Great-nephew Danny Pottle hopes that more Native American veterans will be honored
On Friday, the village of Masnières in northern France paid tribute to one of its war heroes by putting up a plaque for Labrador Inuk John Shiwak.
Lance-Cpl. Shiwak was born in 1889 in Rigolet. It is thought that he died in 1917 in Masnières while fighting to free France. As a sniper, he was very well liked, and the British War Medal and the Victory Medal were given to him.
Danny Pottle, who was his great-nephew, was happy to see a relative get such an honor abroad.
Pottle said, “It’s a mixed bag of feelings.”The St. John’s Morning Show is a radio show.Last Friday. “This has been our dream for a long time, so it’s an honor and we’re so happy that it’s happening today.”
About 20 years ago, Pottle and his brother Barry started working for change. They were looking for ways to honor their great-uncle and other Indigenous veterans. French historian Jean-Marie Labre and Canadian author and researcher France Rivet were among the people they met.
Together, they went to the leaders of Masnières and suggested putting a plaque in memory of Shiwak near where he is thought to have died.Masnières is also home to one of the statues along the Trail of the Caribou, which is a tribute to what Newfoundland did, gave, and gave up during the First World War.
“From there, things just got worse,” Pottle said.”They took it to the city council, and the council approved the plan unanimously.”
The plaque is on the outside wall of an elementary school, which is close to where seven soldiers were killed by a German shell on November 21, 1917. After Shiwak died, there were a lot of fights in the area, and his grave site was lost.
“Shiwak was a skilled hunter, trapper, and fisherman,” the plaque says.”On July 24, 1915, he signed up to join the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He would become one of the Regiment’s best and most well-known snipers.
The plaque is written in English, French, and the Inuttitut language.
Shiwak is then called “one of the unsung heroes of the Great War.”
“From what I’ve heard,” Pottle said, “he was very well known.” “The French were very surprised and still are that a young Labrador Inuk answered the call and came to help free France during the First World War. So, from what I can tell, he is very respected in France and throughout Europe.”
Pottle couldn’t make it to the ceremony, which was originally set for 2020 but was moved up because of the pandemic. However, Newfoundland historian Frank Gogos, representatives from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the Royal Canadian Legion, and two cabinet ministers from the provincial government were there.
Municipal leaders in Masnières were quick to take up the cause of the Shiwak, but Pottle said that Canadian government leaders have been slower to act at home. Now, he hopes that will change.
Pottle said, “I hope that after today’s ceremony, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada will pick up the slack and continue to help do the work to honor our Indigenous veterans the way they should be honored.”
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