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Description
Mr. Sinclair thinks back to the fair treatment he received as an Aboriginal serving in the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
Samuel John Sinclair
Samuel John Sinclair, un ancien combattant autochtone de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, est né le 22 novembre 1926 au Petit lac des Esclaves (Alberta). Son père était trappeur et cultivateur-éleveur en plus d’être bon chasseur. M. Sinclair avait 12 frères et soeurs. Avant de commencer l’école, il ne parlait que le cri, ce qui a rendu ses premières années d’études assez difficiles. Il a cependant travaillé fort, appris à parler anglais et a enfin bien réussi à l’école. Il a continué à fréquenter l’école jusqu’à la dixième année. <br><br> Il s’est engagé dans l’armée à l’âge de 15 ans, encore mineur, sans la permission de ses parents. Il était grand pour son âge, et il a dit avoir 18 ans. Il a été en stationnement à Wainwright (Alberta). Comme premier emploi, il a été laveur de vaisselle. À l’âge de 17 ans, lorsque l’Armée canadienne a eu besoin d’hommes pour l’invasion de l’Europe, il a été envoyé outre-mer comme renforcement après le jour J.
Transcription
In the spring of '43, we were training in Wainwright on mock combat, fighting and we were treated reasonably for an Aboriginal. There wasn't maybe, in my company, I think there was four but we weren't in the same platoon but they were in the company, I'd see them once in awhile.
And unfortunately, some of our Aboriginal Veterans then, were ashamed of their nationality, some of them, they wouldn't speak Cree. And that hurt me too because I'm a, I was brought up, like I said, I couldn't speak English when I started and I wanted to speak Cree and I was lonesome for that communication too. But what had helped me in my young life as an Army person was I liked the cleanliness of showers, you know, I never had before. We used to swim in the lake and that was about it or there were... and it fell good to the discipline, didn't hurt me because my parents were very strict, especially my mother. We were brought up very militant but also fair. There was a lot of love and care in our family, we done something good and we were honoured with something special and we worked towards those kind of goals so the strictness of the Army didn't hurt me.
I still feel good about the, the rigid rules they had and if you followed them, you were never in trouble. But there was a few times I was in trouble because I didn't follow them and I used to think, well if I hadn't done wrong I wouldn't have got this punishment. And some of it was scrubbing floors in the camp and washing dishes when others were free and, but it's kind of a bit of a laughing matter when you think of it but, not at the time cause it was punishment.
Interviewer: How were you treated, Mr Sinclair, by the other soldiers, the other young men that you were with.
I was treated pretty fair, the older ones especially. They tried to help me because they knew I was Indian ancestry and there was a few smart alecs, the ones that were just slightly older than me, maybe nineteen or twenty years old. But what helped me a lot too was the boxing. I could out box any of those smart alecs and I got to be kinda respected as an as an athlete. I don't think they were in love me as a person but I was treated fair and I appreciated it.