List of 150 Alberta Historical People
) Private John Chipman Kerr-Awarded VC in WW1
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- 121) Private John George Pattison- Awarded VC in WW1
- 122) Robert Thirsk, Astronaut from Alberta
120) Private John Chipman Kerr-Awarded VC in WW1John Chipman Kerr was a private who served in both the first and second world wars. John was born in Fox River, Nova Scotia, on January 11 1887. He served under the Canada Expeditionary Force during his time of service and with the 49th battalion. During his earlier years, John worked as a lumberjack near and around Kootenay in British Columbia before eventually moving to Alberta and buying a homestead in Spirit River. Before fighting alongside other Canadian soldiers during the Battle of Somme in WW1, he spent some time fighting with Loyal Eddies. The act Kerr is most known for, and the act he received the honorary Victoria Cross for, was fighting in the Battle of Somme. During his time in this battle, Kerr had been a first bayonet man in the assembly that was advancing on a group of Germans that held key positions in the area, while in possession of a number of hand grenades. Before he was able to realize it, he advanced far ahead of his comrades and was put in a situation in which he needed to make a drastic decision, grabbing a rifle and running along the side of the German trench he opened fire on the enemies and chased them away from the trench. The Germans believed that they had been surrounded, the survivors had given up and Kerr’s battalion captured 190 metres of the enemy’s trench. He received the prestigious award of the Victoria Cross for the brave actions that he had taken on that day. As the First World War came to a close, Kerr wanted to still be actively involved in military service. He and his wife Gertrude took their five children and raised them in Peace River. As the Second World War began, Kerr tried to enlist to be sent overseas to fight once more for his country; however he ended up working with the Royal Air Force in the Queen Charlotte Islands as a guard for his remaining years before he eventually passed away in Port Moody, British Columbia on February 19th, 1963. By Michael Peace 121) Private John George Pattison- Awarded VC in WW1John George Pattison was a Canadian solider that fought under the rank of private for the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. John was born on September 8, 1875 in Woolrich, England. He immigrated to Canada in 1906, at the age of 31, with his wife and four children. Shortly after arriving and settling in Canada, John worked for the Calgary Gas Company before he decided to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in May of 1916. During his service in the war, Pattison served directly under the authority of the 50th Battalion. The act that allowed Pattison to be awarded the Victoria Cross stemmed from the events that occurred at Vimy Ridge in France on April 10, 1917. The event took place the day after the ridge was successfully attacked and captured by the allies of the Canadian Corps. After successfully surviving the drastic events that had taken place from the bombardment on the previous day, a high number of German troops were beginning to regroup and prevent the Canadians from being anymore successful then they had been. Pattison’s regiment, the 50th Battalion, was advancing. However, they were halted due to an enemy’s heavy machine gun fire. Pattison contemplated what their next step should be, or rather yet the next move he was going to take. Without any hesitation, he sprinted ahead to the enemy until he became extremely close to their front lines, where he then threw a number of hand grenades into their emplacement. This particular action, taken by Pattison, resulted in a high percentage of the enemy being extremely wounded, giving him the opportunity to capitalize on the situation and charging them. This resulted in the overtaking of the German position. Not only did this result in his battalion gaining control of the German’s position in Vimy Ridge, this brave act that he had taken and the heroic efforts of bravery earned him the Victoria Cross. On June 3, 1917 Pattison was killed by an attack on a German generation station close to the town of Lens, in France. Pattison’s heroic actions were recognized within Canada and the Pattison Bridge in Calgary, Alberta and a mountain peak are named after him. By Michael Peace 122) Robert Thirsk, Astronaut from AlbertaRobert Thirsk has been a very influential individual in the world of space research, education and healthcare. He was born in British Columbia and is now 64 years old. Thirsk is married and has three children. He graduated from university with a degree in mechanical engineering, which deals with how machines are designed, put together and used. This degree led him to become an astronaut; participating in two different space missions, aboard the Columbia space shuttle and the International Space Station. In 2009, Robert Thirsk became the first Canadian to fly on a long duration expedition aboard the International Space Station. He has spent 205 days on space expeditions. During his expeditions, he performed many experiments related to the impact of gravity on the human body. Robert Thirsk also led teams in cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) and visual perception (how we see things) research. Later, Robert Thirsk received a Doctorate of Medicine from McGill University. After twenty-nine years with the Canadian Space Agency, Thirsk resigned and went on to join the Canadian Health Research Institute. There he looked after thirteen different organizations that focused on specific issues such as cancer and aging. As a result of his close ties to Calgary, Robert Thirsk was named a chancellor at the University of Calgary in 2014. He works to promote space and science literacy by working with young students in schools. Robert Thirsk High School was opened in 2013, in Calgary to honor him for his work in education. Robert Thirsk has had a very significant impact on Canada’s history. From setting records in space to creating science programs for students, he has demonstrated that you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to. By Simone Vanbeselaere Download 0.5 Mb. Share with your friends:
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