Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
@CraigBaird
Jun 13, 2023 • 8 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
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.

🧵1/8 Image
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.

🧵2/8 Image
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.

🧵3/8 Image
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.

🧵4/8 Image
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.

🧵5/8 Image
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.

🧵6/8 Image
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.

🧵7/8 Image
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.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @CraigBaird

Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Aug 3
When you wear denim jeans with a denim jacket, you create a very unique look. Sometimes you can even include a denim shirt.
This look is known as The Canadian Tuxedo....but why?
It all began in the 1950s in Vancouver. This is the story.

🧵 1/7 A young man with a large afro hairstyle and sunglasses, dressed in a denim jacket, jeans, and brown boots, posing with one hand on his hip and the other on a yellow and black motorcycle in a grassy rural field with trees and buildings in the background.
It all began when Bing Crosby was checking into an upscale Vancouver hotel in 1951 after a hunting trip. Walking in, he was wearing a denim jacket and jeans.
The hotel clerk, Art Cameron, stated he thought the person coming in was an unhoused person.

🧵 2/7 Three people sitting on the ground against a wooden log fence in an outdoor setting: a young boy on the left in a blue shirt looking thoughtful, a middle-aged man in the center wearing a straw hat, red bandana, checkered shirt under a denim jacket, and holding a rope, and another boy on the right in a plaid shirt and cowboy hat smiling, with boots hanging on the fence above and a coiled rope nearby.
This is because denim was something worn by miners, rail workers and cowboys at the time. When a bellhop explained that it was Bing Crosby, Cameron apologized and booked Crosby a room.

🧵 3/7 A black-and-white photo of a man in a white cowboy hat, dark suit with wide lapels, red ribbon, and smoking a pipe, walking through a crowd of people including children, women in dresses, and men in military uniforms, who are clapping, reaching out, and cheering along a roped pathway outside a building with an "EXPRESS AGENCY" sign.
Read 8 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Aug 2
Alexander Graham Bell changed history with his creation of the first practical telephone.
He spent a lot of his life in Canada in Brantford and Nova Scotia, and had a large impact on our history.
This is the story of Bell and Canada.

🧵 1/12 Black and white portrait of Alexander Graham Bell, an elderly man with white hair and beard, wearing a suit and tie.
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he was 23, his brother Melville died of tuberculosis. Bell's parents decided to move out of fear their other children would die. In August 1870, they moved to Canada and settled in Brantford.

🧵 2/12 Black and white portrait of a younger Alexander Graham Bell with dark curly hair, mustache, and beard, wearing a bow tie and suit, looking to the side.
One year later, Bell took a teaching job at a school for the deaf in Boston. This began a pattern of working in the United States and spending summers with his family in Brantford. It was at the family home his telephone idea began to take shape.

🧵 3/12 Black and white photograph of Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel standing arm-in-arm in front of their Victorian-style home with ornate porch, attached greenhouse, and surrounding trees.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 31
On July 31, 1987, an F4 (possibly an F5) tornado hit the eastern parts of Edmonton and Strathcona County.
It left 27 dead, injured 300 and caused $332 million in damages.
This is the story of Black Friday.

📸 Steve Simon

🧵 1/12 The provided photo shows the iconic image of the 1987 Edmonton tornado, captured by photographer Steve Simon. It depicts a large, wedge-shaped funnel cloud descending from a dark storm sky, touching down over an industrial area known as Refinery Row in eastern Edmonton, Alberta. The tornado appears as a bright, contrasting formation against the blackened background, with buildings, utility poles, and structures visible in the foreground.
For a week prior to July 31, a low pressure system in southwestern BC was feeding warm and humid air into central Alberta. Hot weather in Alberta was triggering thunderstorms all week.
Then, on July 31, a cold front developed in Western Alberta.

📸 Peter Cutler

🧵 2/12 The photo depicts the 1987 Edmonton tornado as a large, wedge-shaped funnel cloud, brightly illuminated against a dark stormy sky, descending and touching down over an industrial area with buildings, warehouses, and cylindrical storage tanks visible below. The image has a grainy texture typical of 1980s film photography.
This cold front collided with the warm moist air, creating a recipe for severe thunderstorms.
One storm developed that began to move northeast towards Leduc, south of Edmonton.
At 2:59, the first tornado was spotted.

🧵 3/12 The photo shows a narrow, rope-like tornado funnel descending from dark, ominous clouds and touching down across a multi-lane highway, where vehicles with headlights on are visible amid reduced visibility. Trees and bushes appear in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint is from an elevated or nearby area.
Read 13 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 29
On July 29, 1910 in Saskatoon, a fabled meeting of two prime ministers took place.
The prime minister of the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, met a young man selling newspapers named John Diefenbaker.
But...did it actually happen?
Let's investigate!

🧵 1/6 The photo shows a bronze statue in Saskatoon depicting a young John Diefenbaker as a newsboy in cap and knickers handing a newspaper to Sir Wilfrid Laurier in a suit holding a hat. It stands on a brick-paved area with a plaque at the base, amid a urban street with parked cars, buildings, trees, and flower planters.
At the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier was in Saskatoon to lay the cornerstone of the first building at the University of Saskatchewan.
John Diefenbaker, who was 15 at the time, was apparently selling newspapers on the corner when the two crossed paths.

🧵 2/6 The black-and-white photograph shows a close-up of a light-colored stone block embedded in a wall, engraved with the text: "THIS STONE WAS LAID BY SIR WILFRID LAURIER JULY - 29TH - 1910". Foliage is visible at the top left, and the stone sits above a concrete surface.
After 10 minutes of talking, Diefenbaker told Laurier:
"I can't waste any more time on you, Prime Minister. I must get about my work."
At that point, the two went their separate ways. Today, the meeting is commemorated in a statue at the spot.

🧵 3/6 The black-and-white studio portrait depicts a young man with short, wavy hair combed back, fair skin, light eyes, and a serious expression facing the camera. He wears a white high-collared shirt, narrow dark tie, and dark suit jacket with puffed shoulders. The background is plain and neutral.
Read 7 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 22
Sir Sandford Fleming was one of the most important Canadians of the 19th century.
Best known for his promotion of Standard Time, he had a massive impact on Canada from surveying our railroads to creating our first stamp.
Let's learn more about this amazing Canadian!

🧵1/16 Image
Fleming was born on Jan. 7, 1827. When he was 14, he apprenticed as a surveyor and four years later moved to Canada. In 1849, he qualified as a surveyor in Canada.
That same year, he founded the Royal Canadian Institute with several friends.

🧵2/16 Image
On April 25, 1849, rioters burned down the Parliament Building in Montreal. There is a story that as the building burned, Fleming, with three others, rescued a portrait of Queen Victoria from the flames. That portrait has survived to this day.

🧵3/16 Image
Read 17 tweets
Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx Profile picture
Jul 20
James Doohan wasn’t just Scotty on Star Trek, he was also a Canadian who served his country and landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He then went on to become a gifted actor, trained by fellow Canadian Lorne Greene.
This is his story.

🧵 1/12 Image
Doohan was born in Vancouver to Irish immigrants on March 3, 1920. When he was young, the family moved to Sarnia, Ontario where his father worked as a pharmacist. After graduating from high school, Doohan enlisted with the Canadian Army.

🧵 2/12 Image
By 1940, he was a lieutenant and began to train in Britain. With his fellow Canadians, he landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. He led his men through the battle to a defensive position. That night, he was shot six times by friendly fire while moving between command posts.

🧵 3/12 Image
Read 13 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(