Tag: Returning Soldiers of World War I

WE NEVER FORGET: Martyrs of the Winnepeg General Strike, June 21, 1919-Mike Sokolowski & Steve Szczerbanowicz

Janet RayeWe Never Forget
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Quote Mother Jones, Pray for dead, Ab Chp 6, 1925
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WNF, Winnipeg GS Bloody Saturday, June 21, 1919
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WE NEVER FORGET
The Martyrs of the Winnipeg General Strike
Who Lost Their Lives in Freedom’s Cause
on Bloody Saturday, June 21, 1919

Blooday Saturday

Bloody Saturday, Wpg GS, WLN Strike Bltn p1, June 23, 1919The Western Labor News, Special Strike Edition No. 32, of June 23, 1919 described events of Saturday, June 21st:One is dead and a number injured, probably thirty or more, as result of the forcible prevention of the “silent parade” which had been planned by returned men to start at 2.30 o’clock last Saturday afternoon…..

On Saturday, about 2.30 p.m., just the time when the parade was scheduled to start, some 50 mounted men swinging baseball bats rode down Main Street. Half were red-coated R.N.W.M.P., the others wore khaki. They quickened pace as they passed the Union Bank. The crowd opened, let them through and closed in behind them. They turned and charged through the crowd again, greeted by hisses, boos, and some stones. There were two riderless horses with the squad when it emerged and galloped up Main Street. The men in khaki disappeared at this juncture, but the red-coats reined their horses and reformed opposite the old post office.

Shooting to Kill

Then, with revolvers drawn, they galloped down Main Street, turned, and charged right into the crowd on William Avenue, firing as they charged. One man, standing on the sidewalk, thought the mounties were firing blank cartridges until a spectator standing beside him dropped with a bullet through his breast. Another standing nearby was shot through the head. We have no exact information about the total number of casualties, but there were not less than thirty. The crowd dispersed as quickly as possible when the shooting began.

Mike Skolowski & Steve Szczerbanowicz

From “Winipeg General Strike…Two Ukrainians Killed”
-by Peter J. Manastyrsky:

Mike Sokolowski, GraveStone, June 21, 1919Mike Sokolowski (AKA: Sokolowiski) was killed in front of City Hall on what came to be known as Bloody Saturday, shot by the Royal Canadian Northwest Mounted Police during the fighting. Sokolowski was the only person killed in the riot and buried at Winnipeg’s Brookside Cemetery (section 45, plot 450). Mike Sokolowski’s grave was unmarked for over 80 years until June 20, 2003. As part of the Brookside Cemetery’s 125th Anniversary, a donation was made to purchase a headstone for Mike Sokolowski.

Steve Szczerbanowicz, GraveStone, June 21 1919On the other hand, Steve Szczerbanowicz (AKA: Sheebaubucz, Schezerbanowicz, Schezerbanowes) after being shot through both legs by a police officer during the Winnipeg General Strike on June 23rd, died due to a gangrene infection. For 96 years Steve Szczerbanowicz was buried at an unmarked grave at Brookside Cemetery but on June 20th, 2015 funds were raised to cover the cost of a gravestone in memory of Steve Szczerbanowicz (section 80, plot 7) victim of the six-week Winnipeg General Strike.

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Hellraisers Journal: Winnipeg Strike Bulletin: “Bloody Saturday-R.N.W.M.P. Make Gory Debut” Shoot Peaceful Citizens

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Wpg GS Spirit Unbreakable, WLNs May 19, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday June 24, 1919
Winnipeg General Strike News: Mounties and Specials Attack “Silent Parade”

From Western Labor News Special Strike Edition No. 32 of June 23, 1919:

BLOODY SATURDAY

R.N.W.M.P. Make Gory Debut
-Peaceful Citizens Shot Without Warning
-City Under Military Control
-Returned Men Incensed
-Strikers More Determined.

Wpg GS, Bloody Sat, After the Shooting, Wpg Tb p2 June 23, 1919

One is dead and a number injured, probably thirty or more, as result of the forcible prevention of the “silent parade” which had been planned by returned men to start at 2.30 o’clock last Saturday afternoon. Apparently the bloody business was carefully planned, for Mayor Gray issued a proclamation in the morning stating that “Any women taking part in a parade do so at their own risk.” Nevertheless a vast crowd of men, women and children assembled to witness the “silent parade.”

The Soldiers’ Committee, which had been interviewing Senator Robertson, had not returned to their comrades when the latter commenced to line up on Main Street, near the city hall.

