Georges Vanier - Early Life and Youth

Early Life and Youth

Vanier was born in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal to an Irish mother and a French-Norman father, who raised Vanier to be bilingual. After graduating from high school, he attended Loyola College, receiving in 1906 a Bachelor of Arts degree in church devotional fellowship, and then went on to earn in 1911 his Bachelor of Laws degree from the Montreal campus of the Université Laval. Vanier was called to the Quebec bar that year and, though he took up the practice of law, he considered entering the Catholic priesthood. But, with the outbreak of the First World War, he decided that offering his service to king and country should take priority and thereafter enlisted in the Canadian army. Vanier took on a prominent role in recruiting others, eventually helping to organise in 1915 the French Canadian 22nd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, of which he was commissioned as an officer, and which later, in 1920, became the Royal 22e Régiment.

After Vanier, for his efforts, received the Military Cross in 1916, he continued fighting in the trenches. In late 1918, he led an attack at Chérisy and was shot in the chest and both legs, resulting in the loss of his right leg. His recovery was lengthy, though he spent it in France, refusing to be evacuated while his fellow soldiers remained fighting. With the cessations of hostilities, however, Vanier, for his bravery, was again awarded the Military Cross and given the 1914-15 Star, along with being appointed to the Distinguished Service Order. He thereafter returned to Montreal and once more found employment practicing law. On September 29, 1921, he married Pauline Archer and the couple had five children, one of whom was Jean Vanier.