Major-General Hugh Andrew Young (3 April 1898 – 21 January 1982) was a Canadian military officer and civil servant who served as the

commissioner of the Northwest Territories The commissioner of the Northwest Territories () is the Government of Canada's representative in the Northwest Territories. Similar in certain functions to a lieutenant governor, the commissioner swears in the members of the legislative assembl ...

from 1950 to 1953.

Military career

Young was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, to Andrew Young and Emma Florence Nesbitt, and was of Irish descent. He graduated from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

became joining the military, serving in the Yukon and Arctic. Once while facing starvation in the extreme north, he boiled and ate his

Mukluks Mukluks or kamik ( ) (singular: , plural: ) are soft boots, traditionally made of reindeer (caribou) skin or Pinniped, sealskin, and worn by Circumpolar peoples, Indigenous Arctic peoples, including Inuit, Iñupiat, and Yup'ik. Mukluks may be ...

. During the

First World War 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 ...

, he served with distinction with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

. In the Second World War, Young became a senior staff officer at the Canadian Military Headquarters in London. From 1942 to 1943, he commanded the

6th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 6th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army that fought during World War I and World War II. Raised in 1915, it formed part of the 2nd Canadian Division and fought on the Western Front during World War I bef ...

. From 1943 to 1944, he served on the general staff of

II Canadian Corps II Canadian Corps was a corps-level formation that, along with I (British) Corps (August 1, 1944, to April 1, 1945) and I Canadian Corps (April 6, 1943, to November 1943, and April 1, 1945, until the end of hostilities), comprised the First C ...

, before returning to command of the 6th Brigade for the rest of the war. Following the end of the war, Young oversaw the return of Canadian forces to Canada and succeeded without any stray casualties. He was awarded 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 ...

in October 1944 and, by now a major general, appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(CB) over a year later in June 1946, a year after having been appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE). Young retired from the army in 1947 and joined the Civil Service at the request of Prime Minister

Louis St. Laurent Louis Stephen St. Laurent (; February 1, 1882 – July 25, 1973) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada from 1948 to 1957. Born and raised in southeastern Quebec, St. Laurent was a leading la ...

. He was

Commissioner of the Northwest Territories The commissioner of the Northwest Territories () is the Government of Canada's representative in the Northwest Territories. Similar in certain functions to a lieutenant governor, the commissioner swears in the members of the legislative assembl ...

from November 14, 1950, to November 15, 1953. He was Deputy Minister of Public Works for 10 years until 1963, serving under five different Ministers of Public Works. He died in Ottawa in 1982.''Ottawa, Canada, Beechwood Cemetery Registers, 1873–1990''

References

External links

Generals of World War II
1898 births 1982 deaths University of Manitoba alumni Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian Companions of the Order of the Bath Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commissioners of the Northwest Territories Canadian Army generals of World War II Canadian generals Military personnel from Winnipeg Canadian people of Irish descent {{NorthwestTerritories-politician-stub