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Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
@CraigBaird
Jun 13, 2023 • 8 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
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It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Sgt. Tommy Prince, one of Canada's most decorated soldiers.

Tommy Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba on Oct. 15, 1915. His family had a long military tradition, which he would carry in his adult life.

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Despite easily meeting requirements, he was turned down several times when he tried to enlist to fight in the Second World War.
He was finally accepted on June 3, 1940. Originally part of the Royal Canadian Engineers, he joined the Devil's Brigade in 1942.

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Prince was highly skilled with covert abilities. In February 1944, he ran a communication line 1,400 metres to a house only 200 metres from a Germany artillery position. He spent three days reporting on German activities from that house.

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When the line was severed by shelling, he pretended to be a farmer, went out and fixed it as he stooped to tie his shoes, then went back to the house.
His actions led the destruction of four German tanks by the Allies.
In the summer of 1944, he was given a new mission.

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He walked through rugged terrain without food or water for 72 hours to locate a German camp. He then relayed the location to the Allies, leading to the capture of 1,000 German soldiers.
He was one of only 59 Canadians to earn Military Medal & the American Silver Star.

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Returning back to Canada, he was unable to vote in any elections & was refused the same benefits given to other veterans.
With no employment, he enlisted with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and began to train new recruits.

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He was part of the first Canadian unit to land in Korea & during the war he led many patrols into North Korean territory. He launched sneak attacks before retreating.
He remained in the army until 1954, and then devoted himself to helping the Indigenous people.

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He fell on hard times & was living out of a shelter at one point. He was also forced to sell his medals to feed his family.
He died on Nov. 25, 1977. More than 500 people, including Manitoba's Lt. Gov. attended his funeral.

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More from @CraigBaird

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Apr 6
Today is Tartan Day! The day was first celebrated in 1987 in Nova Scotia and has been celebrated nationally since 2010.
Canada's Official Tartan was designed in 1964 by David Weiser.
Here are the official (and unofficial) tartans of Canada's provinces and territories.

🧵1/16 A repeating tartan pattern made up of large squares in dark red and deep green, intersected by thick beige stripes. Thin black and yellow lines run through the design, creating smaller crosshatched sections within the larger squares. The pattern is evenly spaced and symmetrical across the image.
British Columbia:

This tartan was designed by Eric Ward in 1966 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the union of Vancouver Island and British Colony. It was adopted as the official tartan in 1974. It represents the Pacific Ocean, the forests and the Pacific Dogwood.

🧵2/16 A repeating tartan pattern featuring large red squares intersected with light blue bands. Dark green blocks appear between the red areas, while thin yellow and black lines run throughout the design, forming fine crosshatched details. The pattern is dense, with multiple overlapping stripes creating a layered, symmetrical grid across the image.
Alberta:

The official tartan was designed by Alison Lamb, director of the Edmonton Rehabilitation Society, and Ellen Neilsen, the weaving instructor. It was adopted in 1961. It represents the forests, grain fields and Alberta's official colours.

🧵3/16 A repeating tartan pattern with a light green base, overlaid by darker green squares. Wide pale yellow stripes run both vertically and horizontally, intersected by thin white and blue lines. Fine black lines add additional crosshatching, creating a structured grid of evenly spaced squares across the image.
Read 16 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Apr 4
From 1963 to 2009, Canadian Roman Catholic priests took to the ice for charity.
Through 907 games, they raised $4 million and only lost six games.
Not bad for a team whose backup goalie was a horse.
This is the story of the Flying Fathers!

🧵 1/10 A black-and-white photo of a person on an ice rink wearing a nun costume, including a long dark habit and white head covering. The person is skating in a low, forward-leaning position while holding a hockey stick with both hands. One leg is extended behind, and the other is bent, suggesting motion across the ice. A puck is visible near the blade of the stick. The background shows rink boards and a smooth ice surface.
In 1963, two priests from Northern Ontario, Les Costello and Brian McKee, heard about a boy who lost the use of an eye. His mother couldn't cover the medical bills so they organized a charity game to raise money.
Costello had played in the NHL for 15 games in 1948-49.

