Hardy N. Ganong
Encyclopedia
Major-General Hardy Nelson Ganong CBE
, EDV
(Apr 18, 1890 - February 24, 1963) was a Canadian
sportsman and a military commander who served in both World War I
and II
.
The son of Edward Morrison Ganong and Margaret A. Lunn, Hardy Ganong was born and educated in St. Stephen, New Brunswick
. He was a cousin to the family that founded Ganong Bros.
chocolate
makers and after completing his schooling went to work in the business.
, then following the outbreak of World War I
enlisted in the Canadian Army. He was sent overseas as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
where he served on the battlefields of France
as a member of the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
. He was wounded in the autumn of 1916 during the battles for Vimy Ridge but recovered and returned to duty. Demobilized in 1919, Captain Ganong returned home where, in 1920, he married schoolteacher Mildred Viola Thomas (1894–1963) of Calais, Maine
with whom he had three children.
broke out he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
. Made commander of the Carleton and York Regiment, he led the regiment as the first Canadian military unit to ship to England
for battle duty. In March 1941, Ganong took command of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade
and in late 1942 was promoted to Major General
. Sent back to Canada, he was appointed General Officer to organize and command the 8th Canadian Infantry Division
of the Home Service Divisions. Stationed for a time at Prince George, British Columbia
, in October 1943 he was placed in command of the 6th Canadian Infantry Division
headquartered on Vancouver Island
where he was in charge of preparations for participation in the invasion of Japan
.
Hardy Ganong was awarded the Efficiency Decoration
for his years of voluntary military service and in 1944 was made a commander of the Order of the British Empire
. In December 1944, with Canadian participation in the invasion of Japan cancelled and a Pacific coastal defense no longer deemed necessary, he was assigned to command the Allied troops
in Newfoundland
where he remained until his retirement in 1945.
Out of the army, Hardy Ganong served as honorary aide-de-camp
to Governor Generals
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
, the Rt. Hon. Vincent Massey
and Major General Georges P. Vanier
. From 1955 to 1962 he was the full-time civil defense
co-coordinator with responsibility for the organizing and training of all civil defense forces for the Province of New Brunswick.
and was killed in action on March 18, 1944. He left behind a wife, Mary Mackenzie, and an infant son, Hardy MacKenzie Ganong, born September 29, 1943. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=2204396
and served as the provincial movement's president. Among his other activities, he was vice-president of the N.B. Division, Canadian Red Cross
, president, N.B. Boy Scouts Association
, director, Charlotte County
Board of Trade
, Board member
, Connors Bros. Ltd., and president of the New Brunswick Fish and Game Protective Association.
An avid curler
, Hardy Ganong was president of the St. Stephen Curling Club for thirty-five years and president of the New Brunswick branch of the Royal Canadian Caledonia Curling Club
. He was also voted President of the New Brunswick Curling Association for 1935-1936 term, and made its Honourary President from 1941 to 1945. As a player, Ganong was 2nd stone on the St. Stephen team that won the 1930 Ganong Cup, a trophy donated by cousin Arthur Ganong
given annually to the winner of the provincial curling championship. His team's win earned them the right to compete for the national title in the Brier Cup
.
As much as he was enthusiastic about the sport of curling, Ganong was equally as passionate about harness racing
. St. Stephen had a racetrack and he wrote a column on the sport for the local Saint Croix Courier
weekly newspaper
. He was also a racing judge at meets throughout New Brunswick and Maine
and for two seasons was a judge at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, New Brunswick
.
or for two years, Hardy Ganong was the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
candidate in the 1949 Canadian federal election
for the riding of New Brunswick Southwest
. Of the 12,336 ballots cast, he lost by 58 votes to the Liberal
incumbent, A. Wesley Stuart
. He ran unsuccessfully against Stuart a second time in 1953.
on Route 1
in Charlotte County, New Brunswick
while returning home from the city of Saint John. They are buried at the St. Stephen Rural Cemetery
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, EDV
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
(Apr 18, 1890 - February 24, 1963) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sportsman and a military commander who served in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The son of Edward Morrison Ganong and Margaret A. Lunn, Hardy Ganong was born and educated in St. Stephen, New Brunswick
St. Stephen, New Brunswick
St. Stephen is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, situated on the east bank of the St. Croix River at .-Climate:...
