General Panet High School was named in honour of Major-General Henri Alexandre Panet, who was born in Quebec City on July 24, 1869. He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1891 and was promoted to Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1894. In October 1899, Captain Panet embarked with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment for service in South Africa where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
On return to Canada, he was promoted to Major in May 1901, and appointed Staff Adjutant at the Royal Military College. Following two senior staff appointments, he was appointed to command “B” Battery. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in May 1911 and appointed to command the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Brigade and Commandant of the Royal School of Artillery.
On October 1, 1914, he departed for England and deployed to Flanders with his Brigade in July 1915, seeing action on the Somme. In June 1916, he was promoted Colonel and Mentioned-in-Dispatches, a distinction he was to receive seven times. In December 1916, he was promoted Brigadier-General and appointed Commander, Royal Artillery 2nd Canadian Division, an appointment he held until April 1919. He was promoted again in May 1921 and served as Commander Number 1 District from 1919 until 1922 and Commander Number 2 District from 1922 to 1923. He was appointed Adjutant General in July 1922 and retired in December 1930. He died in Kingston on August 14, 1951 and was buried with full military honours.
In 2015 the school was demolished. The statue of General Panet, which stood in the front lobby of the school was restored by the Garrison Petawawa Museum. It is on glass display in the Canex Retail Complex which was built on the former site of the General Panet High School.
