Filip's life was anything but normal. And that started at the very beginning. Some say he was born in 1888, others have it being 1887. But all seem to agree it was at Kudkiv in the Ukraine, then under the control of Russia. Filip would learn the ruggers of hard labour, probably at either the family farm or maybe in stone cutting. Like other young men, he would be conscripted into the army at age 21 and really took to the infantry training. He was so good at it that his ability with the bayonet saw him soon instructing on its effective uses. A talent that would come very handy in later life.
By 1913 Filip had become married and had a young daughter. Seeking a better living for them, he immigrated to Canada with the plan to send for them later when he got established in his new homeland. He dug his heals in working in the lumbering industry briefly in British Columbia but then went East to Ontario seeking higher paid jobs. Soon the War to end all Wars came along and like so many other Ukrainians, despite the way they were treated by their new country, signed up to go to war in mid June of 1915.
By 1913 Filip had become married and had a young daughter. Seeking a better living for them, he immigrated to Canada with the plan to send for them later when he got established in his new homeland. He dug his heals in working in the lumbering industry briefly in British Columbia but then went East to Ontario seeking higher paid jobs. Soon the War to end all Wars came along and like so many other Ukrainians, despite the way they were treated by their new country, signed up to go to war in mid June of 1915.
Filip, now Private Konowal, would get about 10 months basic training at Valcartier and elsewhere with his new unit... the 77th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Services. Many of these units were created for the war specifically and would later earn such a good reputation the Germans would refer to them a storm troopers.
On 19 June his unit boarded the SS Missanabie at Halifax and sailed for Liverpool, arriving ten days later.
On 19 June his unit boarded the SS Missanabie at Halifax and sailed for Liverpool, arriving ten days later.
This is an early post card of the CPR vessel. It was a cruise liner than had upwards of 500 cabins and capacity to carry well over 1,000 3rd class passengers. It travelled basically back and forth between Canada and Britain and turned into a troop carrier at some point. It eventually met it's fate on 9 September 1918 when sunk by a German U Boat, with loss of 45 lives.
Two of these were the women Jane Johnstone and Mary Elizabeth Oliphant, both were employed as stewardesses in the Merchant Marine Service at the time. Their names are two of the seven names on the plaque at Langford BC mentioned a few days ago when I brought you the names of the two women killed the day before Canada went to war. In that incident their vessel, the SS Athenia WAS NOT A TROOP CARRIER but was sunk by a cowardly German U Boat commander who fled from the scene after realizing the dreadful mistake he had made. To further his crime of abandoning those struggling in the water, he ordered his men to strict secrecy of the event and made no reference to it in his ship's logs. His superiors later covered it up by creating the fake story that the Brits destroyed the vessel themselves, as many Yanks were on board at the time and American would become so infuriated it would immediately enter the war. The hoax was finally revealed in evidence taken during the Nuremburg trials.
Pte Konowal's unit arrived at Liverpool on 29 June 1916 and moved into the temporary Canadian camp set up at Bramshott, about 70 miles s/w of London and just a dozen miles inland from the southern coast. While there Filip was promoted to Lance Corporal. His unit was needed to replenish loses in Europe and so it was split up and men were sent in several directions. He would go with a crew to the 47th Battalion, cap badge shown above. After probable additional training at Bramshott he was sent to Europe of 10 August 1916. Two months later he would find himself at Vimy Ridge and wearing 2 stripes now, that of a acting Corporal.
It would be here that Cpl Konowal would become famous... for numerous events, But I'll leave these and much more till Monday!
Bart
Two of these were the women Jane Johnstone and Mary Elizabeth Oliphant, both were employed as stewardesses in the Merchant Marine Service at the time. Their names are two of the seven names on the plaque at Langford BC mentioned a few days ago when I brought you the names of the two women killed the day before Canada went to war. In that incident their vessel, the SS Athenia WAS NOT A TROOP CARRIER but was sunk by a cowardly German U Boat commander who fled from the scene after realizing the dreadful mistake he had made. To further his crime of abandoning those struggling in the water, he ordered his men to strict secrecy of the event and made no reference to it in his ship's logs. His superiors later covered it up by creating the fake story that the Brits destroyed the vessel themselves, as many Yanks were on board at the time and American would become so infuriated it would immediately enter the war. The hoax was finally revealed in evidence taken during the Nuremburg trials.
Pte Konowal's unit arrived at Liverpool on 29 June 1916 and moved into the temporary Canadian camp set up at Bramshott, about 70 miles s/w of London and just a dozen miles inland from the southern coast. While there Filip was promoted to Lance Corporal. His unit was needed to replenish loses in Europe and so it was split up and men were sent in several directions. He would go with a crew to the 47th Battalion, cap badge shown above. After probable additional training at Bramshott he was sent to Europe of 10 August 1916. Two months later he would find himself at Vimy Ridge and wearing 2 stripes now, that of a acting Corporal.
It would be here that Cpl Konowal would become famous... for numerous events, But I'll leave these and much more till Monday!
Bart
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