Canada during the Second Boer War, 1899-1902.

John Shiwak: A Hero's Journey from Labrador to the Battlefields of World War I

John Shiwak: A Hero’s Journey from Labrador to the Battlefields of World War I Image: Lance Corporal John Shiwak during the First World War. John Shiwak was born in 1889 in Cul-de-Sac, a small settlement near Rigolet, Labrador. Growing up in the harsh northern wilderness, Shiwak learned to hunt, fish, and trap from a young age. His skills as a hunter and trapper would later serve him well on the battlefields of Europe. Shiwak's life took a dramatic turn when he joined the Royal Newfoundland Regiment on July 24, 1915, driven to see the world and serve his country. At the time, he stood only five feet, five inches tall and weighed 132 pounds. William Lacey Amy, a writer and journalist, played a significant part in documenting and shaping the public's understanding of John Shiwak's life. Amy first met Shiwak in 1911 during a trip from St. John's to Rigolet, Labrador. The two became fast friends, and Shiwak's subsequent letters to Amy provide insight into the Inui...

The Battle of Hill 355, October 1952, during the Korean War.

The Battle of Hill 355, October 1952, during the Korean War. Image: The painting “Incoming” by Edward Zuber depicting Canadian action at Hill 355 in October 1952. This painting shows soldiers of B Company, the Royal Canadian Regiment, reacting to a communist artillery attack on their section of the line on October 23, 1952. The 45-minute bombardment was one of the heaviest that Canadians endured in Korea. The Battle of Hill 355, October 1952. Hill 355 was a dominant feature in the landscape, located about 40 kilometres north of Seoul. Its elevation provided a commanding view of the surrounding terrain, making it a highly contested position throughout the war. The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) was stationed on the hill from early September 1952, enduring frequent bombardments from Chinese forces throughout October. These attacks weakened defensive positions, setting the stage for a major assault. The Battle of Hill 355 was made up of three separate and distinct battles. The first ...

A Bed in the Mud: Canadian Soldiers and the Quiet Symbols of Trench Life, December 1917.

A Bed in the Mud: Canadian Soldiers and the Quiet Symbols of Trench Life, December 1917. Two Canadian soldiers are seen standing in a trench, inspecting the skeletal remains of a bed frame in December 1917. One soldier wears a jerkin — a sleeveless leather vest well-suited to the bitter cold of winter — and which bears two wound stripes on his sleeve, silent markers of past injuries. The scene is serene, almost domestic, yet framed by two dreaded items symbolic of the First World War: barbed wire and mud. We need to ask ourselves what exactly this moment tells us about the lived experience of war. Trench Warfare and the Persistence of Routine By late 1917, Canadian forces were entrenched in the brutal Passchendaele and Ypres Salient campaigns. The use of trenches had turned into semi-permanent dwellings, where soldiers created an environment using whatever furniture, storage, and sleeping arrangements they could salvage. A bed frame in this context was not a luxury — it’s a symbol of a...

Canada's Military History 2.0

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