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Tommy Prince was born on October 15th, 1915 in Scanterbury Manitoba. He had 10 other siblings and his parents were Henry and Arabella Prince of the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. -
During Tommy's childhood, he became a great marksman, and learned to track and hunt very well, honing his skills around his reserve. -
Tommy had attempted several times to enlist for the Canadian Army at the beginning of World War 2, but he was turned down several times. He was finally accepted on June 3rd, 1940. -
In Littoria Italy, Tommy was sent forward for reconnaissance and to locate the position of German artillery guns and assembly points. During heavy artillery and gunfire, the communications telephone wire Tommy was using was severed. Tommy dressed up as an Italian farmer and had walked out pretending to be mad at both armies. As it looked like he was tying his shoe, he was actually repairing the wire, and continued his mission. -
Tommy Prince's contributions to the war effort did not go unnoticed. On February 12th, 1945, he was awarded the Military Medal by King George IV at Buckingham Palace. He is one of only 3 Canadians to receive the Military Medal as well as the Silver Star recognition. -
After serving in the military in World War 2 as well as in the Korean War, Tommy's life began to spiral downwards as he struggled with depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Even amongst his own struggles he still found ways to help others. In June 1955, Tommy helped a man who was drowning at the Alexander Docks in Winnipeg. -
After a hard life, Tommy passed away at the young age of 62 on November 25th, 1977 at the Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba. Tommy legacy can still be felt today. In 2020, a petition was started to have Tommy Prince's face to be displayed on the Canadian $5 dollar bill.