🧵2/10 A black-and-white portrait of Les Costello. He is smiling, facing slightly toward the camera, with short dark hair neatly styled. He wears a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey sweater featuring a large maple leaf crest with the team name across the front. The background is plain and light, keeping the focus on his face and upper body.
The game raised $5,000 to help the mother. Originally it was supposed to be a one-off event but proved to be so popular it became an annual tradition.
Calling themselves the Flying Fathers and Puckster Priests, they became known for their entertaining antics on the ice.

🧵3/10 A black-and-white photo of a hockey game in progress. In the foreground, a goaltender wearing large leg pads, a blocker, and a mask is positioned in front of the net, crouched and watching the play. A player wearing a jersey with the name Shephard and the number 42 is skating toward the net from the right side, holding a stick and facing the goalie. Another player is partly visible at the left edge of the frame. Behind the net, a man in a dark jersey and cap leans forward over the boards, holding a puck in one hand. Spectators sit in the stands behind glass panels, watching the action. The...
Read 11 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 29
In 2006, after the Alberta government had a huge surplus, three million people received a cheque for $400.
Officially called Prosperity Bonus, the cheques were more widely known as Ralph Bucks, named after Premier Ralph Klein.
This is the story.

🧵 1/7 Image
In November 2004, the Progressive Conservatives won their 10th consecutive majority government. While it was another election win for the party, the party was worried after it saw the popular vote fall from 61.9% to 46.8%, its lowest since 1993.

🧵 2/7 Newspaper front page with the headline Klein wins big and a subheadline stating that Liberals and NDP gained seats at the Tories’ expense. A large central photo shows Ralph Klein smiling and raising his hand. On the left is an editorial column titled And now Mr. Premier, what is the plan? On the right, a smaller article discusses a Liberal breakthrough in Calgary with a small portrait of Kevin Taft. Additional text and smaller headlines appear along the bottom of the page.
In September 2005, Premier Ralph Klein announced that the province had a $6.8 billion surplus due to high oil and gas prices. This was far above the $2.8 billion that was previously estimated in the 2005-06 budget, and part of that would go to Albertans.

🧵 3/7 Ralph Klein standing outdoors in front of a building entrance, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie. He faces slightly to the left with a neutral expression while speaking to reporters. Several microphones are held up toward him, including one with a visible Global logo. Glass doors and part of the building facade appear in the background.
Read 8 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 21
From 1928 to 1972, the Alberta Eugenics Board imposed sterilization on individuals deemed by an appointed board to be "mentally defective".
In that time, 2,832 sterilizations were conducted, the vast majority without consent.
This is the story.

🧵 1/10 Black-and-white photograph of four adults posed outdoors in front of leafy trees. Two people stand in the back row: a woman on the left wearing a light-coloured dress with a cloche-style hat and a corsage pinned to her chest, and a man on the right in a suit and tie with his hands clasped in front of him. In the foreground, two men sit on the ground. The man on the left sits with one knee raised and his arm resting casually on it, while the man on the right sits beside him wearing round eyeglasses and a suit. Both are smiling slightly. The setting appears to be a garden or park, with dens...
In the early-1900s, eugenics was growing in popularity. By the early-1920s, eugenics supporters began to lobby Alberta's ruling party, the United Farmers of Alberta, to implement eugenics legislation. On March 25, 1927, the UFA introduced a sexual sterilization bill.

🧵 2/10 Black-and-white illustration of a large tree labeled Eugenics, with the word displayed prominently across a banner at the top of the tree. The trunk and roots spread outward, with various fields labeled along the roots, including biology, psychology, genetics, anthropology, history, geology, and archaeology. Text on either side of the tree reads Eugenics is the self direction on the left and of human evolution on the right. Additional labels appear among the roots, such as statistics, genealogy, sociology, education, and religion. A caption at the bottom reads Like a tree eugenics draws i...
The bill was opposed by the Conservative and Liberal parties and did not reach second reading. It was reintroduced on Feb. 23, 1928 and passed one month later.
The Act formed the Alberta Eugenics Board, which was chaired by Dr. J.M. MacEachran.

