John Shiwak (1889 – November 21, 1917) was a Newfoundland sniper during 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 was a member of the

Newfoundland Regiment The Royal Newfoundland Regiment (R NFLD R) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's 37 Canadian Brigade Group. Predecessor units trace their origins to 1795, and since 1949 Royal New ...

and noted as one of the best snipers in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

forces during the war. Shiwak, an

Inuk Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...

, lived at Cul-de-Sac, a small community near his birthplace of

Rigolet Rigolet ( Inuttitut: ''Tikigâksuagusik'') (population 310) is a remote, coastal Labrador community established in 1735 by French-Canadian trader Louis Fornel. The town is the southernmost officially recognized Inuit community in the world. Loca ...

, at the entrance to

Lake Melville Lake Melville is an estuary of Hamilton Inlet (itself an extension of Groswater Bay) on the Labrador coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Comprising and stretching inland to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, it forms part of th ...

. According to family lore, the family name was changed from Sikoak, an Inuit word meaning ''newly formed ice,'' by

Harry Paddon Henry Locke Paddon (9 August 1881 – 1939) was a British doctor and medical missionary in Canada. Life Paddon was the son of Henry Wadham Locke Paddon (1839–1933) and his wife Catherine Van Sommer; his father was son of the Rev. (Thomas) Henry ...

of the

Grenfell Mission The Grenfell Mission was a philanthropic organization that provided medical and social services to people in rural communities of northern Newfoundland and Labrador. It was founded by Sir Wilfred Grenfell in 1892 as a branch of The Royal National Mi ...

to Shiwak. He was a hunter in the far interior of Labrador and also of the

Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It ...

near his hometown, where he learned to handle a rifle. Shiwak had joined the

Legion of Frontiersmen The Legion of Frontiersmen is a civilian organisation formed in Britain in 1905 by Roger Pocock, a former constable with the North-West Mounted Police and Boer War veteran. Prompted by fears of an impending invasion of Britain and the Empire, the ...

, a paramilitary organization that had been founded in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

in 1905 and had set up operations in Newfoundland in 1911. In 1915 Shiwak left Rigolet for St. John's and enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment on July 24. During his time in the war his superiors recognised his abilities as a sharp shooter and, on April 16, 1917, he was promoted to

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

. On November 21, 1917, he and six fellow soldiers were killed by a shell at

Masnières Masnières () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry History Masnières figured into the 1917 Battle of Cambrai during which time it was briefly captured by the British on the first day of the battle, November 20, an ...

. Capt R.H. Tait provided the following details about John Shiwak's death in a letter written on February 12, 1918 : "I was present on the morning of Nov. 21st when the above NCO was killed. We had taken part of the village (Masnières) in the attack on the 20th, and remained in our consolidated positions on that night. The next day we were ordered to take up a position on the other end of the village and act as counter attacking battalion if required. We assembled in the Sucrerie and, having formed up, along the canal bank toward another sugar factory where Batt’n HQ was to be located. The enemy at the time were shelling the bank and one shell burst right in the middle of our column and killed seven, amongst whom was L/C Shiwak, and wounded about ten others. Shiwak was buried that afternoon in the village of Masnières and close to the spot where he fell. His loss was keenly felt by the whole Regiment as he was a great favourite with all ranks, an excellent scout and observer, and a thoroughly good and reliable fellow in every way. Shiwak will long be remembered by all who knew him." In 2014, a new residential wing at Memorial University of Newfoundland was named Shiwak Hall in his honour.

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The Inuk Sniper : John Shiwak of Labrador was a top marksman in WWI (Up Here Magazine)John Shiwak, Inuk War HeroInuk L/Cpl John ShiwakEskimo Hero from Labrador dies in War (Montreal Daily Star 1918-04-26)Inuk WWI veteran remembered as regiment's best sharpshooterJohn Shiwak - An Inuit Frontiersman by Dean Bruckshaw, Historian & Archivist (Canada), Legion of Frontiersmen (Countess Mountbatten's Own) Photo of John ShiwakLance Corporal John Shiwak from the "Canadian Great War Project"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shiwak, John 1889 births 1917 deaths Inuit from Newfoundland and Labrador Legion of Frontiersmen members People from Labrador Newfoundland military personnel of World War I Newfoundland military personnel killed in World War I Royal Newfoundland Regiment soldiers

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