Robert Hilborn Falls


Admiral Robert Hilborn Falls, was Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces from 1977 to 1980.

Military career

Falls first joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 as a pilot and later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy after World War II. He served as commander of the Canadian Flotilla Atlantic, as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 1974 to 1977, as Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces from 1977 to 1980, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1980 to 1983.
Falls later became president of the Canadian Centre for Arms Control and Disarmament.

Awards and decorations

Falls' personal awards and decorations received during his naval career include the following:
RibbonDescriptionNotes
Commander of the Order of Military Merit
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
  • WWII 1939-1945 with Overseas Service bar
  • War Medal 1939–1945
  • WWII 1939-1945
  • Special Service Medal
  • with NATO-OTAN Clasp
  • Canadian Centennial Medal
  • Decoration awarded in 1967
  • Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
  • Decoration awarded in 1977
  • Canadian version
  • Canadian Forces' Decoration
  • with two Clasp for 32 years of services
  • He was a qualified RCAF Pilot and as such wore the Royal Canadian Forces Pilot Wings