15.4.4

The Story of Mike Mountain Horse

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The Story of Mike Mountain Horse

Mike Mountain Horse and his brothers fought in France during WW1. Mike was celebrated as a war hero both amongst his tribe and in Canada.

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Stalemate

  • The Stalemate on the Western front continued into Spring 1917.
  • Both sides had experienced huge loss of life and the soldiers were fatigued from fighting in the trenches and poor conditions.
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Canada

  • Canada was a British Colony, and as with other colonies they sent soldiers to fight on the Western Front.
    • The majority of these were of British descendancy.
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Mike Mountain Horse

  • Mike Mountain Horse was a member of the native First Nations Kainai Blood Tribe who had warrior traditions.
    • They had initially been told to revoke these traditions when the British first colonised Canada.
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Mike's older brother, Albert

  • Albert Mountain Horse, Mike's older brother had fought at the Second Battle of Ypres (see the Story of the Algerian Troops).
  • He was gassed three times during the fighting.
    • As a result of the gas attacks, Alberts lungs were severely damaged and he was sent home.
    • He died in November 1915 just a day after arriving back in Canada.
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Vengeance for Albert

  • Following the death of Albert and his funeral, Mike and his brother Joe signed up to fight.
    • They wanted to avenge the death of their brother and also show they still possessed the warrior tradition the Blood tribe were famous for.
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France in 1917

  • In 1917, Mike and Joe arrived in France. They fought in the battle of Vimy Ridge and Cambrai.
  • The Battle of Cambrai was a British offensive and the first time tanks were used in a Battle.
  • On 20th November 1917, the British attacked the German lines and captures 7500 prisoners.
  • Despite the initial advance by 5 December the British had been pushed back to near their original position.
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Mike Mountain was injured

  • Mike Mountain fought in the battle and was buried under rubble for four days at Cambrai.
    • He was later evacuated to England to recover from his injuries.
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Mike Mountain's legacy

  • Mike returned to Canada in 1919 and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
    • He was a celebrated war hero amongst his tribe.
  • Mike Mountain recorded his experiences of the First World War on a buffalo hide, a traditional war robe created by the Blood Tribe.

Jump to other topics

1The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

1.1Anglo-Saxon England

1.2The Contest for the English Throne

1.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

1.4King John

1.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

1.6The Black Death

2Worldviews

3The Empire of Mali

4The Renaissance & Reformations, 1500-1598 AD

5The British Empire, 1583-1960 AD

6The Peasants' Revolt

7Religion in the Middle Ages

8Slavery, 1619-1833 AD

9The English Civil War, 1642-1660

10The Industrial Revolution, 1750-1840

11US Independence, 1775-1783

12The French Revolution, 1789-1815

13The British Empire, 1857–1930

14Suffrage

15World War 1, 1914-1918

16The Inter-War Years, 1919-1939

17World War 2, 1939-1945

18The Cold War, 1947-1962

19Civil Rights in the USA, 1954-1975

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