. He was a cousin to the family that founded Ganong Bros.
Ganong Bros.
Ganong Bros., Limited is Canada's oldest candy company; it was founded by James and Gilbert Ganong in 1873 in St. Stephen, New Brunswick where it is based to this day. The primary product is boxed chocolates...
chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
makers and after completing his schooling went to work in the business.
World War I
In 1909, Hardy Ganong joined the Canadian MilitiaCanadian Militia
The Canadian Militia was the traditional title for the land forces of Canada from before Confederation in 1867 to 1940 when it was renamed the Canadian Army.The Militia consisted of:* Permanent Active Militia* Non-Permanent Active Militia...
, then following the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
enlisted in the Canadian Army. He was sent overseas as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
where he served on the battlefields of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a member of the 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles
The 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles were a mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. The unit was raised from volunteers of the 7th and XIth Hussars from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Formed in 1915, they were transported to England later that year...
. He was wounded in the autumn of 1916 during the battles for Vimy Ridge but recovered and returned to duty. Demobilized in 1919, Captain Ganong returned home where, in 1920, he married schoolteacher Mildred Viola Thomas (1894–1963) of Calais, Maine
Calais, Maine
Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada...
with whom he had three children.
World War II
During peacetime, Ganong remained as a member of the militia and by the time World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. Made commander of the Carleton and York Regiment, he led the regiment as the first Canadian military unit to ship to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for battle duty. In March 1941, Ganong took command of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade
3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade
First formed on 29 August 1914, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade was a formation of the Canadian Army in both World War 1 and World War II. The brigade fought on the Western Front during the First World War, and in Sicily and Italy during the Second World War.-History:The brigade was initially...
and in late 1942 was promoted to Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
. Sent back to Canada, he was appointed General Officer to organize and command the 8th Canadian Infantry Division
8th Canadian Infantry Division
The 8th Canadian Infantry Division was a Canadian formation that served within Pacific Command in Western Canada during World War II. The Division unit's were raised on 18 March 1942 and the HQ was raised on 12 May 1942 at Prince George, BC. The Division was a home defence unit. It initially...
of the Home Service Divisions. Stationed for a time at Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
, in October 1943 he was placed in command of the 6th Canadian Infantry Division
6th Canadian Infantry Division
The 6th Canadian Infantry Division was a Canadian infantry division formed in 1942 during the Second World War. It was attached to Pacific Command. The division had a brigade sent to the Aleutian Islands Campaign, particularly at Kiska, but never saw action...
headquartered on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
where he was in charge of preparations for participation in the invasion of Japan
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
.
Hardy Ganong was awarded the Efficiency Decoration
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
for his years of voluntary military service and in 1944 was made a commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. In December 1944, with Canadian participation in the invasion of Japan cancelled and a Pacific coastal defense no longer deemed necessary, he was assigned to command the Allied troops
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
in Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
where he remained until his retirement in 1945.
Out of the army, Hardy Ganong served as honorary aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Governor Generals
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
, the Rt. Hon. Vincent Massey
Vincent Massey
Charles Vincent Massey was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Canadian Confederation....
and Major General Georges P. Vanier
Georges Vanier
Major-General Georges-Philéas Vanier was a Canadian soldier and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 19th since Canadian Confederation....
. From 1955 to 1962 he was the full-time civil defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
co-coordinator with responsibility for the organizing and training of all civil defense forces for the Province of New Brunswick.