No attempt was made to use the special city police to prevent the parade. On a previous occasion a dozen of the old regular city police had persuaded the returned men to abandon a parade which had commenced to move.

On Saturday, about 2.30 p.m., just the time when the parade was scheduled to start, some 50 mounted men swinging baseball bats rode down Main Street. Half were red-coated R.N.W.M.P., the others wore khaki. They quickened pace as they passed the Union Bank. The crowd opened, let them through and closed in behind them. They turned and charged through the crowd again, greeted by hisses, boos, and some stones. There were two riderless horses with the squad when it emerged and galloped up Main Street. The men in khaki disappeared at this juncture, but the red-coats reined their horses and reformed opposite the old post office.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Winnipeg Strike Bulletin: “Bloody Saturday-R.N.W.M.P. Make Gory Debut” Shoot Peaceful Citizens” →

Hellraisers Journal: Explosion and Fire Kills 78 Coal Miners at the Baltimore No. 2 Tunnel at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Thomas Dougherty re Wilkes Barre MnDs, Harrisburg Tg p1, June 5, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday June 6, 1919
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – Coal Miners Perish in Flames of Mine Fire

From Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg Telegraph of June 5, 1919:

Baltimore Tunnel No 2 Explosion, Wilkes Barre, Harrisburg Tg p1, June 5, 1919

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Sparks Ignite Powder

Survivor Describes Flames, Wilkes Barre MnDs, Harrisburg Tg p1, June 5, 1919

More than 100 mine workers were riding to their work crowded into what is known as a “trip” of mine cars, drawn by a motor. The rear car carried twelve kegs of black powder used for blasting loose the coal in the chambers. When the train had gone about 200 feet from the entrance the trolley wire snapped. The sparks it emitted touched off the powder.

There was a roar and in an instant every man and boy on the train was either dead or dying. Mangled bodies were found everywhere by the rescue crews which rushed into the mine. Fire fighters, working frantically, soon succeeded in subduing the flames which followed the blast. Those who had not already succumbed were so badly burned that in nearly every case death was a matter of only a short time.
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Hellraisers Journal: Returned Soldiers and City Police Stand with Winnipeg General Strike; Massive March on Parliament

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Quote Returned Soldiers re Wpg GS, Strike Bltn, June 2, 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday June 3, 1919
Winnipeg, Manitoba – Soldiers and Police Support General Strike

From The Butte Daily Bulletin of May 31, 1919:

Wpg GS, Soldiers Police w Strkrs, Btt Dly Bltn p1, May 31, 1919
Wpg GS, 9 Cops on Job, Vets Spk, Btt Dly Bltn p1, May 31, 1919

(Special United Press Wire.)

Winnipeg, May 31.-The police force now consists only of nine men, 181 officers having automatically been discharged yesterday when they refused to sign an agreement with the city severing their connections with labor.

The policemen had voted their approval of the demands in the general strike, but had not voted to strike themselves. An effort is being made to have the mounted police do the city patrolling.

Returned soldiers asked that the principle of collective bargaining be placed in the provincial statutes and also asked that the city officials with draw their demands on the police.

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[Emphasis added.]

From the Winnipeg Strike Bulletin of June 2, 1919:

THE SOLDIER AND THE STRIKE

The severest jolt the financial magnates of Winnipeg ever got was administered by the returned soldiers early in the strike, when the mass meeting representing all the returned soldier bodies reversed the decision of the combined executives and threw in their lot with the strikers.

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Hellraisers Journal: WEB Du Bois on Black Soldiers: “We Return. We Return from Fighting. We Return Fighting.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote WEB DuBois, Disfranchise Citizens, The Crisis p14———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday May 23, 1919
W. E. B. Du Bois on “Returning Soldiers”

From The Crisis of May 1919:

Cover The Crisis, Returning Soldiers DuBois, May 1919

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RETURNING SOLDIERS

We are returning from war! THE CRISIS and tens of thousands of black men were drafted into a great struggle. For bleeding France and what she means and has meant and will mean to us and humanity and against the threat of German race arrogance, we fought gladly and to the last drop of blood; for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far-off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation. For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult—for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight also.

But today we return! We return from the slavery of uniform which the world’s madness demanded us to don to the freedom of civil garb. We stand again to look America squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: WEB Du Bois on Black Soldiers: “We Return. We Return from Fighting. We Return Fighting.”” →