Veterans should be honoured for their service, but they were not all unblemished heroes. James Pettigrew, a former resident in what is now Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, is one of those veterans with a tarnished past.
In January 1916, 36-year-old Private James Pettigrew enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) of the First World War and served with the 8th Field Ambulance. Eight months later in Belgium, he was struck in the pelvis by a machine gun bullet. Corporal Leo Bradley, aged 22, leapt into the “rain of bullets” and dragged James to safety. This action brought two Calgarians into ironic contact under desperate circumstances.
A year later, Leo was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for “conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty,” shown during this incident and his later actions at the Somme. After serving 3 1/2 years, Leo — who had been a Calgary Police Officer — returned to law enforcement in his native P.E.I., retiring after 19 years with the R.C.M.P.
James, on the other hand, was permanently disabled and invalided to Canada as a result of his gun shot wound. He also returned to one of his former pursuits — getting something for nothing.
In 1909, when James had arrived at Glenbow to work as a stonecutter, he “found” the building materials for his home. Despite this, he was elected secretary-treasurer of the Glenbow school board. Then in December 1913, he was arrested in Calgary for forging the signature of Glenbow’s teacher and cashing her $100 paycheque. At the time of his arrest, he was under a $1000 bond on a one-year suspended sentence for a previous forgery conviction. Found guilty of this new charge, he was sentenced to 18 months hard labour. Perhaps this punishment slimmed down his 160 pound, 5 foot 4 1/2 inch frame by the time of his enlistment in the military shortly after his release.
Following his brief stint in the C.E.F., James again turned his hand to shady money-making ventures, playing on his war injury. He set himself up as a military pensions advocate, illegally charging for his services. In 1918, when his campaign to become a Calgary Alderman failed miserably, he moved to Chinook, AB where he tried to “double-dip” his soldiers’ benefits with a Soldiers’ Settlement homestead and land purchase loan.
In the following decade, while his health and financial resources dwindled, James attempted to increase his pension, contacting both Opposition Leaders R.B. Bennett and W.L.M. King. He died in a Calgary hospital at the age of 53. James was cheekily remembered by his former Glenbow neighbours as “Wiggy,” in reference to his brown wig.
The contrast between these two Calgarians, who enlisted in the C.E.F. within days of each other, illustrates the range of military veterans we remember and honour this month. Leo, a police officer, selflessly risked his life rescuing James, a criminal. However, as part of the 8th Field Ambulance, James likely saved lives as well. Does James’s service make him a hero, or did he only perform heroic acts?