City poised to build new interpretive display about Sgt. Tommy Prince

The City of Winnipeg is poised to approve a new North End interpretive display about the life and legacy of Sgt. Tommy Prince, an Anishinaabe soldier decorated for his actions during the Second World War and the Korean War.

In a report to city council's executive policy committee, Winnipeg's Indigenous relations division recommends the city approve a new display about Prince at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place on Sinclair Street and Dufferin Avenue.

Panels on the display will detail Prince's birth and upbringing at Brokenhead Ojibway Nation northeast of Winnipeg, his displacement to Elkhorn Residential School in western Manitoba and his military service, which resulted in his decoration with honours that included a Military Medal from the British Commonwealth and an American Silver Star.

"Staff at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place are constantly asked for information on Mr. Prince," reads a submission to the Indigenous relations division. "This interpretive installation will celebrate his life and give visitors a glimpse into his life."

Born in Brokenhead in 1915, Prince is best known for sneaking behind German lines in Italy in 1944. He ran a telephone line 1.5 kilometres behind enemy lines and posed as an Italian farmer in order to maintain it and relay information back to his unit.

The submission to the city quotes Lt.-Col. Thomas Gilday as noting that Prince's "courage and utter disregard for personal safety were an inspiration to his fellows and a marked credit to his unit."

Prince served five years during the Second World War and also served two tours of duty during the Korean War.

Following his military service, Prince suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis and racism. He died destitute in 1977.

More than 500 people attended his funeral at Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg, including Manitoba's lieutenant governor and the consuls from France, Italy and the United States.

The new display will cost the city $25,000.