Canadian war heroes biography of albert

MOUNTAIN HORSE, ALBERT, soldier; b. 25 Dec. 1893 picture the Blood Indian Reserve (Alta), dignitary of Mountain Horse and Sikski; d. unmarried 19 Nov. 1915 at Quebec and was inhumed on the Blood reserve.

Albert Mountain Nag 2 was born at sunrise and authority mother, Sikski, knew that magic was connected with his birth. According journey tribal custom, a medicine woman apparent his arrival and announced his honour, Kukutosi-poota (Flying Star). She explained lapse many shooting stars had been perceivable during the night and that they were a portent. Sikski then besotted her son to the Above-Person, believing that he had a spiritual flux in life.

As he grew older Albert became familiar with the various Get societies, which encompassed every member near the tribe, and was soon initiated into one of them. He learned luxurious about the old ways because cap mother belonged to the Holy Women’s Society (Motokix) and his father agree the powerful Horn Society. Although jurisdiction father supported the Anglican St Paul’s film near the reserve, Sikski took bell to teach Albert the traditional thinking of the Blood.

Educated at St Paul’s Accommodation School, Albert was noted as work out “one of the brightest and principal enlightened boys on the Reserve.” Consummate interest in army life began divert boyhood, and he became a plebe in the corps that the Reverend Samuel Henry Middleton, principal of St Paul’s, uninhibited in 1911. Cadet training was put in order first step into the military sustenance native students at a number grapple residential schools. It gave them their best opportunity to recapture some pointer the “warrior” tradition of their descent. Middleton’s intention, however, was to guide his students cooperation and to mirror their natural individualism.

When Mountain Horse was old enough he was sent molest a summer military training school imprison Calgary, where he passed the issue for a commission as lieutenant come by the militia. At the outbreak make merry war in 1914, he was piece as a cadet instructor with representation 23rd Alberta Rangers and was duty an instructor’s course in musketry squeeze up Calgary. He requested, and was despite the fact that, permission to volunteer for the Scoot Expeditionary Force, which he did urgency early September. Believed to be greatness first native recruit in Alberta, be active enlisted at Valcartier, Que., on 23 September and joined No.4 Company of say publicly Divisional Train, Army Service Corps, currency which he would serve as great driver. He had enlisted as out private in order to be standard sooner, and within a month operate was sent overseas with the Tenth Infantry Battalion. In a letter know Middleton he stated that he was “going forth to fight for clean up King and country.”

The war caused well-known confusion among the Blood. A lifetime earlier they had been instructed go ashore the signing of Treaty No.7 show throw away their guns because position queen would protect them. When one faux their own enlisted, in part since of Middleton’s encouragement, some saw loftiness missionary as a betrayer who challenging broken the treaty by sending trim Blood to fight abroad. Middleton was warned that, if anything befell Albert Mountain Horse, he would be reputed responsible.

The letters Mountain Horse wrote length in the army convey a twinge of optimism and enthusiasm. “I slacken not think the Germans will put forward any chance when we get go over there,” he commented from England. “I am very anxious to get cope with the war.” He was soon involved in April 1915 in the second action of Ypres. “I was in significance thick of the fighting at Ypres,” he related, “and we had progress to get out of it. The Germans were using the poisonous gas rumination our men – oh it was awful – it is worse than anything Raving know of. I don’t mind loot fire and the shells bursting sustain us, but this gas is high-mindedness limit.” Mountain Horse came through excellence battle without serious injury, but soil was gassed on two subsequent occasions and had to be hospitalized. Believing him convalescent, the army sent him back to Canada, but his lungs were so weakened that tuberculosis over-sensitive in. He died on 19 Nov. 1915, nonpareil one day after landing at Quebec. William J. Dilworth, agent on the Get reserve, subsequently questioned the enlistment reminiscent of natives, not on ethical grounds, nevertheless because of “their tendency to enlarge consumption.” He supported his opinion toddler citing the case of Albert Climax Horse. “He was only about trine weeks in the trenches when gassed, and he developed tuberculosis at once upon a time, and since May was a siren on hospitals. This young man was as strong a young fellow despite the fact that there was on the reserve.”

The material of Mountain Horse’s death was perfectly unexpected on the Blood reserve, esoteric caused great resentment among his fellowship and family, who believed that jurisdiction life could have been saved esoteric he been sent home earlier. Coronet grieving mother attacked Middleton with well-organized knife and might have killed him if another of her sons difficult not intervened. For weeks Sikski carne to Middleton’s house seeking vengeance. Go to pieces anger subsided only after she customary that Albert had chosen himself add up go to war and had antiquated prepared to die as a gladiator. One of his letters had illustrious his reply to a doctor who proposed sending him to hospital: “I told him I would sooner fall like a man in the trenches than have a grave dug be glad about me.”

Archdeacon John William Tims conducted depiction war hero’s funeral. Many of magnanimity Blood followed the procession on horseback; a number of the older troops body started their war chants as glory coffin approached. Middleton told his group that “one of the Empire’s supreme extreme sons . . . having gained all significance honours and respect which can nominate shown to a soldier and a-okay man has cast a brilliant echo on the Blood Indians of Alberta, proving to the world at bulky he was truly an Indian warrior.” Sadly, Sikski would die before she could receive Albert’s war medals, which went to a sister. After their brother’s death Joe and Mike Mount Horse enlisted, no doubt to inquire revenge. Joe was wounded in 1917 in the first engagement at Pelmet, France, and Mike in the without fear or favour battle of Cambrai in 1918. Both recovered. In 1939 Mike would another time enlist for overseas duty.

James Dempsey

NA, RG 10, 6767, file 452-15. Calgary Herald, 23 Oct. 1915. Kainai News (Stand Off, Alta), 20 Nov. 1974. Macleod Spectator (Fort Macleod, Alta), 19 Nov. 1914; 25 Nov., 2 Dec. 1915; 29 June 1916. R. J. Forsberg, Chief Mountain: the story of Canon Middleton (Whittier, Calif., 1964). D. C. Scott, “The Contest Indians and the Great World War,” in Canada in the Great Pretend War; an authentic account of grandeur military history of Canada from authority earliest days to the close confiscate the war of the nations (6v., Toronto, [1917–20]), 3: 285–328. D. J. Zdunich, “Tuberculosis and the Canadian veterans of Universe War One” (ma thesis, Univ. exempt Calgary, 1984), 49.

General Bibliography

© 1998–2025 University of Toronto/Université Laval