Harold Garland, FCGA
A Profile in Honour of Remembrance Day
The following profile of Harold Garland, FCGA, first appeared in the October/November 2006 issue of Statements. You can read a chapter profile of Harold Garland and Sam Goldmaker, CGA, by Lana Legostaeva, CGA, of CGA Ontario Ottawa Chapter, by visiting this
link.
When Harold Garland, FCGA, speaks to children about the importance of Remembrance Day, he begins with Hitler, the Second World War and The Great Escape. “Once the kids realize you were there,” he says of the infamous prisoner of war camp depicted in the movie, “you’ve got their attention right away.”
 A member of the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War Two, Harold’s plane was shot down and he was imprisoned for two harrowing years at Stalag Luft III in Germany. In an ambitious escape plan, the prisoners banded together to dig three tunnels that ran 9 metres (30 feet) below ground.
Harold’s memories of the escapade are still vivid at age 88: “When the electric lights failed in the tunnels we made our own candles. The wax was made from margarine, the wicks from pyjama cord.”
Harold’s dangerous duty was that of a “penguin”—so-called for the great coats worn by prisoners to disguise the sand dug from the tunnels and hidden in bags tied to their trousers. The “penguins” would wander the prison yard and gardens, discreetly scattering sand in their wake.
150 prisoners of war, including Harold, were poised to escape Stalag Luft III on March 24, 1944. Those prisoners who knew the countryside, local customs and languages were chosen to escape first. Harold’s position was 89. In the end, only 79 prisoners had time to escape, and all but three were captured. Retribution was ruthless: 50 escapees were executed.
After liberation, Harold returned to Canada and worked as an assessor for the City of Toronto tax office, but soon realized he required a professional designation to advance his career. “I knew that the CGA designation provided the public sector with the right credentials.”
Harold also mentions one of the benefits of the program of professional studies still echoed today by many aspiring accountants. “I was married, with children, and had a job I could ill afford to leave. CGA Ontario was very accommodating.”
 In 1951, Harold earned his CGA designation. In 1959, he became just the fourth president of CGA Ontario. In 1968, he was awarded a fellowship designation by CGA Canada. In 1975, he rose to the position of assistant deputy minister of policy at Revenue Canada.
Harold takes an historical perspective in his praise of CGA Ontario’s victory in winning equal access to public accounting licences. “I was at the Public Accountancy Act meetings in 1962; naturally we were opposed to the Act. I remember leaving Queen’s Park on the day of the Legislature vote and feeling very downcast.
“I take my hat off to CGA Ontario’s executive and staff. One of the measures of success for an organization lies in taking a stand. Our leadership has been phenomenal.”
Today, Harold lives with his wife, Phyllis, in Ottawa. He will address school groups on the importance of Remembrance Day if asked, yet he remains modest about his wartime exploits, a humility he says is typical of veterans.
“I worked with Tom Grandy (CGA Ontario president, 1958-59) for years,” he recalls fondly. “Tom was a wonderful guy. He’d done a tour in bomber command, but the fact is, we never talked about the war. Took me years to find that out.”
Yet Harold adds, “It’s necessary to tell people that war should be avoided. It’s also true that there are times when there’s no alternative. I think Canadians understand that.”
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