William Leach (Canadian Army officer)

Lieutenant-General William Charles Leach CMM, CD (November 6, 1942 – April 1, 2015) was the Chief of the Land Staff of the Canadian Forces.[1][2]

Bill Leach
Born	November 6, 1942 Sarnia, Ontario
Died	April 1, 2015 (aged 72) Ottawa, Ontario
Allegiance	Canada
Service/branch	Canadian Forces
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Chief of the Land Staff
Awards	Commander of the Order of Military Merit Canadian Forces Decoration

Military career

Leach graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a degree in Economics and Commerce in 1965 and was commissioned into the Canadian Army.[3] He went on to command a Logistic Battalion.[4] From 1977 he worked in a series of senior administrative and finance positions at National Defence Headquarters[3] and from 1987 he held various supply and logistics appointments there.[3]

In 1995 he was appointed Deputy Commander at Canadian Forces Land Force Command[4] and in 1997 he became Chief of the Land Staff, a post he held until Summer 2000.[3]

In 2000 he was appointed a Vice President Operations with Honeywell Canada Logistic Services[3] and in 2005 he was made a Vice President of Mincom Defence.[3] Leach was Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Museum of History.[5] He was also a board member of the Royal Ottawa Hospital.[6] Leach was also on the Executive Committee of the Military Families Fund and was the Colonel Commandant of the Logistics Branch of the Canadian Armed Forces.[6]

Family

He was married to Canadian artist Mary Louise Leach, who died in 2003; Both he and his wife are buried at The National Military Cemetery at Beechwood. They had three children.[7] Leach died in Ottawa on April 1, 2015.[8][9]

References

1. "Bill Leach". chamblycounty.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
2. "Royal Military College of Canada – Review Yearbook (Kingston, Ontario Canada)". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
3. Friends of the Canadian War Museum
4. Brass examinations: career of Canada's Army Commander outshone by those of his peers Esprit de Corps, September 1999
5. "New chair appointed to board of trustees of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation". Canadian Museum of History. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
6. "Canadian Museum of History Announces the Passing of Lieutenant-General Bill Leach". 1 April 2015.
7. Ottawa Valley Guide
8. "Canadian Armed Forces announce the passing of former Commander of the Canadian Army – Retired Lieutenant-General leaves behind a strong legacy of military service". Canadian Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
9. David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen More David Pugliese, Ottawa Citizen. "Former Canadian Army commander Bill Leach passes away". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 5 April 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)