We regret to advise of the death of Major-General Henry Lloyd “Jerry” Meuser OBE, MiD, CD on 24 November 2000. A decorated veteran of WW II, he was Mentioned in Despatches and decorated as an Officer, Order of the British Empire and awarded Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau, with Swords by The Netherlands for his outstanding contributions to the war effort.
Jerry was appointed to the Royal Canadian Engineers Permanent Active Militia in 1934. He joined the Geographical Section of the General Staff as a Lieutenant and was employed on a survey of the Queen Charlotte Islands BC. In WW II he saw active service overseas as Commanding Officer of the 1stField Survey Company. Upon promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in 1941 he was appointed Deputy Director Survey and commanded the 1st Canadian Army Survey Directorate. In 1942, as a Colonel, he was appointed Deputy Director of Military Survey with Headquarters 1st Canadian Army Overseas, Commander, 1 Canadian Army Engineer Group and Acting/Chief Engineer of the 1st Canadian Army.
Upon re-organization of the Canadian Army late in the war Jerry was appointed as the first "Chief Engineer" at Army Headquarters. This position was initially designated Director Engineers and he held this appointment from 1944 to 1948. In 1949, as a Colonel he was Canadian Chairman of the Joint Sub-committee on Air Photography, Hydrographic Survey and Mapping and Charting, reporting to the Canadian/US Joint Planning Committee.
From 1958 through 1962, Jerry, as a Brigadier, was Deputy Quartermaster General for Works and Quartering in Army Headquarters in Ottawa. It was during this period that he selected Colonel E. Churchill, OC, CD be his Deputy Director Works (Special Projects) with the primary responsibility for design and construction of the Central Emergency Government Headquarters, "Diefenbunker" in Carp ON. In June 1963, as Major-General, Jerry was appointed Associate Deputy Minister Construction Engineering and Properties, a position that he continued in as a civilian after his retirement from the Army in 1967.
Donations may be made to the Ottawa Heart and Stroke Institute.