🧵 3/10 Black-and-white close-up portrait of a man outdoors. He is shown from the shoulders up, wearing a suit jacket, collared shirt, and tie. His hair is short and neatly combed, and he has a slight smile. The background is softly blurred with foliage, suggesting a garden or park setting.
Read 11 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 15
In pre-colonial Canada, the First Nations established many prominent settlements.
Two of the most famous were Hochelaga and Stadacona, located on the sites of Montreal and Quebec City.
These two villages were home to nearly 4,000 people.
This is their story.

🧵 1/9 Overhead view of a detailed scale model showing a circular fortified settlement surrounded by a wooden palisade wall. Inside the enclosure, numerous long, oval-shaped bark-covered longhouses are arranged across an open central area. Narrow pathways run between the buildings, and small figures are placed throughout the village. Outside the palisade, dense forest with green, yellow, and red foliage surrounds the site, suggesting an autumn landscape.
It is not known when Hochelaga first appeared.
Historians believe the village was established at some point between 1200 CE and 1500 CE. The village apparently sat at the base of Mount Royal, and was surrounded by farmland.

🧵2/9 Historical illustration showing a gathering of Indigenous people and European men near a wooden structure in a village setting. In the foreground, a woman wearing a long patterned garment bends toward a small child standing beside her. To the right, a man stands on a ladder leaning against a wooden wall while another woman stands nearby. In the middle distance, a European man in a blue coat holds a flag with white cross symbols while other men stand behind him carrying flags and staffs. Around them, numerous Indigenous men and women stand or walk through the scene, many wearing traditional ...
The size of the village varied by the time of year. When Jacques Cartier arrived in 1535 it had between 1000 and 3000 people.
Within the village there was at least 50 homes, according to Cartier.
Each home measured 15 metres in length and 3.5-4.5 metres in width.

🧵3/9 Colour historical illustration depicting a meeting between European explorers and an Indigenous community in a large village. In the foreground, a bearded European man in armor kneels and speaks with an Indigenous man seated on the ground while other Indigenous men sit nearby watching. Behind them stand European soldiers in helmets and armor holding flags and weapons. The background shows rows of longhouses enclosed by a tall wooden palisade, with many people gathered throughout the settlement. Forested hills rise in the distance under a pale sky.
Read 10 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Mar 15
There is a unique dialect of the Irish language that evolved in Newfoundland and became forever linked with the island.
It is called Newfoundland Irish and many work to keep the language alive.
This is the story.

🧵 1/7 Coastal landscape showing several red wooden buildings scattered across grassy terrain near the water. A small red house with white trim stands in the foreground on the right, while additional red sheds and houses sit farther back along the shoreline. Wooden fences run through the grass, and a couple of small white boats rest upside down on the ground. In the distance, more houses line the opposite side of the inlet under a clear sky with warm evening light.
Irish immigrants arrived on the island to work in the late-1600s. Over the next 200 years, the Irish language was used heavily on the island, and became its own dialect. Church services were even done in Newfoundland Irish on the island.

🧵2/7 Black and white engraving showing a crowded dockside scene with dozens of men, women, and children gathered near a large steamship. People wear 19th-century clothing including shawls, long skirts, coats, and brimmed hats. In the foreground, a woman bends toward a small child beside a basket while another woman holds a baby. A young boy sits on the ground holding a bundle. Around them, families stand with bags, baskets, and crates of belongings. In the background, more people cluster along the dock with the ship’s masts, rigging, and smokestack rising above the crowd.
Irish poet Donnchadh Ruadh Mac Commara sailed around the island and used Newfoundland Irish in his Irish language poems. By the 1780s, the Irish were the dominant ethnic group of St. John's and by 1815, 19,000 Irish lived in Newfoundland.

🧵3/7 Illustrated coastal scene showing a small settlement beside a narrow inlet. In the foreground, a small house with a fenced yard stands near several wooden sheds and simple buildings along the shoreline. Wooden fences run across grassy slopes leading down to the water. A sailing ship sits in the inlet with its masts leaning slightly, while steep hills rise on both sides of the harbour. Scattered houses and structures appear along the hillside, and a small fort-like building stands on a distant point overlooking the water. The scene is rendered in muted tones with soft shading and fine line d...
Read 8 tweets

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