canadianexpeditionaryforce

I feel sure that this is a relative of mine,I am a Blay and there was a large part of the Blay family that moved to Canada at the end of the 19th century & beginning of the 20th century.I will look into it as my brother & myself have been tracing our family tree recently.

Help piece together the Life Stories of more than 8 million men and women who made a contribution during the First World War at www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/

Amazing story. Nice to know the VC wasn't posthumous, for a change. The Commonwealth is full of amazing people.

Filip's Canadian Enlistment Papers can be seen here www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e... www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.02-e... He was born the 25/03/1887. www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-119.01-e... Battalion War Diary 19th August 1917 to start 22nd August 1917 data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001114065.jpg 22nd August continued data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001114066.jpg 22nd August and start 23rd data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001114067.jpg 23rd August to 26th data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e045/e001114068.jpg

Corporal Konowal has an extensive Wikipedia page en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filip_Konowal which includes the following: Filip Konowal VC (15 September 1888 – 3 June 1959) was a highly decorated Ukrainian Canadian soldier. He is the only Ukrainian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy given to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also entitled to the Cross of St George, 4th Class. He is the patron of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 360 (Konowal Branch) in Toronto. On 19 July 1919, Konowal accompanied Leontiy Diedek, a friend and fellow veteran, to a particularly rough area in Hull, Quebec. The two men went for dinner at a restaurant; Diedek left early in order to look at some bicycles at the home of William Artich, an 'Austrian' bootlegger and bicycle salesman. Konowal became aware of a commotion and went to investigate. A fight had started between Artich and Diedek. By the time Konowal arrived, Diedek had been viciously beaten and Artich was armed with a knife. Konowal managed to gain control over the weapon and killed Artich with a single stab to the chest. Konowal did not attempt to flee the scene; when police came, the First World War veteran stated, "I've killed fifty-two of them, that makes the fifty-third." Veterans rallied around his cause and raised enough money to bail Konowal in October 1919; the trial ended up being postponed three times, finally beginning in 1921. After extensive tests, it was discovered that Konowal was suffering from serious medical problems stemming from war wounds: pressure on his brain was increasing and his condition was continually deteriorating. Medical experts unanimously agreed that a wartime gunshot wound to the head was likely making Konowal mentally unstable; the jury agreed and he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Konowal was institutionalized for seven years. By the end of this period, his condition had improved dramatically. Unfortunately, tragedy struck once again when Konowal attempted to contact his family in Soviet Ukraine: his wife had died during the Soviet famine of 1932–1933 (the Holodomor) and his daughter was nowhere to be found.

Help piece together the Life Stories of more than 8 million men and women who made a contribution during the First World War at www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/

Please correct the title to respect the protocol. It should read "Corporal Filip Konowal VC". The honour doesn't go away after death. Thank you

Never seen such a cap before.

More information here on his record and biography, and a
little snippet here from his background

Death record

And front page of his attestation paper here

excellent shot

Really like this one.