Ernest Charles Ashton
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General
Ernest Charles Ashton CB
CMG
VD
(1873–1957) was a Canadian
soldier and Chief of the General Staff
, the head of the Canadian Army
from 1935 until 21 November 1938. He retired from the Canadian Army in 1941.
and was appointed Commanding Officer
of the Canadian Training Brigade in 1915 and moved on to be Commanding Officer
of 15th Canadian Brigade in 1917.
After the War he became Quartermaster-General. He became District Officer Commanding 2nd Military District in 1930 and District Officer Commanding 11th Military District in 1933. In 1935 he was selected to be Chief of the General Staff
and in 1939 he became Inspector-General of Military Forces in Canada
. He retired in 1941.
Civilian
1898 Physician – graduate of Trinity Medical College
1893 Provisional 2nd Lieutenant Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1894 2nd Lieutenant Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1895 Captain Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1896 Captain Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1902 Major Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1907 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer Dufferin Rifles
1913 Lieutenant-Colonel Organized a Howitzer Battery RCA
1914 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 36 Battalion CEF
1915 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 9th Reserve Cdn Infantry Brigade
1917 Brigadier GOC 15th Canadian Infantry Brigade CEF
1918 Major-General Adjutant General Canadian Army
1920 Major-General Quartermaster General
1930 Major-General Commander Military District 2
1933 Major-General Commander Military District 11
1935 Major-General Chief of the General Staff
1938 Major-General Relinquished CGS position
1939 Major-General Inspector-General & to organize RCAMC
02/1941 Major-General Retired in Victoria, B.C.
46 Consecutive Years as a Commissioned Officer
Honours
CB Canada Gazette of 29 June 1935 Major-General
CMG Canada Gazette of 26 January 1918 Temporary Brigadier-General
Correction needed in the side bar as he served in the Canadian Militia / Army from 1893 to 1941 (46 Years as a Commissioned Officer)
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Ernest Charles Ashton CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
VD
Volunteer Decoration
The Volunteer Officers' Decoration was created by Royal Warrant under command of Queen Victoria on 25 July 1892 to reward 'efficient and capable' officers of the Volunteer Force who had served for twenty years...
(1873–1957) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldier and Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (Canada)
The Chief of the General Staff was the most senior member of the Canadian Army from 1904 until 1964 when the appointment became Commander, Mobile Command with the unification of Canada's military forces. The position was renamed Chief of the Land Staff in 1993....
, the head of the Canadian Army
Canadian Forces Land Force Command
The Canadian Army , previously called Land Force Command, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces. The current size of the Army is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers...
from 1935 until 21 November 1938. He retired from the Canadian Army in 1941.
Military career
Ashton served in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and was appointed Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the Canadian Training Brigade in 1915 and moved on to be Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 15th Canadian Brigade in 1917.
After the War he became Quartermaster-General. He became District Officer Commanding 2nd Military District in 1930 and District Officer Commanding 11th Military District in 1933. In 1935 he was selected to be Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff (Canada)
The Chief of the General Staff was the most senior member of the Canadian Army from 1904 until 1964 when the appointment became Commander, Mobile Command with the unification of Canada's military forces. The position was renamed Chief of the Land Staff in 1993....
and in 1939 he became Inspector-General of Military Forces in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He retired in 1941.
Civilian
1898 Physician – graduate of Trinity Medical College
1893 Provisional 2nd Lieutenant Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1894 2nd Lieutenant Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1895 Captain Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1896 Captain Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1902 Major Dufferin Rifles of Canada
1907 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding Officer Dufferin Rifles
1913 Lieutenant-Colonel Organized a Howitzer Battery RCA
1914 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 36 Battalion CEF
1915 Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 9th Reserve Cdn Infantry Brigade
1917 Brigadier GOC 15th Canadian Infantry Brigade CEF
1918 Major-General Adjutant General Canadian Army
1920 Major-General Quartermaster General
1930 Major-General Commander Military District 2
1933 Major-General Commander Military District 11
1935 Major-General Chief of the General Staff
1938 Major-General Relinquished CGS position
1939 Major-General Inspector-General & to organize RCAMC
02/1941 Major-General Retired in Victoria, B.C.
46 Consecutive Years as a Commissioned Officer
Honours
CB Canada Gazette of 29 June 1935 Major-General
CMG Canada Gazette of 26 January 1918 Temporary Brigadier-General
Correction needed in the side bar as he served in the Canadian Militia / Army from 1893 to 1941 (46 Years as a Commissioned Officer)