Thomas George Prince
When searching for heroes among the Canadian Aboriginal, authour and teacher, Taiaiake Alfred, along with Grand Chief Ovide Mercredi, have looked beyond the borders of Turtle Island. They look to places such as India, speaking of personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Ireland's warriors. Sadly, many of us have forgotten the many heroes who worked so hard for a government through the practice of self-Governance, right here on home turf. Such a leader, among many others is Thomas George Prince, Canada's most decorated Aboriginal soldier to date.
In hibernation, remembered only in Military Museums in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Rutherford Mall, Nanaimo, BC, a memory has waited for the coming of the spring, for transformation and renewal. No one from Malaspina knew of him - not even the librarians - until they completed the designated and requested search. It is time to reintroduce a great and courageous warrior to his homeland.
|
W
hen the media honoured him Tommy Prince said of his fellow veterans: "They were a great bunch of guys. I'm here because they kept me safe and brought me home."
It was a great honour to meet Tom several times as a child, following his return from overseas. He was a joyful, impish, laughing man when around children such as myself, but he was quiet and reserved around adults. There were exceptions, like an uncle, who served under him, one uncle who joined up the same day as he - and my Grandfather. Tom Prince arrived at our school to render a history lesson; to tell us how lucky we were because we had a roof on our school, with books for reading and scribblers with pencils for writing, when many children in war torn villages, towns and cities in Europe did not. He used to carry chocolate bars and he would break them into pieces and pass them around, should we entertain with a song, a poem, or a story. He was a very kind and gentle man. He came often and then he came no more. The military bases closed at the edge of our town and life went back to some form of normality. Employment was scarce and so Tom Prince went off to complete two tours in Korea.
Remembering him were some of his aging service buddies:
"Tom Prince was just following the ways of the warrior as his ancestors did. It was much more respected and braver to scare the enemy into defeat and cowardice than in pitched battle. A warrior would sneak into the enemies' camp late at night and do what Prince did. Kill one of them or steal something and always leave a calling card behind. A warrior's reputation was built on acts such as this, much more so than in battle." -Anonymous Alf.
Tommy Prince spent his last years as an alcoholic, trying to ease loneliness and the pain in his crumbling knees. He lived at the Harbour Light Salvation Army Hostel. He was often mugged and slashed on Main Street of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Whenever the police would find him wandering around drunk they would never lock him up in the drunk-tank with the rest. He was treated with respect and they would take him back to wherever he was staying at the time. When considering his background previous to his death, one might say his country never gave him the care and respect that was owed him, for his lineage carries structure and weight.
Prairie Roots
Thomas George Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba in October of 1915. Tom was the son of Henry and Arabella Prince of the Brokenhead Band at Scanterbury, Manitoba. He was the Great-Great-Grandson of Chief Peguis, the Saulteax Chief who led his band of 200 Ojibwa from the Sault Ste. Marie Region to the Red River in the 1790's, and of Chief William Prince, who headed the Ojibwa-Manitoba team of Nile Voyageurs. His family later moved to the Brokenhead Reserve. He attended Elkhorn Residential School, completing grade eight. After school he worked a variety of odd jobs, loving his work as a lumberjack.
The Soldier
Like many young men on reserve, jobs were in short supply and three square meals and pocket money spoke to him. When World War II was declared Tom had to wait weeks to enlist. He was not under the threat of conscription. He was finally accepted into the Royal Canadian Engineers in 1st Corps Field Park Company, on June 3, 1940. My uncle, who ended his career as a Major, sailed as a sickly Private, across the Atlantic with Tommy Prince, to England. They spent the next two years in training, doing guard duty, polishing boots, etc., while waiting and itching for action. Tom was a superb marksman with tracking skills, those he had learned on the reserve while hunting.
Tommy was promoted to Lance Corporal in February 1941. He returned to Canada, September 1942, to train as a member of the First Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was promoted to Sergeant and continued training in Montana and was attached to the U.S. Special Forces.
The Work Begins
During late 1943 the 'Devil's Brigade' was sent to Italy, spending 90 days on the front-line at Anzio, sans relief. It was there that Tom earned the Military Medal, February 8, 1944. The event would become a mythic event from which Hollywood made a movie, called 'Devil's Brigade', naming Tom "Chief".
Tom had volunteered to run a telephone line, a quarter of a mile to an abandoned farmhouse. It was less than 200 m from the German strong hold and Tom was to report back to his unit that needed excellent information for fire-power. The phone line was broken during the shelling and Tom, very angry, shook his fist, grabbed a hoe and worked as a farmhand while looking for the break in the line. He bent over to tie his non-existent shoe-laces and repaired the line break. He waited a few minutes and went back inside, shaking his fist at both sides. Shortly thereafter he radioed across and his Allies wiped out four enemy places. He was given his medal for "exceptional bravery in the field."
