The best sniper of world war 1 francis pegahmagabow i. Enlisting at the onset of the first world war, he served overseas. Pegahmagabow returned to canada at the end of the war, becoming. Sabaton ghost in the trenches lyrics english youtube. The humble legacy of corporal francis pegahmagabow. Francis pegahmagabow monument national inventory of. Following the outbreak of world war i, pegahmagabow volunteered for service with the canadian expeditionary force in. Enlisting at the onset of the first world war, he became the most decorated canadian indigenous soldier for bravery and the most accomplished sniper in north american military history. Hid contributions to the battle of passchendaele and the scarpe. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. The stories of francis pegahmagabow michigan state university press, october 2016 is an extraordinary book. He was the most highly decorated for bravery in canadian military history and. Shortly after the beginning of world war 1 pegahmagabow joined the canad. Then in september 1916, during the battle of the somme, he was wounded in the left leg by a bullet.
Many will have heard the name francis pegahmagabow. The deadliest sniper of wwi was francis pegahmagabow, an. Pegahmagabow s own first nation people recognized and respected him. Indigenous war hero francis pegahmagabow the focus of. London singersongwriter honours first world war hero and. Hid contributions to the battle of passchendaele and the scarpe were crucial to the allies abilities to win those fights. He was an ojibwa from the parry island band in ontario who was awarded the military medal plus two bars for his battlefield service during the first world war.
Francis pegahmagabow project gutenberg selfpublishing. Francis pegahmagabow has long been regarded as an icon when it comes to his military exploits. It has been accepted for inclusion in canadian military history by an. Francis pegahmagabow is not a wellknown name, but he was a canadian first nation sniperhero of world war one and the mostawarded native soldier in the canadian military. After several months of training, the battalion arrived in france in february 1915. Pegahmagabow, who also appears as a minor character in the book. The song of francis pegahmagabow combines music, drama and visual elements to tell the story of csm pegahmagabow, the most highlydecorated indigenous soldier to serve in the war. He was the most highly decorated for bravery in canadian military history and the most effective sniper of the first world war. After the war, pegahmagabow settled in wasauksing first nation, ontario, where he married and raised six children. Francis pegahmagabow 18891952, a member of the ojibwe nation, was born in shawanaga, ontario. Francis pegahmagabow military history of the upper great.
Francis pegahmagabow 18891952, a member of the ojibwa nation, was born in shawanaga, ont. Francis first signed up to join the canadian army at the beginning of world war one, and. Francis pegahmagabow, who fought for almost the entire war and survived the horrors of ypres, the somme, and passchendaele, had a strong sense of spiritual protection. Francis pegahmagabow 18891952, an ojibwe of the caribou clan, was born in shawanaga first nation, ontario.
Francis pegahmagabow 1889 1952, an ojibwe of the caribou clan, was born in shawanaga first nation, ontario. Josephs hospital in parry sound, ontario, onaugust 5, 1952, after suffering a heart attack. Sounding thunder the stories of francis pegahmagabow book. Awarded for bravery, world war 1 hero francis pegahmagabow was a sniper who revered life. Having joined almost immediately after the declaration of war, pegahmagabow served for nearly the full duration. A bronze statue of pegahmagabow also stands in parry sound, and his military medals and headdress are part of the permanent exhibit at the canadian war museum in ottawa. Corporal francis pegahmagabow 18911952 is one of the most highly decorated aboriginal soldiers in canadian military history. He served his community as both chief and councillor and was a founding member of the brotherhood of canadian indians, the first national indigenous political organization. In canadas history, no other indigenous soldier has ever received as many battle awards. A performance of sounding thunder took place in ottawa on july 31 as part of chamberfest, a classical music festival held annually in the capital. A husband and father of six, francis pegahmagabow passed away on 5 august 1952 at the age of 64. Francis proudly served a term as supreme chief of the national indian government, retiring from office in 1950. Following the war, pegahmagabow became an advocate for first nations rights and served as chief of his parry island band, wasauksing first nation, from 1921 to 1925. He later became the chief of parry sound and after the councillor.
