CANADA COURIER

by Christopher Guly

Remembering the once-forgotten soldier

A black mausoleum resting in Ottawa's Notre Dame Cemetery is hard to miss. Inside lie the remains of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada's seventh prime minister, who died of a stroke in Ottawa at the age of 77.

Today, promoters of Canadian unity often herald the life and times of Sir Wilfrid and the art of his political compromise in seeking to maintain a relationship between the country's French- and English-speaking people.

Not far from the tomb of Canada's first Francophone prime minister lie the remains of Canada's first and only Ukrainian Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, Filip Konowal.

This year, Canada's Ukrainian community is going all out to remember Mr. Konowal, who died in Hull, Quebec - across the river from Ottawa - on June 3, 1959. He was 72.

On July 15, a memorial service will be held at Mr. Konowal's gravesite where a new, upright Victoria Cross grave marker will be dedicated in his honor. That day, a trilingual historical marker in Mr. Konowal's name will be installed in the drill hall of the Governor General's Foot Guards.

In Toronto, another trilingual historical marker will be placed at the Royal Canadian Legion's Konowal Branch 360 on August 21.

Meanwhile, a memorial cairn is planned to be installed next to the granite Tomb of the Unknown Ukrainian Soldier at the annual Ukrainian festival in Dauphin, Manitoba.

On November 23, another marker will be placed at the Royal Westminster Regiment's armory in the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster, and a Konowal Prize will be announced to be presented to extraordinary Ukrainian Canadians who have shown consistent and meritorious service to the country and the community.

Plans are also under way to erect a commemorative monument in Kudkiv, Mr. Konowal's Ukrainian birthplace.

The memorials actually began last summer, when the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Ottawa presented its Filip Konowal Memorial Achievement Award to two-time association president, Irena Bell. A memorial was held at Mr. Konowal's gravesite on Ukrainian Armed Forces Day on December 6.

But no doubt some of the explanation behind this year's memorials to the celebrated Ukrainian Canadian veteran is the result of a better understanding about who Filip Konowal was.

One of the event organizers, Ron Sorobey, recently completed a 34-page biography of Mr. Konowal, in which he sought to uncover, if not dispel, some of the controversy surrounding his life.

Born in Kudkiv in 1888, Mr. Konowal emigrated to Ottawa in 1913. Two years later, he joined the 47th Canadian Infantry Batallion. While serving overseas in 1917, Cpl. Konowal singlehandedly fought the Germans to lead the capture of Hill 70 for the Allies near the German-held French town of Lens. To recognize his bravery, King George V personally presented him with the Victoria Cross, and he was promoted to sergeant.

But shortly after receiving the citation and promotion, Sgt. Konowal suffered a gunshot wound to his head, which, Mr. Sorobey said, left a hairline skull fracture.

That injury worsened following a 1919 scuffle outside a bootlegging operation in Hull. After coming to the rescue of a friend, Mr. Konowal started to mix it up with William (Vasyl) Artich, who was armed with a knife. Mr. Konowal suffered a severe blow to his already fractured skull and Mr. Artich was stabbed during the melee, and later died.

Mr. Konowal was charged with manslaughter and went to trial two years later. After it was discovered his fracture had created intense pressure on his brain, Mr. Konowal had a defense - insanity - and was institutionalized in Montreal until he recovered.

"I have a copy of the lieutenant governor's warrant committing Konowal," explained Mr. Sorobey proudly over the phone from his Revenue Canada office.

Working with Prof. Lubomyr Luciuk, a political geographer at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, Mr. Sorobey dug into Mr. Konowal's past to come to grips with a man who, until now, has been recalled as both legend and hooligan.

Though the Victoria Cross (V.C.) sergeant never held the profile of Sir Wilfrid, he did capture the imagination of one of Sir Wilfrid's predecessors, Mackenzie King.

One day, the former Liberal prime minister spotted Mr. Konowal, who was working as a caretaker in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill. What caught Mr. King's attention was the V.C. medal gleaming on Mr. Konowal's lapel.

At the time, Mr. Konowal was working as a special custodian in the prime minister's office.

Although he allegedly sold his V.C. medal to pay for his mortgage, Sgt. Konowal was only one of 96 Canadians to ever receive the highest military valor decoration, which has since been replaced by a Canadian version.

He got it "for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valor of self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty, in the presence of the enemy."

Seventy-nine years later, the Ukrainian Canadian community is remembering one of its bravest of soldiers, in style.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 2, 1996, No. 22, Vol. LXIV

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