“Sir Arthur William Currie”;
Sir Arthur William Currie was one of the greatest military leaders in the First World War. He did a lot for Canada and its citizens, won several battles during the war, invented new tactics which helped the Canadian troops improve their fighting efficiency. However, his reputation wasn’t ideal, there were a lot of rumors about him during and after the war, and he also was on the edge of bankruptcy several times. So, was Arthur Currie a hero who brought Canada certain victories or a man who had sacrificed Canadian lives in fruitless battles on the eve of the truce? Arthur Currie is a man who without any military experience, except his service in the non-permanent militia, quickly raised through the ranks, won a reputation as a disciplinarian, an excellent marksman and an avid student of military affairs.
Arthur Currie started his military career on the 6th of May in 1897, when he joined the 5th Regiment as a gunner, and by 1900 he had achieved the rank of corporal. Later in 1913 Garnet Hughes, who was Arthur Currie’s friend, suggested his father, Samuel Hughes, to offer Arthur Currie a spot in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. And in September 1914, Arthur Currie became the commander of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. However, before Currie took this position, he was facing his personal bankruptcy, so he took more than $ 10,000 from the funds of the 50th Regiment, in order to pay off debts acquired as a result of land speculation. Arthur Currie crossed the Atlantic with the 1st Canadian contingent in October 1914 and arrived in England in the middle of the month. In the battle of Ypres projection, the Germans firstly used chlorine gas and unfortunately, Currie’s brigade has lost about half of its power during this fight.
After the addition of a 2nd Canadian division, Alderson was appointed to command the newly created Canadian Corps and became the commander of the 1st Canadian Division in September 1915. In June 1916, Currie’s division took part in the well-planned and successful counterattack against the German troops at Mount Sorrel. In September, the Canadian Corps had arrived at the Battle of the Somme. Unfortunately, like the rest of the Corps, the 1st Canadian Division suffered heavy losses for little gain. However, the Canadians have proved their bravery at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, they won that rough battle with Byng and Currie’s commanding.
After the battle of Vimy Ridge, Byng recommended Currie as his replacement. Currie was knighted and became a commander of the Canadian Corps on the 9th of June in 1917. Shortly after his appointment, he was challenged by Sir Sam Hughes, who wanted his son to become a commander of the 1st Canadian Division. But Arthur Currie, instead of nominating Sam Hughes’s son, appointed Archibald Cameron MacDonnell and because of this he automatically became an enemy of the Hughes family. In August 1917, Currie at the head of the 1st Canadian Division won a battle at Hill 70. Arthur William Currie was carefully planning the attack, which took place from October 26th to November 10th. Canadians succeeded at Hill 70 and Passchendaele proved the value of the Canadian Corps and Currie. However, with colossal loss of almost 30 000 killed and wounded during the campaign, those victories had come really at a heavy cost. Currie is best known for his planning and leadership during the campaign Hundred Days from the 8th of August to the 11th of November in 1918, the most successful of all the Allied offensive operations that led to the defeat of Germany and the end of the war. Led by Currie, Canadian soldiers have achieved several important victories, in the battles of Cambrai, Valenciennes, Amiens and Mons. Unfortunately, the Canadian Corps also lost 45,800 casualties during this period, contributing to speculation among the troops that Currie was the callous and heartless leader that Canadian soldiers sacrificed for the sake of his own reputation.
During and after the war it was a lot of rumors about Currie. Firstly, they began to circulate about the embezzlement of Arthur Currie. In 1917, the matter came to the attention of Prime Minister Borden, who refused to consider the court-martialling best soldier of Canada. Arthur Currie borrowed money to return the funds, but rumors around him had damaged his reputation among politicians at home. Currie’s post-war period reputation was hardly damaged by rumors. On the 4th of March 1919, Arthur Currie was publicly criticized by Sir Sam Hughes in the house of Commons for without having to sacrifice the lives of Canadians troops. In 1927 a small-town newspaper “Evening Guide”, described him as a butcher who ordered an attack on Mons. Currie filed against the newspaper for libel and as the result, he has fully justified his actions during the war in 1928. However, in the cause of these disputes Sir Arthur William Currie suffered a stroke shortly after the trial. After several years of illness, he had a second stroke in early November in 1933 and died later that month at the age of 58.
To conclude, Arthur Currie is widely considered one of the most talented generals of the First World War. His strengths were based on planning and preparation, and also his recognition of artillery’s importance to trench warfare. He was well-respected on the battlefront as a military leader. Prime Minister David Lloyd George called Arthur Currie a “brilliant military commander” who was able to look at the art of battle with fresh eyes. However, Sir Arthur William Currie was sharply criticized for his decision in the final days of war. And his reputation was also heavily damaged after the war. But he won the trial and proved that he is innocent to Canada and its citizens. So despite all his problems in his private life and despite all rumors Sir Arthur Currie did a lot for Canada in the First World War and brought several significant victories for his own country.