John Shiwak

John Shiwak

Lance Corporal, Royal Newfoundland Regiment British War Medal • Victory Medal

John Shiwak was born in 1889 at Cul-de-Sac, a tiny settlement near Rigolet on the Labrador coast. An Inuk hunter and trapper, he grew up travelling by dog team and living from the land through fishing, sealing and trapping. His family name was originally recorded as Sikoak, an Inuktitut word associated with thin ice.

The skills Shiwak learned in Labrador would later make him an exceptional soldier. He understood weather, concealment and movement across difficult ground. Ammunition was precious on the trapline, and a hunter could rarely afford to waste a shot.

In July 1915, Shiwak travelled to St. John’s and enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment. He was assigned service number 1735 and initially served as a private. At the time, Newfoundland was a separate dominion of the British Empire and would not join Canada until 1949. (Veterans Affairs Canada)

Shiwak left Newfoundland on 27 October 1915 and arrived in Britain on 9 November. After several months of training in Scotland, he reached France in July 1916 and joined his regiment on the Western Front.

His experience as a hunter made him a natural scout and sniper. He became known as the finest sniper in the Newfoundland Regiment and was considered by some to be among the best in the British Army’s 29th Division. His patience, fieldcraft and ability to remain concealed were particularly valuable during trench warfare. (Veterans Affairs Canada)

Despite his reputation, Shiwak was remembered as a quiet and modest man. His surviving correspondence reflected his attachment to Labrador and his longing to return to the land, ice and traplines of his home.

In April 1917, he was promoted to Lance Corporal, the rank he held at the time of his death. He was not formally awarded a gallantry decoration, and there is no confirmed evidence that he received the Military Medal or Distinguished Conduct Medal.

In November 1917, the Newfoundland Regiment took part in the Battle of Cambrai. On the morning of 21 November 1917, Shiwak and several comrades were moving along the bank of the St. Quentin Canal near Masnières when a German artillery shell struck their group. Seven Newfoundlanders, including Shiwak, were killed. He was 28 years old. (Veterans Affairs Canada)

His comrades buried him near the place where he fell, but continued fighting and artillery fire later erased all trace of the grave. Postwar searches failed to locate his remains.

John Shiwak is commemorated on the bronze tablets of the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, which bear the names of more than 800 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who died during the First World War and have no known grave. His name also appears on page 113 of Newfoundland’s Book of Remembrance. (Veterans Affairs Canada)

For his wartime service, Shiwak was entitled to:

1. British War Medal 2. Victory Medal

His correct medal order is:

British War Medal → Victory Medal

Although Shiwak received no individual gallantry medal, he shared in the distinguished reputation earned by the Newfoundland Regiment. Less than a month after his death, King George V granted the regiment the prefix “Royal”, an exceptional honour bestowed following its service during the First World War. The regiment also received the battle honour Cambrai, 1917, commemorating the fighting in which Shiwak lost his life. (RNFLD Museum)

In June 2023, a memorial plaque was unveiled at Masnières, France, near the area where Shiwak was killed and probably buried. Its inscription honours him in English, French and Inuktitut.

John Shiwak was an expert hunter, scout and soldier whose abilities were forged on the Labrador coast. He served as a member of Newfoundland’s own regiment and died during one of its most celebrated battles.

Service summary

Full name: John Shiwak Service number: 1735 Born: 1889, Cul-de-Sac, near Rigolet, Labrador Enlisted: 24 July 1915 Final rank: Lance Corporal Unit: Newfoundland Regiment, subsequently Royal Newfoundland Regiment Killed in action: 21 November 1917 Location: Near Masnières, France Age: 28 Commemoration: Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Medals: British War Medal and Victory Medal Medal count: 2 Gallantry decorations: None confirmed