George Kitching

Major-General George Kitching CBE DSO CD
Kitching in 1956
Born	9 September 1910 Guangzhou, China
Died	15 June 1999 (aged 88) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Allegiance	United Kingdom Canada
Service / branch	British Army Canadian Army
Years of service	1929−1938 1939−1965
Rank	Major-General
Unit	Gloucestershire Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment
Commands	The Edmonton Regiment 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Military Cross

Major-General George Kitching (9 September 1910 − 15 June 1999) CBE, DSO, CD was a senior Canadian Army officer who saw active service in World War II.

Early life and military career

George Kitching was born on 9 September 1910 in Guangzhou (Canton), China. He died on 15 June 1999 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was the guest of Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld a couple of days before when he fell ill. He never recovered.

Kitching received his military training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, joining the Gloucestershire Regiment. The British Army gave him several postings in Asia, including Singapore, Malaya and India. In 1938 he resigned his commission in order to join the Canadian Army.

In 1939 he joined The Royal Canadian Regiment in the Canadian Army. He was appointed to several positions before attending Staff College, Camberley to become a senior officer. Again he held several positions, mainly at the staff of Headquarters 1st Canadian Division and Headquarters I Canadian Corps, before he got his first command in August 1942. Within a few months he was back at the Headquarters of the 1st Canadian Division for the preparations of the invasions of Sicily and Italy. In November 1943 he was promoted to brigadier to command the 11th Canadian Infantry Brigade, followed by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division.

Normandy and after

Kitching brought the division to Normandy where they were involved in the battle around the Falaise Pocket, in the final stages of the Battle of Normandy. According to the historian Angelo Caravaggio, Kitching was then victimized for the poor performance of the division in Normandy. Caravaggio claims that essential contemporary sources were altered after the sacking of Kitching and are therefore unreliable. To him it seemed that Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, commanding II Canadian Corps, stripped his sub-commanders of authority, did not take the lack of experience into account and expected unrealistic results. Kitching could hardly command his own division due to the constant interference from Simonds. Caravaggio comes to the conclusion that Kitching and his inexperienced division performed very well under the difficult circumstances and confusing orders they had to work in. But the historian Antony Beevor describes Kitching as lethargic and incompetent and mentions a "lack of drive" demonstrated by the 4th Armoured.

The result of the battle was that Kitching was demoted to brigadier and sent off to command a training unit. Charles Foulkes, commander of I Canadian Corps, had more confidence in his abilities and brought him in as Brigadier, General Staff. He was involved in all operations of the I Canadian Corps until the surrender of the German Forces in the Netherlands.

After the war he stayed in the military until 1965. He held in that time positions including Quartermaster General and Director General of Army Personnel. In 1956 he was promoted to major-general for the second time in his career.

Senior Positions Held

From	To	Unit	Role	Rank
01-08-1942	13-12-1942	The Edmonton Regiment (1st Canadian Infantry Division)	Officer Commanding	Lieutenant-Colonel
14-12-1942	30-10-1943	1st Canadian Infantry Division HQ	General Staff Officer 1	Lieutenant-Colonel
01-11-1943	13-02-1944	11th Canadian Infantry Brigade	Officer Commanding	Brigadier
01-03-1944	21-08-1944	4th Canadian Armoured Division	General Officer Commanding	Major-General
29-08-1944	23-10-1944	13th Canadian Infantry Brigade	Officer Commanding	Brigadier
12-11-1944	01-07-1945	I Canadian Corps	Brigadier General Staff	Brigadier

Post Military

Kitching served as head of the LCBO from 1970 to 1984.

Trivia

• Kitching is a former patron and member of the Board of Trustees of Lester B. Pearson College in Victoria.

Books

• Mud and Green Fields: The Memoirs of Major-General George Kitching (1986)

References

• Beevor, Antony (2009). D-Day: The Battle for Normandy. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-88703-3.

• Caravaggio, Angelo (2002), "A Re-evaluation of Generalship: Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds and Major-General George Kitching in Normandy 1944" (PDF), Canadian Military History, vol. 11, no. 4, Wilfrid Laurier University, archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2012
• N. Caravaggio, Angelo (2016). 21 Days in Normandy: Major General George Kitching and the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1473870710.

External links

• Major-general George Kitching, CBE, DSO, CD
• Major-General George Kitching Archived 6 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
• Video in memory of major-general Kitching on YouTube
• Generals of World War II