Tommy Prince was one of the most decorated soldiers in Canadian history through two different wars. But after his war service finished, he was forgotten by the country he had served. This is the story of Tommy Prince. 🧵 1/20 - ThreadSky

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social • 2 days ago

Tommy Prince was one of the most decorated soldiers in Canadian history through two different wars.
But after his war service finished, he was forgotten by the country he had served.
This is the story of Tommy Prince.

🧵 1/20

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stefjn.bsky.social•2 days ago

Great thread, thanks.👍

cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

Tommy Prince's ancestors had served in support of the Crown during the 1870 Red River Resistance, and his father Chief William Prince was a member of the Nile Expedition in 1885. Family members also served in the First World War.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

Tommy Prince was born on Oct. 25, 1915. Growing up, Prince was an excellent marksmen. He also developed tracking and stealth skills.
Prince's father taught him to shoot using a target the size of a playing card at 100 metres.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

A survivor of the Residential School System, Prince later joined the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
When the Second World War began, Prince attempted to enlist but was denied.
On June 3, 1940, he was finally accepted and by 1942 was in the Canadian Parachute Battalion.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

He was then assigned to what became known as The Devil's Brigade where he distinguished himself.
In 1944, he ran a 1,400 metre communication line to an abandoned farmhouse only 200 metres from German artillery. He then set up an observation post from his position.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

When the wire was severed, he pretended to be a peasant farmer working the land. As he bent down to tie his shoes, he fixed the wire. He shook his fist at both the Allies and Germans to sell the cover.
His actions resulted in the destruction of four German tanks.

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cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social•2 days ago

In 1944, he trekked through rugged terrain for 72 hours with little food or water to locate a German camp.
He found it and reported the position to the Allies. This led to the capture of 1,000 German soldiers.
For his war service, Prince was honoured several times.

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goldhatswin.bsky.social•1 day ago

This is coming in installments?

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