Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
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Julian Hedworth George Byng |
Field Marshal
Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy,
GCB,
GCMG,
MVO (
11 September 1862–
6 June 1935) was a career
British Army officer who served with distinction during
World War I with the
British Expeditionary Force in
France, in the
Battle of Gallipoli of the
Dardanelles campaign, as commander of the
Canadian Corps, and as commander of the
British Third Army.
Lord Byng later became the twelfth
Governor General of Canada. His actions in the
King-Byng Affair earned widespread condemnation. The Canadian Government's eventual response to his actions led to a marked restriction and redefinition of the role of Governor General in constitutional matters for Canada and for the other
dominions of the
British Empire.
Julian Byng was born at Wrotham Park,
Barnet. He studied at
Eton College, and then began a military career in which he saw service in
India and the
Sudan, and in
South Africa during the
Second Boer War. During this campaign, he asked
Marie Evelyn Moreton, the only daughter of Sir Richard Charles Moreton, comptroller at
Rideau Hall during the term of office of the
Marquess of Lorne, to marry him. He was so anxious to receive an answer that he asked her to send her reply by cable. Byng framed her answer, "Yes, please return immediately", and kept it on his desk for the rest of his life. They were married on
30 April 1902, but had no children.
When the
First World War began, Byng campaigned in
France with the
British Expeditionary Force as commander of the Cavalry Corps, which included the
Canadian Cavalry Brigade. Later he commanded the
British 9th Army Corps in the ill-fated
Dardanelles Campaign and supervised the British withdrawal from the straits.
In
1916 Byng took command of the Canadian Army Corps on the
Western Front. With his subordinate General
Arthur Currie, he gained his greatest glory with the Canadian victory at the
Battle of Vimy Ridge in April
1917, an historic military victory for Canada that inspired nationalism at home. Following this victory, Byng took command of the
British Third Army, where he conducted the first surprise attack using
tanks at
Cambrai, considered a turning point in the war. For these services he was promoted to the rank of
general, and after the war was raised to the
peerage as 1st Baron Byng of Vimy and Thorpe-le-Soken, in
Essex, on
7 October 1919.
Lord Byng was appointed
Governor General of Canada on
2 August 1921. He was very popular in Canada, and during his travels across the country throughout his term of office he was enthusiastically greeted by the men he had led in wartime. His appointment was far less controversial than that of his predecessor, the
Duke of Devonshire. This was partly due to his popularity, but also because he was appointed following direct consultation with the Canadian government.
Lord Byng took to the office enthusiastically, further entrenching many of the traditions established by his predecessors. He also broke with tradition and was the first Governor General to appoint Canadian aides-de-camp. One of them was
Georges Vanier, who later served as Governor General from
1959 to
1967.
He was always passionate about sport, and both he and his wife particularly loved
ice hockey; Lord Byng rarely missed a game played by the
Ottawa Senators. In
1925, Lady Byng presented the
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy to the
National Hockey League, which, to this day, recognizes sportsmanship and excellence in play.
Lord and Lady Byng also travelled more than any of their predecessors, making extended trips to western Canada and the North, taking the opportunity to meet with many Canadians. Lord Byng established the
Governor General's Cup at the
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in
Toronto, and Lady Byng created a rock garden at
Rideau Hall, which still delights visitors today.
The King-Byng Affair
The most notable issue during Lord Byng's term of office was the "King-Byng Affair," a political crisis that arose between the Governor General and Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King. It was watched closely by both the Canadian and British governments, and led directly to the redefinition of the role of Governor General, the
Balfour Declaration 1926, and the
Statute of Westminster 1931.
Following his term as Governor General, Lord and Lady Byng returned to England, where he was created 1st
Viscount Byng of Vimy at the end of
1926. He served as
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and was promoted to the rank of
Field Marshal, finally retiring with his wife to Essex, England. Lord Byng died at Thorpe Hall,
Thorpe-le-Soken in 1935 and Lady Byng returned to Canada during
World War II to live with friends. She died in
1949.
*
Governors General of Canada*
First World War
