Indigeneous Veterans Initiative (IVI)
The Last Post Fund records Private Frank Jacobs as a Mohawk of the 14th (Montreal Regiment) Battalion, buried at the National Field of Honour with an incorrect date of birth as 1899-01-01. In fact, sixty-four soldiers who died in the first year of the cemetery recorded with birth dates likely close to their correct year, but all as January 1st. An initiative of the Last Post Fund National Office, the IVI is consistent with the Canadian government’s efforts towards advancing reconciliation and renewing the relationship with Indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.
VAC Death Cards
Veterans Affairs Canada does not record a Death Card for any Indigenous soldiers under the name of Frank Jacobs. At least two served, Frank Jacobs, a Mohawk born 1898-06-20 of Caughnawaga, and Frank Jacobs, born 1898-07-27 from the Chippewas of Sarnia Reserve. CEFRG believes the former is buried in G-239 along with Sgt Oscar Barrette of the CAMC.
However, this Private Frank Jacobs never served with the 14th Battalion; and the date of death and burial location of Frank Jacob of the Chippewas unknown.
Oscar Barrette
Both Oscar Barrette 660028 and Oscar Barrette 3352907 had short service records due to their Desertion’s in Canada. The former, buried with Private Jacobs had deserted in May/June 1916 as his unit, the 163rd Battalion sailed for Garrison Duty in Bermuda. The latter, a Métis from Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, officially SoS as a deserter on 31 January 1919.
Private Frank Jacobs – Mohawk
Frank Jacobs (1898-06-20) of Caughnawaga born 20 June 1898 enlisted at Camp Borden with 114th Overseas Battalion. John and Sarah (Sirik) his parents. Frank Jacobs 739833 served with 1st Battalion, CEF, from 28 March 1918 in France. He discharged following the war from the 4th Battalion (attached to 13th Battalion). Presumably, this is the Frank Jacobs buried at the National Field of Honour.
Indigenous Jacobs on the 114th Nominal Roll:
- Frank Jacobs, Caughnawaga, 114th Battalion, 739833
- Jacob Jacobs, Caughnawaga, 114th Battalion, 739772
- VAC: died 3 March 1943, Grand River United Church Cemetery
- John Jacobs, Ohsweken, ON, 114th Battalion, 739832
- Lewis Thomas Jacobs, Caughnawaga, 114th Battalion, 739504
Dates of death and burial locations unknown: John Jacobs and Lewis Thomas Jacobs.
Private Frank Jacobs – Chippewas
Private Frank Jacobs of the Chippewas had a far more interesting service. Frank Jacobs (1898-07-27) from the Chippewas of Sarnia Reserve, now the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. Mother Mary Jacobs. A farmer by trade. Frank was 18 1/2 years of age, standing 5′ 9″ with dark complexion, dark brown eyes, and black hair.
Frank attested 22 November 1916 in St Thomas, ON with the Depot Regiment of the CMR. Transferred to the 8th Reserve Battalion upon arrival in England, 18 May 1917.
54th Battalion
54th Battalion in France from 7 September 1917 and assigned to 4th Entrenching Battalion. No. 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station 19 November 1917 (enlarged gland in chin), then to No. 8 Stationary Hospital, Wimereux and evacuated to England 3 January 1918.
Trooper Frank Jacobs would meet his former unit following the Armistice in Belgium during 1919.
Canadian Light Horse
Arrived in France (again) and assigned to Canadian Light Horse from 7 November 1918. Trooper Frank Jacobs would participate in the March to the Rhine, and the Allied Occupation of Germany.
Trooper Frank Jacobs proceeded to England on 1 March 1919.
Chippewas
Chippewas (Aamjiwnaang) of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) Nation speak an Algonquian language. Mohawks (Kanien’kehá:ka) are part of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and speak an Iroquoian language.
Some saw it as their duty, offering “help toward the Mother Country in its present struggle in Europe,” as Chief F.M. Jacobs of the Chippewas of Sarnia Reserve, now the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, wrote in a letter.
“The Indian Race as a rule are loyal to England,” said Jacobs. “This loyalty was created by the noblest Queen that ever lived, Queen Victoria,” under whose name treaties were signed.
