Major-General Charles Basil Price ("C.B." or "Basil"; 12 December 1890 − 15 February 1975) was a

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

officer who served in both of the

world war A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

Early life

He joined the

Victoria Rifles of Canada The Victoria Rifles of Canada was an infantry regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of the Canadian Militia and later the Canadian Army. First formed in Montreal, Canada East, in 1862, the regiment saw a service history stretching from the ...

in 1905 and received an officer's commission in 1914. Soon after, he responded to the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

by resigning his commission to join the Royal Montreal Regiment as a company sergeant-major. He became a commissioned officer again through a series of promotions.

The Great War and after

As a major in the Royal Montreal Regiment, he received the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

and the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military ...

. The citation for his DSO, awarded for his actions during Canada's Hundred Days, reads: He married Marjorie Trenholme (3 November 1891 – 1 September 1979) on 23 August 1915. The couple raised six children: Marjorie (1918–1988), Lyall (1920–1942), Helen (1922–2014), Ann (1928–1997), Isabel (1930–1997), and John (1930–1993). He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and took command of the Royal Montreal Regiment until his retirement on 31 December 1929. As a civilian, he became managing director of Elmhurst Dairy. In January 1931 he became an alderman in

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

. In 1939 he was President of the Brome Lake Boating Club at

Knowlton, Quebec The Town of Brome Lake (officially Ville de Lac-Brome) is a town in southern Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 5,609. Tourism is a major industry in the village of Knowlton because of skiing in the winter, lake activ ...

World War II and postwar life

He re-enlisted and was posted to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. As a major-general, he commanded the

3rd Canadian Infantry Division The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as Northwestern Ontario including the ...

from 14 March 1941 until 7 September 1942, when he became the Overseas Commissioner of the Canadian Red Cross Society. In that post, which he held until the war ended, he strove to ensure that all Allied

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

received equal benefits, including one large

Red Cross parcel Red Cross parcel refers to packages containing mostly food, tobacco and personal hygiene items sent by the International Association of the Red Cross to prisoners of war (POWs) during the First and Second World Wars, as well as at other times ...

per month containing the best food available (white-flour biscuits; butter instead of oleomargarine, etc.). In 1944 he joined

John Bracken John Bracken (22 June 1883 – 18 March 1969) was a Canadian agronomist and politician who was the 11th and longest-serving premier of Manitoba (1922–1943) and later the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–194 ...

's team as the Progressive Conservative candidate in

Saint-Antoine—Westmount St. Antoine—Westmount and Saint-Antoine—Westmount were federal electoral district (Canada), electoral districts in Quebec, Canada, that were represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1935 to 1968. "St. Antoine—Westmount" Riding ...

, and lost to the Liberal incumbent Douglas Charles Abbott by just 60 votes in the 1945 federal election. Later he retired and moved to Knowlton. Golden Anniversary in Lac-Brome 1965

Sources

* Stacey, Colonel C. P. (1955). ''Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific''. Ottawa: Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery. * Vance, Jonathan F. (1997). ''Objects of Concern: Canadian Prisoners of War Through the Twentieth Century.'' Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. * The Shawinigan Standard, 23 November 1938, Page 1.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Charles 1890 births 1975 deaths Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Candidates in the 1945 Canadian federal election Canadian Army generals of World War II Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian generals Canadian Companions of the Order of the Bath Victoria Rifles of Canada Military personnel from Aldershot Canadian Militia officers