David Crewe Patterson served in the First World War and is remembered by his grandson David Clinton.
Patterson marched into Russia in the war, served in the 371 Legion in La Ronge, and has a park in La Ronge named after him.
To Clinton he was his mooshum, the Cree word for grandfather.
He doesn鈥檛 remember much about his kokum, or grandmother, talking about the war, but he remembers the stories of the cold.
鈥淚t was cold. He froze his feet, the bitter cold. The discipline,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淗e said they鈥檙e a strong people [Russians]. The people over there are very, very strong. They鈥檙e poor, they鈥檙e destitute poor. That鈥檚 some of the things that he said, and the cities were beautiful. But the cold.鈥�
When his mooshum had a few drinks he would talk about the war, making some claims Clinton doesn鈥檛 know if he should believe.
鈥淗e would talk sometimes if he had a few drinks, he tried to save the Tsar,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he did.鈥�
Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Tsarina Alexandra and their four children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, were killed by Russian troops. The family was shot and then the stabbed on July 16, 1918 in an execution that lasted 20 minutes. A fifth child, Alexei, died of hemophilia before the execution had taken place.
Every Remembrance Day, Clinton鈥檚 kokum would bring out Patterson鈥檚 uniform.
鈥淓very once in a while on November he would bring out his tunic that didn鈥檛 fit anymore, his uniform,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淎nd he would [say], 鈥榳hy are you bringing this out? It doesn鈥檛 fit anymore.鈥� He would say to her, to his wife and she would bring it out and lay it on the bed. It had the sergeant鈥檚 stripes on it.鈥�
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Remembering his kokum
鈥淵ou never told him when you were done splitting wood, he told you when you were done splitting wood,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淏ecause he was the boss, he wasn鈥檛 a dictator he wasn鈥檛 mean, when you had something coming good he would let you know but when he wanted to tell you something he would let you know firmly too.鈥�
鈥淗e was very instrumental in bringing the smoke bombers to Saskatchewan,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淗e worked closely with the smokejumpers and their jump master Frank Tompkins.鈥�
The smokejumpers were Saskatchewan鈥檚 first aerial firefighting team.
He remembers his mooshum being an avid reader.
鈥淎nd he read, big reader,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淩ead like I do. Everything, and he made me read.鈥�
Things he would make his grandson read include newspapers and non-fiction.
鈥淗e used to always like to read non-fiction, he said, 鈥榶ou鈥檒l learn more.鈥欌��
Clinton鈥檚 favorite memory of his mooshum is when he asked him a question one day.
鈥淵ou know, what do you think of these people picketing all over the place?鈥�
It was during a time of a nurses鈥� strike. His mooshum responded.
鈥淚 got fired for not being able to afford a pair of work gloves.鈥� He said, 鈥榶ou get out there, you support them. Buy them a coffee, buy them a hamburger, whatever you want to buy them girls.鈥欌��
鈥淚t really touched me,鈥� Clinton said. 鈥淛ust the way he said it to me. Some things you got to stand up and make your stand.鈥�
Another lesson he learned from his mooshum is sharing.
鈥淗e said to me, 鈥榯he girls got to eat too, David. Never forget that.鈥� My uncles started laughing, my dad started laughing, mom and kokum started laughing and speaking Cree and I was sort of taken back by that. 鈥�
When Patterson Park was named after him, his mooshum was invited to speak. That park happened to be across from a cafe that wouldn鈥檛 serve his family in the past as it was whites only.
鈥淭hat same park, they were staying there, that weren鈥檛 allowed to go into that hotel, that cafe. That was a white man鈥檚 cafe. They went to the Indian cafe down the street,鈥� Clinton said.
Clinton remembered looking at his kokum in the crowd, as his mooshum spoke.
鈥淵et that same park was named after her husband, and she was there. And she looked at me.鈥�
And she grinned.
鈥淭hat day when the speech was made, and he spoke, I couldn鈥檛 believe it. He was speaking there. And I was looking at kokum. Where she was not allowed to go in, she was in front of there, overlooking at that park and they were naming that park after her husband.鈥�
