Arthur Mignault, MD (29 September 1865 – 26 April 1937) was a

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

entrepreneur, physician and colonel of the

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). ...

, serving in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He is the founder of the Royal 22^e Régiment, today the largest regiment of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

Early life

Mignault was born in S^t-Denis,

Canada East Canada East (french: links=no, Canada-Est) was the northeastern portion of the United Province of Canada. Lord Durham's Report investigating the causes of the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions recommended merging those two colonies. The new ...

in 1865. He graduated from medical school at the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

in 1888, leaving shortly thereafter to practice in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Upon returning to Montreal in 1896, Mignault started a career in the

pharmaceutics Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or old drugs into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients. It is also called the science of dosage form design. The ...

business. He made his fortune by selling what he marketed as the (little red pills), a drug against

anemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...

, intended for women's use. A sports enthusiast and a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

amateur, he cofounded in 1901 the first

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

club. Mignault was a friend of artist and cartoonist

Henri Julien Henri Julien, baptised Octave-Henri Julien (14 May 1852 – 17 September 1908), was a Québécois artist and cartoonist noted for his work for the '' Canadian Illustrated News'' and for his political cartoons in the '' Montreal Daily ...

. The latter's well-known gouache painting seems to have been sponsored by Mignault, and as of 2009, the work is still in the family's personal collection. It has been hypothesized that the man pictured be Mignault's grandfather, Joseph-Édouard Mignault, a notary from Arthur's hometown who participated in the Battle of Saint-Denis of 1837 as a

Patriote The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment of ...

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...

. Mignault gained notoriety as a philanthropist in 1909, as he offered some of his lands in

downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...

to establish a playground for poverty-stricken children. In 1912, he married Béatrice Boyer, daughter of Canadian senator Arthur Boyer, and granddaughter of the wealthy Quebec land owner Louis Boyer. They had a single daughter, Valérie, born in 1914.

Military career

In 1909, Mignault was granted a militia commission in the rank of surgeon lieutenant with the 65th Regiment "Carabiniers Mont-Royal" (now

Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. Lineage File:FMR Colours.jpg, The regimental colour of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. File:FMR Camp Flag.jpg, The camp flag of Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal. File:Fusilie ...

Founding of French Canadian army units

In 1914, Mignault communicated with Prime Minister

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

to propose the establishment of a solely

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

within the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

(CEF). According to Mignault, this would allow Canadians of French extraction to circumvent the language barrier of the English-speaking battalions. To support his cause, Mignault offered the significant amount of C$50,000. He expressed the desire to accompany the unit overseas, should it be formed. Despite Canada's relatively modest population, Borden had recently committed his country into providing half a million soldiers for the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

cause. Realizing the difficulty of raising such an army on a voluntary basis, Borden conceded. Accordingly, on 14 October 1914, the exclusively French Canadian

22nd Battalion, CEF The 22nd Battalion (French Canadian), CEF, was a battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War. * History The battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Great Britain on 20 May 1915. It disembarked in France ...

, was formed. Mignault proved himself right as his recruitment campaign turned out to be a considerable success. Through French Canadian newspapers and media hype, the ranks of the newly formed battalion were filled in less than a month. Shortly thereafter, content of his recent achievement, Mignault moved to personally finance two other French Canadian battalions, the 41st and the 57th. However, these two lesser-known units fell short of experienced French Canadian officers: most of them had already been moved from English-speaking units to the 22nd Battalion.

Overseas

While Mignault soon realized that he would not be put in charge of a battalion by financing infantry units, as such was clearly his desire, he opted to found and finance a medical unit. By early spring 1915, Mignault had encouraged the Canadian government to settle down a solely French Canadian stationary hospital near the German frontlines in eastern France. He argued that such an establishment could improve Canadian medical implication on the Western Front, as French-speaking medical personnel would naturally better fit, within French lines, than their English counterparts. The government recognized the need to improve Canada's medical efficiency in France. The fourth Canadian Stationary Hospital would soon commence its recruitment campaign. Mignault was put in command, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. By November 1915, Mignault, along with 100 men, had reached the commune of

Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...