Aamjiwnaang First Nation
Aamjiwnaang First Nation located on the St. Clair River, in the city limits of Sarnia southwestern Ontario, Canada. Our heritage language is Ojibwa.
The name Aamjiwnaang, (pronounced am-JIN-nun) means “at the spawning stream.” In the mid eighteenth century Aamjiwnaang territory covered a vast expanse of land on both sides of the waterway between Lakes Huron and Erie. Bounded by the Maitland River in the east and the Flint River in the west it contained some nine villages supporting a population of 15,000. Aamjiwnaang is an Ojibwa word denoting an important gathering place that had been used by First Nations for millennia.
Beginning in the 1750’s Aamjiwnaang’s prosperity and population came under siege. Allied at first with the French and then the British. Multiple wars took their toll on their young men. At the same time outbreaks of cholera and small pox further decimated the population. In 1827 the population enumerated at only 440 on the Ontario side of the border and 275 in Michigan. Aamjiwnaang’s territory had also been reduced by several land cessation treaties to seven small reserves containing a total of approximately 25,000 acres.
Through a series of treaties their lands further reduced from over 10,000 acres to approximately 3,100 acres. Today Aamjiwnaang remains a vibrant, prosperous community interacting on excellent terms with the surrounding communities. A Francis Wilson Jacobs, Chief from 1884-1899.
Schools
“Prior to 1970, the only thing native (language, culture, etc…) in our schools were the children! No native teachers (all non-native), no native content, no native history, no stories, songs or pictures and certainly no language! Needless to say this had a negative impact on our collective identity and self-image.” – by Davis Rice Summer 2019, endorsed by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke.
IVI
An initiative of the Last Post Fund National Office, the Indigeneous Veterans Initiative (IVI) consistent with the Canadian government’s efforts towards advancing reconciliation and renewing the relationship with Indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.
This initiative has two components:
- Indigenous Unmarked Graves – To provide grave markers to Indigenous Veterans deceased for over 5 years and lying in unmarked graves.
- Indigenous Traditional Name Marking – To add traditional names of Indigenous Veterans to existing military grave markers.
Harvey Satewas Gabriel
Most Indigenous languages polysythetic – entire English sentences can be expressed in a single Indigenous word. Fluent in Mohawk, Harvey Satewas Gabriel asked to read the Scriptures in Mohawk at church. But reading in Mohawk required him to translate short passages. In 1999, these efforts led him to take on the challenge of translating the entire Bible.
24 Years to Translate The Bible
For more than 24 years he worked, sometimes alone, sometimes with others from the Mohawk community and the Canadian Bible Society (CBS), and always with encouragement from his wife, Susan. A grant from the United Church of Canada Foundation, funding from the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake, and funding and linguistic and translation expertise from the Canadian Bible Society helped him complete this great task.
Now at age 83, Harvey is grateful about the unveiling of the first Mohawk Bible, published by the Canadian Bible Society. In a recent interview with CBS, Harvey said, “You never get tired working with the Word of God. Never.” He said he wants the Bible to echo into the other Mohawk communities. “It is not my word. It’s not about me, it’s about Him.”
National Field of Honour
Indigenous veterans buried at the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire
- Joseph Bernard – Mi’kmaw
- Joseph Bissonnette – Mohawk
- Noel Charlebois – Algonquin
- Joseph Leon Duquette – Algonquin
- Paul Gauthier – Algonquin
- Frank Jacobs – Mohawk
- Romeo Laine
- Charles Langelier – Abenaki
- Albert Marchand – Mi’kmaw
- Charles Martin – Mi’kmaw
- Joseph Gerard Martin – Mi’kmaw
- Thomas Morris – Mohawk
- Joseph Picard – Huron-Wendat
- Lorenzo Riendeau – Algonquin
- Adelard Simon – Mohawk
- Harry Stacey – Mohawk
- John Williams – Mohawk
Contact CEFRG
Do you know of any Indigenous Soldier who served with the CEF during 1914-1919 and is not properly commemorated or honoured?
