Did you know that one of our most decorated Indigenous war heroes came from Manitoba?
A descendant of both Chief Peguis and Chief William Prince, Thomas George Prince was one of 11 children born to Henry and Arabella Prince of the Brokenhead Band at Scanterbury.
Tommy Prince became a superb marksman with exceptional tracking skills gained from hunting in the wilderness. He attended Elkhorn Residential School (also known as the Elkhorn Industrial School and the Washakada Indian Residential School). After completing grade eight, he worked at a variety of jobs—primarily as a tree feller. While a teenager, he joined the army cadets.
In June 1940, Tommy Prince enlisted with the Royal Canadian Engineers at the age of 24. Two years later, he volunteered as a paratrooper and trained with the 1st Canadian Special Service Battalion. Soon after, his battalion joined an elite American unit called the 1st Special Service Force. German soldiers nicknamed it the “Devil’s Brigade” because its members gained a reputation for skillfully sabotaging enemy tactics.
On February 8, 1944, near Littoria, Italy, Reconnaissance Sergeant Prince was spying on the Germans from an abandoned farmhouse 200 metres away. He had a clear view of the enemy’s artillery emplacements and promptly reported them using the 1,400 metres of telephone wire connecting him to his force.
When the shelling severed Prince’s communication line, he donned civilian clothing and grabbed a hoe. In full view of German soldiers, he slowly worked his way along the telephone line, “weeding his crop,” until he found the damage. Pretending to tie his shoelaces, he rejoined the wires. To complete his performance as an Italian farmer, he shook his fist at the nearby Germans, then again toward the Allied lines. With his line repaired, he returned to his real work. As a result of his continued reporting, four German positions were destroyed. Sergeant Prince earned the Military Medal and a citation proclaiming, “Sergeant Prince’s courage and utter disregard for personal safety were an inspiration to his fellows and a marked credit to his unit.”
Six months later, Sergeant Prince earned another honour when his force entered southern France. On September 1, he scouted deep behind German lines where he located the gun sites and encampment area of an enemy reserve battalion. He walked 70 kilometres across mountainous terrain, going without food or sleep for 72 hours to report the information. After leading his brigade to the encampment, he joined the battle, which resulted in the capture of the entire German battalion, about 1000 men.
Prince was later summoned to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI decorated him with both the Military Medal and, on behalf of U.S. President Roosevelt, the Silver Star. Part of his citation said: “The keen sense of responsibility and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Prince is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the Allied Nations.”
Tommy Prince was one of only three Canadians awarded both the Silver Star and the Military Medal during World War II. He was honorably discharged on June 15, 1945, and returned to the Brokenhead Reserve where he worked in a pulpwood camp. He married Verna Sinclair, with whom he had five children.
In 1950 Prince returned to the Canadian Army to fight with the United Nations troops in the Korean War. Later, he commented, “As soon as I put on my uniform, I felt a better man.” Once again, Prince proved his skills and earned more military medals.
Sadly, adjusting to civilian life was not easy. Painful arthritis, racial discrimination, and alcoholism plagued him and ultimately resulted in estrangement from his family and the placement of his children into foster homes. Prince spent his final years in a Salvation Army hostel, selling off his medals to support himself. He died in 1977 at the age of 61 at Winnipeg’s Deer Lodge Centre and is buried at Brookside Cemetery. His medals eventually resurfaced and can be viewed at the Manitoba Museum. Tommy Prince did not live to see the many buildings, schools, roads, awards, or scholarships named in his honour.
Private Thomas Prince
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