 |
Tom Longboat
Though other Indian soldiers were decorated for bravery in battle, Tom
Longboat stands out among Canada’s Aboriginal community for the dedication
he showed to Canada. A native of the Six Nations Grand River Reserve, near Hamilton,
Ontario, Longboat had distinguished himself as one of the world's premier long
distance runners, winning the Boston Marathon in 1907. Despite a lucrative athletic
career, Longboat, at the age of 29, enlisted in 1916 to fight for Canada in the
Great War.
He continued running in the army, only now he was a dispatch carrier in France,
using his speed and endurance to run messages back and forth between units. Twice
wounded, he was incorrectly reported as dead at least once back home, but in
fact survived the war, returning to Canada in 1919.
Like Longboat, Canada’s Indians contributed to the war effort quietly
and effectively. It is estimated that the Native community in |
|
|
|
Canada donated
as much as $44,000 for war relief. Native women formed charity groups and Red
Cross societies to help the men overseas. In all, it is thought that about 300
Indians lost their lives in the Great War, with more dying later of diseases
and injuries acquired on the battlefields of Europe. |
|
|
|
| |
Tom
Longboat buying a newspaper from a French newspaper boy in 1917.
Many
Canadian Indians, like famous distance runner Tom Longboat - seen here buying
a newspaper - enlisted in the war to defend Britain and Canada. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
