bonus , also took Bourlon Woods . Forced out of the Hindenburg Line , the German army now staged a controlled retreat . Currie was next given the task of taking Cambrai , which the Canadian Corps achieved on 11 October . Further action at Valenciennes and Mont Houy denied the Germans any chance to dig in and reinforce their defences in the face of the determined Canadians . On 10 November , in what was to be his most controversial decision , Currie , under orders to continue to advance , ordered elements of the Corps to liberate Mons , although there were rumours that an armistice would be signed the next day . On the morning of 11 November , as Currie received orders that confirmed there would be a general armistice at 11 : 00 : 00 a . m . , the capture of Mons was completed . At 10 : 58 a . m . , George Lawrence Price was killed by sniper fire , the last Canadian , and possibly the last Allied soldier , to die in the Great War . Two minutes later , the war ended . The liberation of Mons on 10 – 11 November cost the Corps 280 casualties , although Price was the only Canadian to be killed on the last day of the war . In later years , Currie defended his decision to attack Mons by pointing out that not only was he under orders to continue to advance , but that during the last two weeks of the war , rumours of an imminent armistice had proven to be false several times . In addition , even when the exact hour of the cease - fire was announced early on the morning of 11 November , the terms of the proposed armistice were unknown ; many Allied commanders continued to press forward and German commanders continued to defend tenaciously because they believed that post - war boundaries would be drawn where the armies stood when the armistice was declared . Commander - in - Chief ? After the war , British Prime Minister David Lloyd George claimed that he wanted to promote Currie to commander - in - chief of all British and Empire forces on the Western Front in place of Sir Douglas Haig . On other occasions , similar claims have been made about Currie ' s Australian counterpart , General John Monash . However , this claim is not taken seriously by historians . For example , Robin Neillands praises Currie and Monash highly ( subject to the caveat that they commanded nationally - homogenous forces , rather than having units constantly shuffled in and out throughout the war like other corps ) , but points out that each man had only commanded a handful of divisions , and his ability commanding a force of around 60 divisions " remains untested " . Neillands dismisses the claim as " a myth . . . without foundation except in Lloyd George ' s memoirs " . Occupation of Germany . The 1st and 2nd Divisions of the Corps were made part of the Army of Occupation , and in December 1918 , Currie took the salute as the Canadians crossed over the Rhine into Germany . Honours . Currie was Mentioned in Despatches nine times . In addition to being named a Companion of the Order of the Bath after the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 , and his appointment as KCMG in 1917 , Currie was also promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath ( KCB ) in the 1918 New Year Honours , Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George ( GCMG ) in the 1919 New Year Honours , and also received the French Légion d ' honneur and Croix de Guerre ( with Palm ) , the Belgian Croix de guerre and the Order of the Crown , and the U . S . Distinguished Service Medal . Upon returning to Canada , Currie was promoted to general , the first Canadian to hold that rank , and was made Inspector - General of the Canadian Army . Although he only held a high school diploma , Currie was offered the position of Principal and Vice Chancellor of McGill University in Montreal , the most prestigious university in Canada . He held this post with distinction from 1920 until his death in 1933 . Honorary degrees were conferred on Currie by many British and American universities , and he became a trustee of the Carnegie Foundation . Post - war . Libel suit . During the war , Currie had continued to deny Garnet Hughes a combat post , believing Hughes would be a danger to the men in his command when under fire . Although Hughes attained the rank of brigadier - general by 1918 , he ended the war in an obscure administrative posting in London . Garnet ' s father , Sir Sam Hughes , was removed from the cabinet in 1916 , but he continued to use his seat in the House of Commons to attack Currie ' s reputation . After Sam Hughes died in 1921 , Garnet Hughes did the same through newspapers owned by his family . In June 1927 , the city of Mons erected a plaque commemorating their liberation by the Canadian Corps ; as this event was reported in Canadian newspapers , Currie ' s enemies took the opportunity to again question the final day of fighting . The Hughes - controlled " Port Hope Evening Guide " , in a front - page editorial , wrote " It is doubtful whether in any case there was a more deliberate and useless waste of human life than in the so - called capture of Mons . . . " Currie sued the newspaper for libel , seeking $ 50 , 000 in damages . At the trial , Currie testified that he had been under orders from Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch to pursue German forces ; to do otherwise would have been treason . Many of Currie ' s senior officers testified that Currie urged them to advance with caution , avoiding unnecessary casualties . At the end of the trial , the jury returned a verdict after four hours , finding the newspaper guilty , and awarding Currie $ 500 in damages . One member of the jury , a former serviceman , dissented . After the trial , Currie was invited to a dinner in Port Hope by some of the men who had served under him . With tears in his eyes , Currie read a telegram he had received the day before from the father of George Price : " As father of George Lawrence Price , the only Canadian killed on Armistice Day , I wish to convey to you , Sir , my humble hope that you will succeed in bringing to justice those responsible for bringing this case before the public , because all of this simply renews old wounds that are best forgotten . " Death . The strain of decades of personal attacks took their toll , and General Currie died a few days after the 15th anniversary of the Armistice , at the relatively young age of 58 . He was survived by his wife , a son and a daughter . " The Times " wrote of his funeral : " It was , by common consent , the most impressive funeral ever seen at Montreal " . Those attending included Lord Bessborough , at the time the Governor - General of Canada ; important politicians from both Ottawa and Quebec ; foreign diplomats ; and representatives of McGill University . The service was conducted by the Bishop of Montreal , and other clergy including the former chaplain of the Canadian Corps . Eight general officers acted as pallbearers , and many other soldiers , both serving and veterans , were in attendance . The funeral procession received a 17 - gun salute . Currie had lived in the Golden Square Mile and was interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal , Quebec . Legacy . Canadian historians , including Pierre Berton and Jack Granatstein , have described Currie as Canada ' s greatest military commander . Although physically a large man , standing over six feet tall , Currie did not cut a heroic military figure . Nor was he a charismatic speaker . Described as aloof by his troops , who called him " Guts and Gaiters , " he nevertheless inspired them . He was a brilliant tactician who used his skills to reduce casualties and is credited with accelerating the end of the war . According to historian Jack Hyatt , " His slogan was , ' Pay the price of victory in shells — not lives , ' and if he did anything heroic it was that . " Arthur Currie donated a statue and war memorial to the city of Saint - Lambert , Quebec . Quotations . Currie wrote that the " spirit " of the Royal Military College of Canada ' s graduates , " no less than their military attainments , exercised a potent influence in fashioning a force which , in fighting efficiency , has never been excelled . " Currie was a staunch believer in rigorous training , as is evident in the following quote , " Thorough preparation must lead to success . Neglect nothing . " Special orders . Currie utilised special orders to try to get positive publicity for the Canadian Corps , while it was being successful in the Hundred Days ' Offensive . This was because the London press had ignored the Canadian contribution in their articles , but they had produced their casualty lists , and the Canadian papers simply republished the London articles , which caused thoughts that the casualties were unnecessarily heavy . In addition , Currie had also issued a special order to console himself when the Canadian Corps was being split up to help defend against the German Spring Offensive . In addition , the special order quoted below also inspired Douglas Haig to write his own order to try to inspire the troops . " To those who fall I say ; you will not die but step into immortality . Your mothers will not lament your fate , but will be proud to have bourne such sons . Your names will be revered for ever and ever by your grateful country , and God will take you unto himself . Canadians , in this fateful hour , I command you and I trust you to fight as you have ever fought with all your strength , with all your determination , with all your tranquil courage . On many a hard fought field of battle you have overcome this enemy . With God ' s help you shall achieve victory once more . "