Charles Herbert Little
Encyclopedia
Commander Charles Herbert Little RCN
, CD
, FRCGS (December 11, 1907 - January 10, 2004) was Canadian
Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War and an author.
Charles Herbert (Herbie) Little was born and raised in Mount Forest, Ontario
. He won scholarships to Upper Canada College
(graduating in 1926) and Trinity College, Toronto
(class of 1930) where he majored in German
and played ice hockey
, football
, and cricket
. He was a member of the Beta Psi fraternity.
He was offered a contract with the Montreal Maroons
ice hockey team but decided to continue his studies instead.
He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar
and continued Germanic studies at Brasenose College, Oxford
, graduating in 1932. While there he was captain of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
that won the Spengler Cup
two years in a row.
On his return to Canada, he married Ruth B. Harrison of Rothesay, New Brunswick
. He taught at Upper Canada College until he joined the Royal Canadian Navy
at the outbreak of the war in 1939. Little presented himself at HMCS York
in Toronto
, but after he mentioned that he was a teacher of German and that he had just returned from a trip to Germany
, he was immediately sent to Ottawa. Upon his arrival he was asked to go through some captured German documents, some of which seemed to describe a weapon. Those papers were sent to London and were found to be partial plans for the new magnetic mines being used by the German Navy.
During the war he served as Director of Naval Intelligence on the Naval Staff. Because of his position he was one of the few Canadians to handle Ultra
decrypts. After the defeat of Nazi Germany
he was allowed to enter combat and was sent to join the British Pacific Fleet
.
He remained in the Navy until 1959, helping to develop the University Naval Training Division and the Regular Officer Training Plan.
After leaving the Navy he became a federal civil servant. From 1964 to 1971 he was Chief Editor of the Royal Commission on Pilotage.
He wrote ten historical books, a book of poetry and numerous articles. He was a lifelong contributor to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Journal. He was made a fellow of the society in 1969 (FRCGS). He was given an award by the Spanish government for his history of Spanish exploration of the west coast of Canada. He was National President of the Canadian Authors' Association from 1972 to 1975 and was made Honorary President in 2001. He was president of the Canadian Writers' Foundation from 1978 to 2001 and was Honorary President thereafter.
In 1977 he was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal
.
In 1991 he was awarded the Admirals' Medal.
In 2000 at the age of 92, he dropped the puck at the start of the 100th annual Oxford vs Cambridge Ice Hockey game.
He died in Ottawa
at the age of 96. He was buried at Frenhill Cemetery in Saint John, New Brunswick
.
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, CD
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
, FRCGS (December 11, 1907 - January 10, 2004) was Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Director of Naval Intelligence during the Second World War and an author.
Charles Herbert (Herbie) Little was born and raised in Mount Forest, Ontario
Mount Forest, Ontario
Mount Forest is an unincorporated community located on the junction of the 6 and the 89 in the township of Wellington North, Ontario. The town's motto is "High, Happy, Healthy", which can be seen on the water tower when approaching the town from the south....
. He won scholarships to Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
(graduating in 1926) and Trinity College, Toronto
University of Trinity College
The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
(class of 1930) where he majored in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and played ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. He was a member of the Beta Psi fraternity.
He was offered a contract with the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
ice hockey team but decided to continue his studies instead.
He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
and continued Germanic studies at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
, graduating in 1932. While there he was captain of the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
Oxford University Ice Hockey Club
Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, sometimes known as Oxford Blues, is one of the world's oldest ice hockey teams. Tradition places the origin of the club in 1885, when a match is said to have been played against Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club at St Moritz...
that won the Spengler Cup
Spengler Cup
The Spengler Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between...
two years in a row.
On his return to Canada, he married Ruth B. Harrison of Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay, New Brunswick
Rothesay is a Canadian town located in Kings County, New Brunswick. It is a bedroom community of Saint John along the Kennebecasis River.Located along the lower Kennebecasis River valley, Rothesay borders the city of Saint John to the southwest, and the neighbouring town of Quispamsis to the...
. He taught at Upper Canada College until he joined the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
at the outbreak of the war in 1939. Little presented himself at HMCS York
HMCS York
HMCS York is a Canadian Forces Naval Reserve Division located in Toronto, Ontario. Before the move to its current location on Lake Shore Boulevard West, it had been situated on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, but after he mentioned that he was a teacher of German and that he had just returned from a trip to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he was immediately sent to Ottawa. Upon his arrival he was asked to go through some captured German documents, some of which seemed to describe a weapon. Those papers were sent to London and were found to be partial plans for the new magnetic mines being used by the German Navy.
During the war he served as Director of Naval Intelligence on the Naval Staff. Because of his position he was one of the few Canadians to handle Ultra
Ultra
Ultra was the designation adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. "Ultra" eventually became the standard...
decrypts. After the defeat of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
he was allowed to enter combat and was sent to join the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
.
He remained in the Navy until 1959, helping to develop the University Naval Training Division and the Regular Officer Training Plan.
After leaving the Navy he became a federal civil servant. From 1964 to 1971 he was Chief Editor of the Royal Commission on Pilotage.
He wrote ten historical books, a book of poetry and numerous articles. He was a lifelong contributor to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Royal Canadian Geographical Society
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada — its people and places, its natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges.-History:The...
Journal. He was made a fellow of the society in 1969 (FRCGS). He was given an award by the Spanish government for his history of Spanish exploration of the west coast of Canada. He was National President of the Canadian Authors' Association from 1972 to 1975 and was made Honorary President in 2001. He was president of the Canadian Writers' Foundation from 1978 to 2001 and was Honorary President thereafter.
In 1977 he was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
.
In 1991 he was awarded the Admirals' Medal.
In 2000 at the age of 92, he dropped the puck at the start of the 100th annual Oxford vs Cambridge Ice Hockey game.
He died in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
at the age of 96. He was buried at Frenhill Cemetery in Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
.