in suburban Paris, where the hospital would be deployed. On 15 April 1916, a month after the first convoy of wounded French soldiers had arrived,

French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

officially inaugurated the hospital. Upon meeting him, Poincaré opined that Mignault "looked Norman". Several French figures attended the ceremony, namely the Canadian Minister of Overseas Military Forces, Sir George Perley, prominent historian and member of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Gabriel Hanotaux Albert Auguste Gabriel Hanotaux, known as Gabriel Hanotaux (19 November 1853 – 11 April 1944) was a French statesman and historian. Biography He was born at Beaurevoir in the ''département'' of Aisne. He studied history at the École des C ...

, chief of French medical service,

Justin Godart Justin Godart (26 November 1871 – 12 December 1956) was a French lawyer and politician who served as the Minister for Health from 3 June 1932 to 18 December 1932.High Commissioner of Canada in Paris,

Philippe Roy Philippe Roy, (February 13, 1868 – December 10, 1948) was a Canadian physician, politician, and diplomat. In 1906, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada representing the senatorial government division of Edmonton, Alberta. During this ...

. The hospital's capacity was initially set at 250 beds, but increasing cases of

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

and

gonorhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with ur ...

among French soldiers led to expand its capacity to a full 600. To meet the increased activity, No. 4 Canadian Stationary Hospital was re-organized and re-designated as No. 8 Canadian General Hospital of the

Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (other ranks). ...

. Simultaneously, Mignault was promoted

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. However, of bold nature, Mignault did run into some trouble. In 1916, Canadian authorities had to unravel and discharge several goods and services he purchased without authorization of relevant French firms. Embarrassed, Canadian authorities considered convening Mignault to

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

, but failed to follow through. He was however called back to Canada in November of that year.

End of war

Upon his return home, Mignault was appointed in charge of military recruitment of French-speaking Canada. In spite of his humiliating dismissal from the field, he quite soon received several honours and distinctions. As Major General Sir

Eugène Fiset Major-General Sir Marie-Joseph-Eugène Fiset, (March 15, 1874 – June 8, 1951) was a Canadian physician, military officer, Deputy Minister of Militia and Defence, Member of Parliament, the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, and the 3rd ...

congratulated him for his services in the name of the Canadian Ministry of Militia and Defence, France beset him the title of Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. Mignault was transferred to Canada's

military reserve A military reserve, active reserve, reserve formation, or simply reserve, is a group of military personnel or units that is initially not committed to a battle by its commander, so that it remains available to address unforeseen situations or ex ...

following the enactment of the conscription of 1917. Designated a federal recruiting agent at the beginning of that year, he pursued his mobilising activities among French Canadians. Nevertheless, his military career came to a definite end on 15 September 1918, as he had entangled himself in another predicament with Canadian military authorities.

Later life

Despite his expulsion from the army in 1918, following the end of the war, Mignault continued to promote the military service to young French Canadian physicians. In the years following the war, he cadged the title of Brigadier General to the medical corps, but saw his entreaties refused time and again. Nonetheless, towards the end of his life, his services in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

were indeed recognised, and, a month before his death in 1937, he was granted the honorary rank of Brigadier General. He was the first French Canadian to be promoted to such rank in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. Mignault died in Montreal on 26 April 1937.

Legacy

In 1989, in central

Laval Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...

, a street was named ''Rue Arthur-Mignault'' in the doctor's honour.rue arthur mignault – Google Maps
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Notes

References

External links

Historical article describing the formation of the Stationary Hospital N^o4

Mignault's military service file at the online Canadian Great War Project

Historical newspaper advertisement for Mignault's "Red pills against anemia"

Mignault's obituary
* (French
Short review of a book, ''Dans la tourmente'', relating the story of the two French Canadian hospitals in World War I France
* (French
Mignault's article on the website of the ''Fusillers Mont-Royal'', the regiment which he joined by volunteering in the army in 1909.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mignault, Arthur 1865 births 1937 deaths Canadian pharmacists Canadian military doctors Canadian Militia officers Royal 22nd Regiment People from Montérégie Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Canadian military personnel of World War I Philanthropists from Quebec Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery