Brigadier Ian S. Johnston
48th Highlanders of Canada
11th Infantry Brigade

As a result of the courage and initiative shown by their Commanding Officer/Lt Col I.S. Johnston by his coolness under direct fire and his determination personally to lead his men. the 48th Highlanders of Canada succeeded in penetrating the enemy positions to a depth of one thousand yards, this making possible the further planned destruction of the enemy. By his conduct throughout his action Lt Col I.S. Johnston more than upheld the highest tradition of the Canadian Infantry.

 (D.S.O. citation, 18 December 1943)

Born in Toronto on 12 August 1908, Ian Strachan Johnston was a lawyer and graduate of the Royal Military College. A prewar member of the 48th Highlanders, he joined the 1st Battalion on mobilization and assumed command from fellow Toronto lawyer Lieutenant-Colonel J. Edwin Ganong in December 1942. One officer praised Johnston’s promotion, writing, “He is a wonderful man, grand to work for, a slave driver it is true, but he works himself twice as hard as anybody else.”

During the Italian campaign, Johnston commanded the 48th Highlanders from the landings in Sicily in July 1943, through the heavy fighting at Ortona in December, in which he earned the Distinguished Service Order. With his promotion to brigadier in June 1944, second-in-command Major Don Mackenzie took over the 48th.

Unsatisfied with the cautious and insubordinate manner of Brigadier T. Eric Snow, Major-General Bert Hoffmeister of the 5th Armoured Division had elevated Johnston to command the 11th Infantry Brigade. More reliable and responsive than Snow, Johnston brought a greater sense of aggression and boldness which his predecessor lacked. Having already earned the Distinguished Service Order for leadership of the 48th at Ortona, Johnston received a D.S.O. Bar for a night assault on German positions in August 1944:

The cool, brilliant and forceful manner in which he handled his command in the face of determined resistance enabled the Brigade to thrust deep into the enemy position, capture Tomba Di Pesaro and breach the Gothic Line. The success of the Brigade Group, which allowed the flanking Divisions to get ahead through the Gothic Line, was directly a result of the energy, enthusiasm and brilliant leadership of Brigadier Johnston.

Johnston continued to lead the 11th Brigade in Northwest Europe until the end of the war, earning the praise of Hoffmesiter, who noted: “His outstanding leadership under adverse, dangerous conditions over the past nine months and particularly in the operations in Holland is an example to all officers and other ranks.”

After the war, Johnston was actively involved in business and philanthropic pursuits. When defence minister Paul Hellyer announced the unification of the armed forces in 1965, the former colonel dissented, warning: “Tradition is the tool of the wise governor and I suggest to the government that they advise their minister to build his house on the firm and proven foundation.”

He died in Toronto on 11 April 1984.