Major General Huntly Douglas Brodie Ketchen, CB, CMG[1] (May 22, 1872[2] – July 28, 1959[3]) was a Canadian soldier and politician.

[4] He later saw active service in World War I, commanding the Sixth Canadian Infantry Brigade in France from 1915 to 1918.

Ketchen, promoted to temporary brigadier general in June 1915,[5] was nearly dismissed after being used as a scapegoat for following orders from the British.

After British troops had taken a large crater near the ruins of the Belgian town of St Eloi, his brigade was ordered to hold the gain against German counter-attacks.

[6] Due to dreadful mismanagement of the Canadian forces by Ketchen and his divisional commander Richard Turner, German soldiers overran the crater, causing 1,400 Canadian casualties and retaking the land around the crater, negating the gains made at heavy cost just a few days before.

[7] General Sir Herbert Plumer, the commander of the Second Army who was responsible for the front, demanded Ketchen's immediate dismissal.