Clifford Robinson Oulton was just 14 years old and baby-faced when he walked into a recruiting office in Moncton, N.B., on Feb. 1, 1916. The Great War was raging in France, Belgium and beyond and young Clifford wanted to be a part of it.
His father George, a railroad pipefitter, had died. He’d lost a brother in 1909. His mother Dora and four sisters lived just outside of town, in Bridgedale. Times were tough, no doubt.
This week, between Indigenous Veterans Day on Nov. 8 and Remembrance Day on Nov. 11, and after observance of the first Truth and Reconciliation Day, it seems fitting to remember one of the country’s first Indigenous military heroes, a man honoured by his own people, colonial allies and Europeans in the 18th century.
His traditional name translates to “he who places two bets” or “two sticks bound together for strength”—but his tree of life has so many branches it’s difficult to know which two character traits combined to give him such a strong personality.
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Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 