Sniper from Rigolet

• Main Author: Geoff Bird
• Format: Moving Image (Video)
• Language: English
• Published: War Heritage Research Initiative 2018
• Subjects: World War; 1914-1918; Canada; Newfoundland; Rigolet; inuit
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10613/5588; https://youtu.be/70gMasdf37w; http://warheritage.royalroads.ca/war-memories-across-canada/world-war-i/; https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-528

This 11-part series features stories from sites of memory in Canada related to the First World War. Conversation kits that include discussion questions and activities for students and the public, along with web links and ideas for additional resources are available for each story and accessible online. Please note, each vignette opens with 20 seconds of silence. Lance Corporal John Shiwak of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment is a decorated First World War hero. He is from the remote Inuit community of Rigolet, Labrador. Shiwak’s skill as a marksman earned him the reputation as one of the best snipers in the British Army. He was described as a writer, poet, “a great favourite with all ranks, an excellent scout and observer, and a thoroughly good, reliable fellow in every way.” Shiwak died in November 1917 from shell fire in the Battle of Cambrai. Funded by Government of Canada and Royal Roads University, the two-part documentary series comprises 27 short stories exploring sites of memory across the country linked with the First and Second World Wars. Dr. Geoffrey Bird directed and produced the documentary. The documentary series explores sites of memory that offer insight into our nation’s past. These stories connect and engage us in a new way, looking at the war not from the perspective of battlefields overseas but from places in Canada that were shaped by war. The history is recounted by ‘guardians of remembrance,’ historians, guides and storytellers who offer insight into what happened and why. The documentary provides a gateway to new insights into the significance of this heritage as well as an opportunity to commemorate this shared national experience.