Withers, Ramsey Muir

Military career

Ramsey Muir Withers was born in 1930 in the suburbs of Toronto into the family of William Muir Withers and Alice Smith Hope Hannah. In 1948, he enlisted in the Canadian armed forces , becoming a cadet . A year later, he chose the to continue his service ^[1] and after graduating from the Royal Military College in 1952, he was promoted to the theater of military operations in Korea . There he served until 1953 as part of the 22nd Royal Regiment ^[2] .

Upon his return to Canada, Withers received an additional education at Queens University . While studying, he met Alison Smith, and in 1954 they were married. In 1956, Withers was assigned to armored forces and served in the regiment of the in Petausawa , and then in Germany ^[1] . In 1970, Withers became the first Canadian post-war officer graduated from the rank of brigadier general , and in this rank he was appointed the first military commander in the history of Canada in the Northern region . From 1973 to 1976 he served in the General Staff, and in 1976-1977 he was the commander of the Canadian military contingent in Europe ^[3] .

After production as lieutenant general in 1977, Ramsey Muir Wieters was appointed deputy chief of defense staff of Canada , and three years later became the sixth chief of defense staff, remaining in that post until 1983 ^[2] . According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Withers became a master of political and bureaucratic intrigue at the defense headquarters for years ^[3] , and according to Major General Lewis Mackenzie, these skills helped him to preserve the Canadian armed forces in the early 80s in the face of sharp budget cuts . As Mackenzie says, “He needed to know the rules of the game of Ottawa and be able to play it. He was good at this game. ” ^[4] The last stage in General Withers’s military career was a six-year tenure as honorary lieutenant colonel of the ^[2] (of which the Governor-General of Canada himself is a colonel by statute).

Civil Service

From 1983 to 1988, Ramsey Withers, whose education included the specialty of civil engineer, was a member of the Canadian government as deputy minister of transport . During these years, he also served on a voluntary basis on the curriculum review committee of the Royal Military College of Canada ^[2] .

Since 1988, Withers has held various positions in the civilian sector, starting as director of the lobbying organization Government Consultants International ^[3] , and later heading the aerospace technology company and the Government and Industry Relations Group. He also continued his active social activities. In 1988–1995, he was chairman of the committee of the Canadian Military Museum ^[2] , and in 1990 he was appointed director of the Canadian Institute for Strategic Studies ^[3] .

From 1977 to 1990, Withers was a member of the National Council of and was awarded the for his work at this post - the highest award of the scout movement ^[2] . He also served on the board of trustees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization ^[4] , and later continued to participate in his work as a volunteer translator until his death ^[1] .

Ramsey Muir Withers died of a heart attack in Ottawa in December 2014. ^[1] He was buried at the National Military Cemetery of Canada ^[2] .

During the years of military and civil service, Ramsey Withers was awarded several government awards. He was commander of the Canadian Order of Military Merit and commander of the British Order of St. John of Jerusalem ^[1] . His other awards included the Canadian Armed Forces Badge (20 years in military service), the Silver and Gold Jubilee Medals of Queen Elizabeth II , the award of the and the award for outstanding achievements of the Public Service of Canada. Ramsey Muir Withers was an honorary doctor of two universities and an honorary graduate ^[2] .

• Norman Hillmer. Ramsey Muir Withers (Unsolved) . The Canadian Encyclopedia (January 29, 2008).