| Girouard | Edouard Percy Cranwil | | Captain | The son of a French Canadian, who is a Judge of the supreme Court of Canada, the highest appellate Court for the whole Dominion. He was born in 1867, and educated at the Canadian Royal Military College, from which he graduated, proceeding at once to an appointment on the engineering staff of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Here he had that splendid training which fitted the young student for the great work which he was destined to do in the service of his country. He entered the Royal Engineers in 1888 and proceeded to Woolwich, where his great knowledge of practical railway work led so rapid promotion. At the age of 23 he was appointed Traffic Manager of the Royal Arsenal Railways, and it was here that the keen eyes of Lord Kitchener discerned in young Girouard the very man to undertake the construction of the railway across the Sudan which was to enable Lord Kitchener to push forward his advance from Dongola to Khartoum. Colonel Girouard carried out this work as Director of Sudan Railways, and afterwards was appointed President of the Egyptian Railway Board. In 1889 he accompanied Sir Redvers Buller to the Cape as Director of Military Railways. He later settled in England and in 1907 became High Commissioner for Northern Nigeria, Governor from 1908 to 1909 and Governor of East African Protectorate 1909-1912. In the Great War he served as Director General of Munitions. He married, Sep 10, 1903, Mary Gwendolen, only child of the Hon Sir Richard Solomon, KCMG, CB, KC, Attorney General of the Transvaal, and Lady Solomon, Governor N Nigeria, 1907.
See Glen 13 Dec 89.
Source: List of KCMG recipients. Various sources | Royal Engineers |
| Girouard | Edouard Percy Cranwill | | Lieutenant | GIROUARD, EDOUARD PERCY CRANWILL, Lieutenant, was born at Montreal 26 January 1867, son of Honourable Desire Girouard. He was educated at the Royal Military College, Kingston, and was gazetted to the Royal Engineers as Second Lieutenant 28 July 1888; becoming Lieutenant 28 July 1891. He was Railway Traffic Manager, Royal Arsenal, 1 July 1890 to 14 August 1895, and was employed with the Egyptian Army as Director of Sudan Railways 10 April 1896 to 11 September 1898. He served with the Dongola Expeditionary Force, 1896, as Director of Railways, taking part in the operations of 19 September. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 8 November 1896], received the Egyptian Medal with clasp, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 17 November 1896]: "Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers. In recognition of services during the recent operaions in the Sudan". The Ingignia, Warrant and Statutes were sent to the GOC, Cairo and presented 25 January 1897. He served in the Nile Expedition of 1897, was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 25 January 1898], received the clasp to the Egyptian Medal, and was given the Brevet of Major 29 July 1899, being promoted to Captain 28 July 1899. For the Nile Expedition of 1898 he received a Medal. He was President of the Egyptian Railway Board, 1898 and 1899 (2nd Class Medjidie). In the South African War he served on the Staff from 1899 to 1902, as Director of Railways. Operations in Natal, 1899. Advance on Kimberley. Operations in the Orange Free State February to May 1900. Operations in the Transvaal in May and June 1900. Operations in Orange River Colony May to 29 November 1900. Operations in Cape Colony, south of Orange River, 1899-1900. Operations in Cape Colony, north of Orange River. Operations in the Transvaal, Orange River Colony and Cape Colony. One comes across him in Sir A Conan Doyle's 'Great Boer War': "Roberts's main column kept on the railroad, which was mended with extraordinary speed by the Railway Pioneer Regiment and the Engineers, under Girouard and the ill-fated Seymour. It was amazing to note the shattered culverts as one passed, and yet to be overtaken by trains within a day". In describing Methuen's search for De Wet, Sir A Conan Doyle says on pages 348-349: "That wily and indefatigable man was not long out of our ken. On June 14 he appeared once more at Rhenoster, where the construction trains, under the famous Girouard, were working furiously at the repair of the damage which he had already done. This time the guard was sufficient to beat him off, and he vanished again to the eastward. He succeeded, however, in doing some harm, and very nearly captured Lord Kitchener himself. A permanent post had been established at Rhenoster under the charge of Colonel Spens of the Shropshires, with his own regiment and several guns. Smith-Dorrien, one of the youngest and most energetic of the divisional commanders, had at the same time undertaken the supervision and patrolling of the line. An attack had at this period been made by a commando of some hundred Boers at the Sand River to the south of Kroonstad, where there is a most important bridge. The attempt was frustrated by the Royal Lancaster Regiment and the Railway Pioneer Regiment, helped by some mounted infantry and yeomanry. The fight was for a time a brisk one, and the Pioneers, upon whom the brunt of it fell, behaved with great steadiness. The skirmish is principally remarkable for the death of Major Seymour of the Pioneers, a noble American who gave his services and at last his life for what, in the face of all slander and misrepresentation, he knew to be the cause of justice and liberty". For his services in the South African War Brevet Major Girouard was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 8 February and 19 April 1901, and 29 July 1902]. He received the Queen's Medal with three clasps, the King's Medal with two clasps, and was created a KCMG. He was Commissioner of Railways, Transvaal and Orange River Colony, 1 July 1902 to 21 December 1904; was given the Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel 7 November 1904; was AQMG, Western Command, 6 September 190(5 to 2 February 1907; High Commissioner and Comrnander-in-Chief, Northern Nigeria, 3 February 1907 to 6 May 1908; Major, Royal Engineers, 26 May 1908; Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Northern Nigeria, 7 May 1908 to 1909; Brevet Colonel 13 September 1908; Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the East Africa Protectorate, 1909-12; retired from the Royal Engineers 13 July 1912; has was on the Board, Elswick Works, Newcastle, since 1912. He published a 'History of the Railways during the War in South Africa'. Sir Percy Girouard married, in 1903, Mary Gwendoline (who divorced him in 1914), only daughter of Honourable Sir Richard Solomon, and they had one son.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | Royal Engineers |
