Leo de Gale
Sir Leo Victor de Gale , GCMG , CBE (born December 28, 1921 in Saint Andrew , Grenada ; † March 23, 1986 in Bristol , England ) was a politician from Grenada who lived after independence from February 7, 1974 until March 30 , 1986 . September 1978 was the first Governor General of Grenada .
Life
De Gale, son of the farmer George Victor de Gale and his Marie Leonie de Gale, completed his education at the Grenada Boy's Secondary School and studied accounting at Sir George Williams University in Montreal . During World War II he served as a rifleman in the 1st Canada Survey Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery between 1940 and 1945 and took part in combat missions in Italy , France , the Netherlands , Belgium and Germany . For his military merits and bravery, he was awarded the 1939–1945 Star , the Italian Campaign Star , the France and Germany Star , the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal , the Defense of Britain Medal and the Victory Medal .
After the end of the war, de Gale returned to Grenada in 1945 and worked in the private sector in the period that followed. He was a co-founder of the accounting firm De Gale & Rapier , of which he was a partner until 1964. At the same time he was a member of the Grenada Volunteer Constabulary between 1951 and 1954 and was also active as President of the Catholic Men's Society and a member of the West India Committee and the West Indies Associated States Judicial and Legal Services Commission . In 1960 he became a member of the Public Service Commission , of which he was President between 1966 and 1974. He was also President of the Grenada Red Cross from 1960 to 1965 and a member of the Government Loan Board between 1960 and 1970 . Most recently, he was CEO of Grenada Breweries Ltd. until January 1974 . as well as director of various trading and agricultural companies. He has also served temporarily as chairman of the Society for banana farming cooperatives (Grenada Banana Co-operative Society) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grenada Boy's Secondary School .
De Gale, who became Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1969 , took over the post of acting governor on January 24, 1974. After independence from the United Kingdom , he became the first Governor General of Grenada on February 7, 1974 and held this office until he was succeeded by Paul Scoon on September 30, 1978. In 1974 he was made Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG) beaten, so that from now on he had the suffix "Sir". After the bloodless revolution of the left New Jewel Movement (NJM) under Maurice Bishop in 1979, he went into exile in England, where he died on March 23, 1986.
On July 23, 2014, his family bequeathed the medals and decorations to the Grenada National Museum on permanent loan.
Web links
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gale, Leo de |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gale, Sir Leo Victor de (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Grenadian politician and governor general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 28, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint Andrew , Grenada |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 23, 1986 |
| Place of death | Bristol , England |