The best sniper of world war 1 francis pegahmagabow. Portrait of francis pegahmagabow held at the canadian war museum, as well as his traditional head dress. Pegahmagabow enlisted with the 23rd regiment northern pioneers in august 1914 almost immediately after war was declared. Pegahmagabow was more than just a soldier of the great war. He served his community as both chief and councillor. Pegahmagabow is assigned to two of the war s deadliest jobs.
Previously, he had worked along the great lakes as a marine fireman for the department of marine and fisheries. Enlisting at the onset of the first world war, he served overseas as a scout and sniper and became canadas most decorated indigenous soldier. He is remembered as a war hero and as a leader of his people. Enlisting at the onset of the first world war, he became the most decorated canadian indigenous.
Following the outbreak of world war i, pegahmagabow volunteered for service with the canadian. Francis pegahmagabow 18891952, an ojibwe of the caribou clan, was born. Published on jul 24, 2019 francis pegahmagabow was an aboriginal canadian sniper and scout during the great war. Born in shawanaga first nation caribou clan, he settled at wasauksing first. Corporal francis pegahmagabow canadian great war project. Download pdf pegahmagabow free online new books in. Pegahmagabow was one of 39 members of the cef who received the maximum two bars to the mm.
After the war, pegahmagabow settled in wasauksing, ontario. He was also awarded a 191415 star, the british war medal and the victory medal. Before he passed away in 1952, he was inducted into canadas indian hall of. Francis pegahmagabow fought throughout the entirety of world war 1, and proved time and time again his bravery and skill on the battlefield. After the war, pegahmagabow settled in wasauksing first nation, ontario. He died of a heart attack after suffering for years from badly damaged lungs. After this happened to francis pegahmagabow, he joined the algonquin regiment in the nonpermanent active militia. Unlike myself, pegahmagabow is a name he certainly knows from his childhood. Who were the most renowned snipers during world war i. Francis pegahmagabow was a remarkable aboriginal leader who served his nation in time of war and his people in time of peace.
Francis pegahmagabow was not only the most successful sniper of world war 1, but he is also among the most decorated aboriginal soldiers in history. Francis pegahmagabow, 97861627873, please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Three times awarded the military medal and seriously wounded, he was an expert marksman and scout, credited with killing 378 germans and capturing 300 more. He volunteered for service in 1914 with the 23 rd regiment, otherwise known as the northern pioneers. He died of a heart attack at the age of 61, in 1952. During the first world war, francis was awarded the military medal and earned two bars. During the war, pegahmagabow was nicknamed peggy by his fellow soldiers. Francis pegahmagabow pegahmagabow was born in parry sound, canada on march 9, 1889 to his parents who were of the shawanaga first nation an nativeamerican tribe in canada.
After the war, like his father and grandfather, francis pegahmagabow served as chief of the perry island ojibwa band. Francis pegahmagabow biography facts, childhood, family. Corporal francis pegahmagabow, mm and two bars was the aboriginal soldier most highly decorated for bravery in canadian military history and the most effective sniper of world war i. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. After the war, he lived an active political life and championed the cause of the natives and war veterans.
Francis pegahmagabow was married and had six children. Later in life, he served as chief and a councillor for the wasauksing first nation, and as an activist and leader in. When the war was over, francis had become one of the most highly decorated indigenous soldiers in canadian military. Francis pegahmagabow 18891952, an ojibwe of the caribou clan, was born in. Francis pegahmagabow in praise of canadian history. Following his wartime service, csm pegahmagabow returned home in 1919 and. Very quickly, pegahmagabow s exceptional abilities as a scout and sniper were recognized. He served his community as both chief and councillor and belonged to the brotherhood of canadian indians, an early national indigenous political organization. His life reveals how uncaring canada was about those to whom this land had always been.
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