Son killed in action
General Ganong's eldest son joined the Canadian Army and served overseas in his father's old Carleton and York Regiment. Twenty-three-year-old Lieutenant Russell Edward Ganong fought in the Italian CampaignItalian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
and was killed in action on March 18, 1944. He left behind a wife, Mary Mackenzie, and an infant son, Hardy MacKenzie Ganong, born September 29, 1943. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=2204396
Sporting and other interests
Hardy Ganong was an active member of the executive committee of the New Brunswick Boy Scouts AssociationScouting in New Brunswick
Scouting in New Brunswick has a long history, from the 1900s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-Anglophone Scouting in New Brunswick:...
and served as the provincial movement's president. Among his other activities, he was vice-president of the N.B. Division, Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
, president, N.B. Boy Scouts Association
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association that, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
, director, Charlotte County
Charlotte County, New Brunswick
Charlotte County is located in the southwestern portion of New Brunswick, Canada.In most of the county, fishing and aquaculture dominate the local economy, although the town of St. Andrews is a tourist mecca and St...
Board of Trade
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, Board member
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, Connors Bros. Ltd., and president of the New Brunswick Fish and Game Protective Association.
An avid curler
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, Hardy Ganong was president of the St. Stephen Curling Club for thirty-five years and president of the New Brunswick branch of the Royal Canadian Caledonia Curling Club
Royal Caledonian Curling Club
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club is the mother club of the sport of curling, and the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 July 1838 in Edinburgh, and granted its royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1843, after she had witnessed a demonstration of the sport played on...
. He was also voted President of the New Brunswick Curling Association for 1935-1936 term, and made its Honourary President from 1941 to 1945. As a player, Ganong was 2nd stone on the St. Stephen team that won the 1930 Ganong Cup, a trophy donated by cousin Arthur Ganong
Arthur Ganong
Arthur Deinstadt Ganong was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick into a chocolate making family and would serve as president of Ganong Bros. Limited from 1917 to 1957....
given annually to the winner of the provincial curling championship. His team's win earned them the right to compete for the national title in the Brier Cup
Tim Hortons Brier
The Tim Hortons Brier, or simply the Brier, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by the Canadian Curling Association . The current event name refers to its main sponsor, the Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut shop chain.The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during...
.
As much as he was enthusiastic about the sport of curling, Ganong was equally as passionate about harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
. St. Stephen had a racetrack and he wrote a column on the sport for the local Saint Croix Courier
Saint Croix Courier
The Saint Croix Courier is a weekly newspaper published by the St. Croix Printing & Publishing Company, Limited in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. It was founded by David Main in October 1865....
weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. He was also a racing judge at meets throughout New Brunswick and Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and for two seasons was a judge at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
.
Politics
A St. Stephen town councilTown council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
or for two years, Hardy Ganong was the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
candidate in the 1949 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
for the riding of New Brunswick Southwest
New Brunswick Southwest
Charlotte redirects here, for the provincial electoral district, see Charlotte New Brunswick Southwest is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004...
. Of the 12,336 ballots cast, he lost by 58 votes to the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent, A. Wesley Stuart
A. Wesley Stuart
Andrew Wesley Stuart was a Canadian commercial fisherman and politician from the Province of New Brunswick.Known by Wesley, he was born at Deer Island, New Brunswick, the son of Andrew Holmes Stuart and Laura Gertrude Thompson...
. He ran unsuccessfully against Stuart a second time in 1953.
Accidental death
Hardy and Mildred Ganong died in February 1963 as a result of an auto accident during a winter snow stormWinter storm
A winter storm is an event in which the dominant varieties of precipitation are formed that only occur at low temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are low enough to allow ice to form...
on Route 1
New Brunswick Route 1
Route 1 is an important highway in the southern part of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It begins in the west from the Canada-United States border at St. Stephen, and runs east for to Route 2 at River Glade....
in Charlotte County, New Brunswick
Charlotte County, New Brunswick
Charlotte County is located in the southwestern portion of New Brunswick, Canada.In most of the county, fishing and aquaculture dominate the local economy, although the town of St. Andrews is a tourist mecca and St...
while returning home from the city of Saint John. They are buried at the St. Stephen Rural Cemetery
St. Stephen Rural Cemetery
St. Stephen Rural Cemetery is a municipal cemetery established in April 1856 at the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. The cemetery encompasses of land with approximately 12,000 burials. There are over 20 kilometres of avenues and paths.-History:...
.