Ethelbert "Curley" Christian (likely 15 April 1882 – 15 March 1954) was a Canadian

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 ...

veteran and activist. He has been described as "one of Canada's best known black soldiers" from that war.World War 1 Encyclopedia: Christian, Curley
. ''The Star'', 1 August 2014. Details of Christian's early years are contradictory: he was most likely born in

Homestead, Pennsylvania Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, in the Monongahela River valley southeast of downtown Pittsburgh and directly across the river from the city limit line. The borough is known for the Homestead Strike of 1892, an imp ...

, in 1882, but may have been born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in 1884.Thomas Smith (4 March 2015).
Curley Christian
. ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. After leaving school at the age of 15 he travelled extensively and worked a number of odd jobs before settling in Canada. He enlisted in 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 ...

in 1915 and was eventually assigned to the 78th Battalion, CEF. During the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...

, Christian was involved in supply transport. A shell hit a cargo drop point and he was trapped under debris for two days. An initial rescue failed when the stretcher-bearers were killed by artillery. Christian survived and was taken to a French military hospital. Because of the seriousness of his condition, he was evacuated to the Bethnal Green Military Hospital in London for treatment. His limbs were

gangrenous Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

and all four required amputation; Christian became the only quadruple amputee to survive from this war. Christian returned to Canada aboard HMHS ''Llandovery Castle'' in September 1917. He received prosthetic limbs in Toronto. During his rehabilitation, he met volunteer aide Cleopatra "Cleo" McPherson, whom he married on 11 December 1920. The couple had one son, Douglas, who served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a sailor. Christian's extensive medical needs required full-time caregiving. His wife petitioned for assistance from the federal government, leading to the establishment of the Attendance Allowance. This program offers disabled veterans funding to pay for caregiving needs. Christian designed a prosthesis for writing to allow him to correspond with other veterans; his correspondents included the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

's first quadruple amputee, US Army Private Robert Smith. He "became a sort of public figure, championing initiatives for the care of war amputees and disabled". In July 1936 Christian was one of 6200 veterans invited to the dedication of the

Canadian National Vimy Memorial The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a war memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for Canadian soldiers of the First ...

. During this visit he introduced King

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

to a group of fellow disabled veterans; this was subject to some media scrutiny as a potential breach of royal etiquette. He also met King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

and Queen Elizabeth when they visited Toronto in 1939. Christian is buried in Prospect Cemetery in Toronto. He is memorialized on the Mural of Honour at

The Military Museums The Military Museums is a reorganization of the former Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, Alberta, announced by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, on June 3, 2006. The new museum comprises the former Museum of the Regiments as well as the relocated Nav ...

. He may have been the inspiration for the 1938 novel ''

Johnny Got His Gun ''Johnny Got His Gun'' is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist Dalton Trumbo and published in September 1939 by J. B. Lippincott. The novel won one of the early National Book Awards: the Most Original Book of 1939. A 1971 fil ...

'' and its subsequent adaptations.Shane Emplaincourt (2020).
''Johnny Got His Gun'' and 'One': remembering basket case Joe Bonham
. ''War, Literature & the Arts: an international journal of the humanities'' 32.

References

External links

Canadian Great War Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Curley 1882 births 1954 deaths Canadian military personnel of World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Quadruple amputees Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Black Canadian activists 20th-century Canadian military personnel Canadian amputees Winnipeg Grenadiers Winnipeg Grenadiers soldiers