Ottawa, Ontario, August 27, 2003 — In a ceremony held today at the Canadian War Museum
(CWM), Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow's medals were donated to the Museum by his
children, Marie Anderson and Duncan Pegahmagabow. Included in the donation were his
wedding certificate and photo album, as well as his headdress from his service as chief of the
Parry Island Band.
Cpl. Pegahmagabow was awarded the Military Medal with two bars, in effect three Military
Medals, for heroism on the battlefield. He is one of the most highly decorated aboriginal soldiers
in Canadian history.
Mr. Joe Geurts, Director and CEO of the CWM said at today's ceremony: "We are grateful to the
family for donating these important artifacts to the Museum. Francis Pegahmagabow's artifacts,
along with his story, will enable us to show visitors the courage and spirit displayed by soldiers
when surrounded by the brutality of battle. We are honoured to tell his story at the new CWM
and illustrate the aboriginal contribution to military service."
Francis Pegahmagabow will be prominently featured in the new Canadian War Museum and will
be a key figure for explaining and interpreting the Canadian First World War experience. His
photo and his medals will be displayed in the Last Hundred Days section of the First World War
gallery. In this section, the Canadians, along with the rest of the British Expeditionary Force, are
shown advancing to victory against the German defenders; however, they did so at a terrible
cost, as the Canadian Corps lost 45,000 men in the last hundred days of the war. Pegahmagabow
will be one of the persons used to show the human face of battle. As one of five Canadian
soldiers prominently featured in this section, his story will provide visitors with a better
understanding of the important contribution of aboriginal soldiers to the Canadian war effort.
The new Canadian War Museum is presently under construction at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa.
The opening of the new Museum is slated for 2005, the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the
Second World War and the 125th anniversary of the Canadian War Museum.
Backgrounder
Information (media)
Christina Selin
Senior Communications Officer
Phone: (819) 776-8607
Fax: (819) 776-8623
christina.selin@warmuseum.ca
Pierre Leduc
Communications Officer
Phone: (819) 776-8608
Fax: (819) 776-8623
pierre.leduc@warmuseum.ca
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