The Story of Mike Mountain Horse
History: KS3, topic 16.4.4
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on The Story of Mike Mountain Horse
When did Mike's older brother die?