Stories from Beaumont-Hamel Lance Corporal John Shiwak

Remembrance

Stories from Beaumont-Hamel Lance Corporal John Shiwak

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Stories from Beaumont-Hamel Lance Corporal John Shiwak When talking about the losses of the Newfoundland Regiment in the First World War, we have a tendency to focus on the Newfoundlanders. However, a lot of Labradoreans also served in the First World War. There are also many known members of the Inuit and Innu populations of Labrador to have served in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. One such man is John Shiwak. He enlisted in 1915 for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and after his training he began to serve overseas. Unfortunately, in November 1917, he was killed by a shell at the Battle of Cambrai near Masnières where there is a caribou monument there at the moment. However, during his time with the regiment he quickly garnered a reputation for being one of the best sharp shooters, if not the best the regiment had. Towards the end of his life, he also became known as one of the best snipers in the British army.

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