Description
John Shiwak was born in Labrador in 1889. He worked as a hunter and trapper before enlisting in the Newfoundland Regiment in 1915. He was sent to Scotland for training, and his personnel records show that he attended the Regimental Depot at Ayr Racecourse in June 1916 to sign a form. He also spent time in the Bladda Infectious Diseases hospital in Paisley while being treated for measles. He reached the Front in July 1916, where he earned a reputation as a talented soldier , one officer called him the “best sniper in the British Army.” He was also well liked by the other men in his company. His military records contain a letter from Captain Robert Tait, in which he wrote that Shiwak “was a great favourite with all ranks, an excellent scout and observer and a thoroughly reliable fellow in every way.” He was killed in action by a German shell at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917 and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Bibliographic sources
https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/bts/2018/10/29/first-world-war-native-stories/; https://www.therooms.ca/sites/default/files/shiwak_john_1735_0.pdf