Sgt. John Wilson of the RNWMP abandons his family in Scotland only to find his past is not as easy to leave behind as sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. His past history of lies start to catch up to him and soon he finds himself on the wrong side of an interrogation. The secret lives of Sgt. John Wilson is a biography researched and written by Lois Simmie. What follows is an examination of the authors purpose for writing this biography, whether or not the purpose is worthwhile in regard to time and money spent by the author and reader, and whether her purpose for writing this biography is accomplished or not. The author’s purpose in writing this biography is to record, “this fascinating piece of Saskatchewan history,” (p. 215). Furthermore she writes …show more content…
216). As a first generation Canadian Jack Wilson’s story of struggling to make a life in a distant land with its unexpected weather is a major part of Canadian history. Jack’s failed attempts at raising a tomato crop due to an unpredictable hailstorm is something many farmers still to this day know all too well. Jack’s battle with the Spanish flu and tuberculosis were frightening realities that took many lives before cures were discovered. Lois Simmie recounts the advertising and combat for citizens in the early days of Saskatchewan cities that captured Jack’s heart. Saskatoon was advertised as, “The Fastest Growing City in the World and The Eight-Year-Old Wonder of the British Empire” (p.12). John Wilson’s involvement in the RCMP varied from Lunatic Detail in Saskatchewan to undercover work in Vancouver. He then worked for the Military Police where he was offered the position
The following review will focus on “The Secret Lives of Sgt John Wilson”, written by Louis Simmie. This review will elaborate on three particular components. Firstly, Louis Simmie’s purpose inn writing “The Secret Lives of Sg.t John Wilson” was to provide an accurate depiction of Saskatchewan history. Secondly, this review will ascertain whether the book “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson is of any monetary value. Lastly this review will discuss whether the author Lois Simmie accomplished her overall goal in writing “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson”
It is often astounding how secrets can tear lives apart. The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson gives testament to this fact. This story is the ultimate portrayal of deception and betrayal set amidst the serene, isolated canvas of the Saskatchewan prairies. What makes this story seems unbelievable is the fact that this is a true story which actually occurred as opposed to being fiction. John Wilson killed his loving unsuspecting and hid her body in an isolated culvert in 1918 near Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Some years later he would be tried in a court of law, convicted and hung for his crime in Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan. He was the first and only Mountie to be hung in Canadian History. Once again, providing that the Mounties did get their man
The book Outlaw Platoon written by Sean Parnell is a soldiers’ tale of his platoon in one of the most dangerous places on earth. This book is a non-fiction riveting work that tells the story of a platoon that spent sixteen months on an operating base in the Bermel Valley, the border of Pakistan. This mission the men were sent on was part of a mission called Operation Enduring Freedom. This book is extremely relevant to the war that we are still fighting in Afghanistan and the humanitarian work that continues. We still have men in this area fighting and losing their lives everyday. It is the focus of ongoing political debates and the purpose of our involvement there is an ongoing question in the minds of many Americans. In writing this book, Parnell makes it clear in his author’s notes that he indeed was not trying to pursue one political agenda over another. His goal as not to speak of all members of the platoon and expose their identities and the types of soldiers they were but instead to showcase some of the men’s bravery and abilities during the war. Parnell believed that he owed it to the men to write something that would show the world what these men go through during combat in an honest and raw account. Another purpose of Parnell’s in writing this book is an attempt at making sure these men are given a place in American war history.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
It is often astounding how secrets can tear lives apart. The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson gives testament to this fact. This story is the ultimate portrayal of deception and betrayal set amidst the serene, isolated canvas of the Saskatchewan prairies. What makes this story seems unbelievable is the fact that this is a true story which actually occurred as opposed to being fiction. John Wilson killed his loving unsuspecting wife Polly and hid her body in an isolated culvert in 1918 near Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Some years later he would be tried in a court of law, convicted and hung for his crime in Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan. He was the first and only Mountie to be hung in Canadian History. Once again, providing that the Mounties did get their man after intense justifying
Before the war, Canada’s most important sector in its economy was agriculture. However, this was changing drastically after and during the war as industry began to take over as being more important. Canadian production of war material, food supplies, and raw materials had been crucial during the war. After the war, it was only natural that big investments were being made in mining, production, transportation, and services industries. Canadian cities were becoming very important contributors to the economy. This was also bringing in waves of post-war immigration, the backbone of Canada’s multicultural society we know today.
Murderer, liar, manipulator; these are only a few words that describe the enigmatic Sergeant John Wilson. In the historical book, The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson: A True Story of Love & Murder, written by Lois Simmie, we get acquainted with the complex balancing act of a life John Wilson lived. We find out about his two-faced love life, the bloody solution, and the elaborate cover up. In Simmie’s thought-provoking book, John Wilson abandons his family in Scotland, for a better life in Canada on the force. John battles debilitating sickness along with the decision to double-cross his wife. His young love interest Jessie cares for him as he battles tuberculosis. While, “many young women Jessie’s age would have had second thoughts about commitment
I will compare the sisters background briefly to show their temperament before coming to Canada. I will discuss how choices made shaped both the sisters initial success and failure to Upper Canada. Finally, I will compare the differences in the sisters attitudes and how it is reflected in both their books.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
... middle of paper ... ... Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) (2013).
On the night of March 5th, it is believed that a small group of boys began taunting a British soldier. Over the boys’ nonsense, the soldier battered one of his oppressors with his musket. Soon after the alleged incident a crowd of about fifty or sixty people surrounded the frightened solider. The enraged crowd of people sounded the soldier, encouraging him to call for backup. Soon after calling for help, seven soldiers along with Captain Preston...
During the Vietnam War, the first platoon (approximately forty men) was lead by a young officer named William Calley. Young Calley was drafted into the US Army after high school, but it did not take long for him to adjust to being in the army, with a quick transition to the lifestyle of the military, he wanted to make it his career. In high school, Calley was a kind, likable and “regular” high school student, he seemed to be a normal teenager, having interest in things that other boys his age typically had. He was never observed acting in a cruel or brutal way. In Vietnam, Calley was under direct order of company commander, Captain Ernest Medina, whom he saw as a role model, he looked up to Medina. (Detzer 127).
MacDougall, Brenda. One of the Family: Metis Culture in Nineteenth-Century Northwestern Saskatchewan. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
Ed. W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris. Toronto, Canada: A Canadian Scholar? Press, 2000. 89-99.