Browse "First World War"

George Mitchell Croil, airman (b at Milwaukee, Wis 5 June 1893; d at Vancouver 8 Apr 1959). Croil flew with the Royal Flying Corps in Salonika and trained pilots in the Middle East in WWI. In 1919 he joined the Canadian Air Board and was one of 62 officers granted RCAF commissions in 1924.

George Randolph Pearkes, soldier, politician (b at Watford, Eng 26 Feb 1888; d at Victoria 30 May 1984). He immigrated to Canada in 1906, homesteaded in Alberta, and then joined the RN WMP. He enlisted in the 2nd Canadian Mounted

Gilbert Clarence Monture (Big Feather), OC, OBE (Order of the British Empire), Mohawk mining engineer, civil servant, army officer (born 27 August 1895 on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, ON; died 19 June 1973 in Ottawa, ON). Monture was a university student during the First World War and interrupted his studies to enlist in the Canadian military. After the war, he completed university and became a world-renowned mining engineer.

Gordon Minto Churchill, lawyer, teacher, politician (b at Coldwater, Ont 8 Nov 1898; d at Vancouver 3 Aug 1985). One of John Diefenbaker's closest Cabinet confidants, Churchill was a knowledgeable and respected parliamentarian who served as Tory House leader in the Diefenbaker era.

Gordon Muriel Flowerdew, VC, farmer, rancher, soldier, (born 2 January 1885 in Billingford, Norfolk, England; died 31 March 1918 near Moreuil, France). During the First World War, Lieutenant Flowerdew led one of the last great cavalry charges in history and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.

Henry Duncan Graham Crerar, army officer (b at Hamilton, Ont 28 Apr 1888; d at Ottawa 1 Apr 1965). A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, he was commissioned into the artillery in 1910 and was counter battery staff officer of the Canadian Corps at the end of WWI.

Henry Louis Norwest, Cree sniper during the First World War (born 1884 in Fort Saskatchewan, North-West Territories [present-day Alberta]; died 8 August 1918 in Amiens, France). While serving overseas, Henry Norwest was credited with 115 confirmed kills and received a Military Medal and Bar for his exploits on the battlefield.

Herbert Alexander Bruce, surgeon, military officer, politician, lieutenant-governor of Ontario (b at Blackstock, Ont 28 Sept 1868; d at Toronto 23 June 1963).

Herbert Cyril Thacker, army officer (b at Poona, India 16 Sept 1870; d at Victoria 2 June 1953). Thacker, briefly chief of the general staff in 1927-28, was commissioned in the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1891.

Howard Douglas Graham, lawyer, army officer (b at Buffalo, NY 15 July 1898; d at Oakville, Ont 28 Sept 1986). A WWI veteran, having enlisted at age 17, Graham rose to become chief of the general staff 1955-58. He practised law in Trenton, Ont, 1922-39, and was mayor in 1933.

Hugh Cairns, VC, plumber, soldier (born 4 December 1896 in Ashington, Northumberland, England; died 2 November 1918 in Valenciennes, France). During the First World War, Sergeant Cairns was the last Canadian soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.

Indigenous soldiers, nurses, and ordinary civilians made a major contribution to Canada’s First World War effort. More than 4000 First Nations soldiers fought for Canada during the war, officially recorded by the Department of Indian Affairs (see Federal Departments of Indigenous and Northern Affairs). In addition, thousands more non-Status Indians, Inuit, and Métis soldiers enlisted without official recognition of their Indigenous identity. More than 50 Indigenous soldiers were decorated for bravery in action, including the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) soldier Francis Pegahmagabow, Inuit soldier John Shiwak, and Cree soldier Henry Norwest.

James Munroe Franklin, First World War soldier (born 12 October 1899 in Whitaker, Mississippi; died 8 October 1916 in France). Franklin, a private in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), was likely the first Black Canadian (and first Black North American) killed in action in the First World War.

James Howden MacBrien, soldier, policeman (b at Port Perry, Ont 30 June 1878; d at Toronto 5 Mar 1938). MacBrien served in the militia, the North-West Mounted Police and then the South African Constabulary 1901-06.

James Sutherland Brown, "Buster," soldier (b at Simcoe, Ont 28 Jun 1881; d at Victoria 13 Apr 1951). Brown joined the militia in 1896, transferred to the Royal Canadian Regiment in 1906, and served in a number of staff appointments overseas during WWI.

John Bernard Croak, VC, coal miner, soldier (born 18 May 1892 in Little Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador; died 8 August 1918 near Amiens, France). During the First World War, Croak was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (VC) for his heroic actions during the Battle of Amiens.

John Edwards Leckie, "Jack," soldier, mining engineer, explorer (b at Acton-Vale, Qué 19 Feb 1872; d at Port Hope, Ont 7 Aug 1950). He was best known for engineering and research work around Hudson Bay. Leckie was educated at Bishop's, Royal Military College, and King's College.

John Henry Yahba, Ojibwe farmer, soldier, war hero, labourer (born 1 October 1880 at Saugeen First Nation, ON; died 29 November 1953 in Chippewa Hill, ON). Yahba served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. In the closing month of that war, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his heroism in battle on the Western Front. (See also  Indigenous Peoples and the World Wars.)

John McCrae, soldier, physician, poet (born 30 November 1872 in Guelph, ON; died 28 January 1918 in Wimereux, France). A noted pathologist and army physician, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was also a poet; he wrote “In Flanders Fields” — one of the most famous poems of the First World War.

John Robert Osborn, VC, soldier, labourer (born 2 January 1899 in Foulden, Norfolk, England; died 19 December 1941 in Hong Kong). During the Second World War, Osborn’s heroic act was the first to earn a Canadian the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.