He received his next medal in Southern France. Later in England, King George VI pinned on the Military Medal and on behalf of President Roosevelt, the Silver Star. Tommy was honourably discharged June 15, 1945, and returned to Canada.
Home
He worked as a lumberjack for awhile, but was bored with it. The Department of Veteran Affairs granted him funds to start a janitorial business. At this time, the Canadian Government was revising the Indian Act and the Manitoba Indian Association unanimously chose Tom Prince as Chairman. He was given extensive powers on their behalf to negotiate with the federal government and was a consulting liaison with bands in Manitoba. Tom gave a rousing speech, June 5, 1947, to the Parliamentary Committee outlining the concerns and improvements he felt needed to be addressed. Tommy was not a politician and the government was slow to respond and paid little heed to any requests. Leaving the position he returned to his business, only to find that his friends had run it into the ground while in their care.
Korea
Tommy re-enlisted as the United Nations called to arms for the North Korean conflict. He was re-instated as a Sergeant August 14, 1950, with the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Basic training took place in Wainwright, Alberta, and the PPCLI sailed across the Pacific for Korea, December 7, 1950. He was in the fight right from the beginning, working 'Snatch Patrols' and his health deteriorated. Following a check-up it was found that Tom was suffering from an agonizingly severe arthritic condition in his knee. He returned home to an easy job at Camp Borden in Ontario. However, the man considered a superior instructor of field-craft requested a second tour of duty.
Korea II
He returned to Korea October 1952. November 17, he led fourteen men to find an enemy work party. They ran into a large party and he was wounded in the knee. Returning to Canada, he was operated on at Deer Lodge Hospital and was again honourably discharged October 28, 1953.
Family and Community
He and Verna Sinclair made a home for seven years and raised five children. June 1955 found him in the news because he saved a man from drowning at the Alexander Docks in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As of 1961 he had three serious problems: alcohol, employment discrimination and his failing knees. The children were placed with Child and Family Services when he and Verna separated in 1964. Tommy stayed in touch with the children as long as possible, but they drifted apart. After a long separation, Beryl at 17, was re-united with her father when she tracked him down at Harbour Light, the Salvation Army Hostel, where he was living.
The Veteran
The PPCLI remembered Sgt. Prince on Remembrance Day and on special ceremonies. On August 1975, a special salute and citation were given by the 2nd Battalion at Brokenhead Reserve, followed by a forty-five minute band concert to celebrate Indian Days. On October 18, 1976, a Certificate of Merit was presented to Tom in recognition of his years of dedicated service to the Aboriginal people of Manitoba. A year following he moved to the Salvation Army Social Service Centre on Logan Avenue. As an alcohol free man, he passed away November 25, 1977 at the Deer Lodge Hospital, with daughters Beryl and Beverly at his side.
Military Honours
There were over 500 people at the funeral of Tommy Prince, held at Brookside Cemetery on November 30. Attending with Manitoba's Lt. Governor Jobin were consuls representing France, Italy and the United States. People from all walks of life came to pay respect to a great warrior. Five men from Brokenhead chanted the lament, "Death of a Warrior" to the beat of a drum, and Beverly was presented with the Canadian Flag that had draped the coffin.
Tommy Prince was a courageous, admirable and able man. He is a legend. His portrait and medals can be found in a place of honour on the Kapyong barracks wall in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the PPCLI's most highly decorated soldier. In the army the colour of his skin went unnoticed, he was given responsibilities and received recognition based on those abilities.
The Military Museum at Rutherford Mall in Nanaimo, British Columbia, has a special place on its walls, honouring Thomas George Prince. The leadership he extended beyond his culture is a gift to be acknowleged and honoured. He gave his all for his home and country. Please see testimonial:
(24)
"They say he used to carry a pair of moccasins in his bag with him.
He would never tell anyone where he was going, but would just slip away in the night. The Germans thought he was a ghost or a devil. They could never figure out how he passed the lines and the sentries. He was deathly quiet, in part because of those moccasins he wore all the time. Instead of sneaking in a killing them, he would steal something like a pair of shoes right off their feet. Or he would leave articles behind, like a calling card; just to let them know he had been there. Once in a while he would kill one of them, slit their throat so as not to awaken anybody. When those Germans woke up and found one of their own lying dead in the midst of them that's when they got scared. They didn't believe that Prince could be real so they figured he must be an evil spirit or better yet the devil. We were known as the Devil's Brigade to the Germans."
| Top | Home Page | Table of Contents | Next: Military Medals |
© - D. M. Small