Sir Arthur Currie Interpretive Panel

Sir Arthur Currie  Victoria, WWI and McGill

Born and raised in Middlesex County,
Ontario, Arthur Currie (1875-1933)
moved to Vancouver Island in his
early twenties.

He was a school teacher, first at a tiny Sidney School, then
at the Victoria Boys Central School. A photograph from
1899 shows the young teacher with a group of boys
(above), many destined to become a soldiers in the First
World War.

Currie himself was a part-time soldier who quickly rose to
command a local militia unit. After his teaching days he
became a realtor, earning a living as an agent for buyers
and sellers of real estate.

When war erupted in 1914, he was given command of an
infantry brigade, then became the Commander of the
First Canadian Division. By April 1917 he was a key player
in the planning and execution of the great Canadian

victory at Vimy Ridge. Following that success Currie
was given command of the entire Canada Corps and he
led Canadian forces in France and Belgium for the final
eighteen months of the war, including the momentous
Last Hundred Days.

As a senior general Currie emphasized fastidious
planning and preparation. He was highly regarded not
just for his effectiveness in battle but also for his care
and concern in minimizing casualties. The British prime
minister, David Lloyd George, was among those having
a high regard for Currie. In his post-war memoirs Lloyd
George wrote that had the war extended into 1919 he
would have given Currie command of the entire British
Expeditionary Force. Currie was knighted by King
George V in 1918.

In 1920, Currie became the principal and vice-chancellor
of McGill University, and served in this post until his death
in 1933.

Arthur Currie returned to Victoria in 1931; he planted a
copper beech in Mayor's Grove, Beacon Hill Park. The
tree flourishes to this day.