Photo from The Royal Westminster Regiment

Filip Konowal, VC (September 15, 1888 – June 3, 1959) was a Ukrainian Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He is the only Ukrainian recipient of the VC. Konowal was born in Kutkivtsi, in then Imperial Russian Ukraine. Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Filip Konowal, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Photo of Victoria Cross recipient Filip Konowal, migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference site with permission. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... June 3 is the 154th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (155th in leap years), with 211 days remaining. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. ... Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... Kutkivtsi (Ukrainian: , Russian: , translit. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

He is the patron of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 360 (Konowal Branch) in Toronto. The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans organization founded in 1925 with more than 400,000 members worldwide. ...

Konowal's act of heroism

Konowal was 28 years old, and an Acting Corporal in the 47th (New Westminster), later (Western Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC, during the period August 22nd–24th, 1917, at the Battle of Hill 70 in Lens, France. Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... The Canadian Corps was a World War I Canadas soldiers in September of 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. ... Combatants Allied Powers: British Empire Canada France Italy Russian Empire United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria German Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Sir Arthur Currie Ferdinand Foch Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Oskar Potiorek Ä°smail Enver Ferdinand I... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Battle of Hill 70 took place took place near the French city of Lens on 15 August and 16 August 1917 and was fought between the Canadian Corps under the command of Gen. ... Lens is commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département. ...

No. 144039 A./Cpl. Filip Konowal, Can. Inf.

For most conspicuous bravery and leadership when in charge of a section in attack. His section had the difficult task of mopping up cellars, craters and machine-gun emplacements. Under his able direction all resistance was overcome successfully, and heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy. In one cellar he himself bayonetted three enemy and attacked single-handed seven others in a crater, killing them all. The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. ...

On reaching the objective, a machine-gun was holding up the right flank, causing many casualties. Cpl. Konowal rushed forward and entered the emplacement, killed the crew, and brought the gun back to our lines. Flank is a word which might mean any of several different things: A flank is the side of either a horse or a military unit. ...

The next day he again attacked single-handed another machine-gun emplacement, killed three of the crew, and destroyed the gun and emplacement with explosives. This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...

This non-commissioned officer alone killed at least sixteen of the enemy, and during the two days' actual fighting carried on continuously his good work until severely wounded. A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ...

From The London Gazette Issue 30400 1917-11-23 (Fourth Supplement 1917-11-26 p. 12329) 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... November 23 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 38 days remaining. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Honours

Filip Konowal's standard military gravestone, adjacent to his wife Juliette's family monument. It is inscribed "Filip Konowal V·C / Corporal / 47 Battn C·E·F / 3 June 1959 Age 72", with a simple Christian cross above and the Victoria Cross below.

Konowal's Victoria Cross medal was personally presented by King George V, and he was promoted to sergeant. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2022x1501, 1666 KB) Summary Filip Konowals standard military gravestone in Notre-Dame Cemetery, adjacent to his wife Juliettes family monument. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2022x1501, 1666 KB) Summary Filip Konowals standard military gravestone in Notre-Dame Cemetery, adjacent to his wife Juliettes family monument. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 - 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, as a result of his creating it from the British branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...

He was also awarded the British War Medal (1914–1920), Victory Medal (1914–1919), George VI Coronation Medal (1937), Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953), and entitled to the Cross of St George, 4th Class, from Russia. The British War Medal was a campaign medal, approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had served in the First World War. ... The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medals made to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The medals were presented following the coronation on June 2nd, 1953. ... This article is about the decoration. ...

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 360 (Konowal Branch) in Toronto made him its patron in 1953. The Legion helped established the Konowal Prize, an annual scholarship grant at the Royal Military College of Canada. The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans organization founded in 1925 with more than 400,000 members worldwide. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), located in Kingston, Ontario, is the military academy of the Canadian Forces. ...

Konowal died in 1959 at Hull, Quebec, aged 72. He was buried at Notre Dame de Lourdes Cemetery, Ottawa, under a headstone in section A, lot 502. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hull, Québec, as seen from Ottawa Hull is part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Flower Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor Linné) Tree Yellow Birch Bird Snowy Owl Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of... Notre-Dame Cemetery in winter Notre Dame Cemetery, located at 455 Montreal Road, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, opened in 1872. ...

In 1996 Konowal's headstone was replaced by an upright marker, and memorial plaques were unveiled: 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

• in the Cartier Square drill hall of the Governor General's Foot Guards in Ottawa
• at Legion Branch 360 (Konowal Branch) in Toronto
• at The Royal Westminster Regiment's armoury (Konowal's regiment) in New Westminster, B.C.
• on a cairn at Selo Ukraina Memorial Park, near Dauphin, Manitoba.
• in 2001, at Konowal's place of birth, Kutkivtsi, Ukraine.

The Governor Generals Foot Guards is one of three Household regiments in the Canadian Army reserve forces, along with The Governor Generals Horse Guards and the Canadian Grenadier Guards. ... Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario County Established 1850 as Bytown City Mayor Bob Chiarelli Governing body Ottawa City Council MPs / MPPs See list (includes Senators) Area    - City 2,778. ... The Royal Westminster Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. ... A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... The Pattullo Bridge (centre) connects New Westminster (left) with Surrey (right) across the Fraser River. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Flower Pacific dogwood Tree Western Redcedar Bird Stellers Jay Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6... For the rural municipality, see Dauphin, Manitoba (rural municipality) Dauphin is a city in Manitoba of approximately 8085 people. ... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Official languages English and French, per mandate of the Constitution Act 1982 Flower Prairie Crocus Tree White Spruce Bird Great Grey Owl Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 14... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Kutkivtsi (Ukrainian: , Russian: , translit. ...

The Victoria Cross medal

Konowal's medals at the Canadian War Museum. From the left: the Victoria Cross, British War Medal, Victory Medal, George VI Coronation Medal, Elizabeth II Coronation Medal

The Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, Canada) purchased Konowal's Victoria Cross and other medals in 1969. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1445 KB) Summary Filip Konowals medal set on permanent exhibition in the Canadian War Museum. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 1445 KB) Summary Filip Konowals medal set on permanent exhibition in the Canadian War Museum. ... The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

The medal went missing sometime in the 1970s, apparently stolen, and was sold to an antique shop along with some Hawaiian coins in the mid-1990s. The shop owner believed the medal was a fake, as it was inscribed with "For Valour" - evidently not realizing that all VCs awarded to Canadians had the English motto. (The source of confusion was the fact that a "Canadian VC" was introduced into the Canadian Honours System bearing the Latin Pro Valore motto; this change was made well after the First World War and the award of Konowal's VC). The medal was rediscovered when the shop owner offered it to the Jeffrey Hoare Auction House in London, Ontario in April, 2004. It was recovered by police, and returned to permanent display at the War Museum on 2004-08-23, 87 years after it was awarded. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... Nickname: The Forest City Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario County Middlesex County Settled 1826 (as village) Incorporated 1855 (as city) City Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best Governing Body London City Council MPs Sue Barnes (LPC) Joe Fontana (LPC) Irene Mathyssen (NDP) Joe Preston (CPC) MPPs Chris Bentley (OLP) Deb Matthews... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ...

References

• Lubomyr Y. Luciuk and Ron Sorobey. Konowal: a Canadian Hero, 2nd ed. Kingston, Ontario: Kashtan Press for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 360, 2000. ISBN 1-896354-24-6.
• The London Gazette, Issue 30400, November 23, 1917 (PDF)

External links

• Filip Konowal, V.C.. Biography by Lubomyr Y. Luciuk and Ron Sorobey
• Legion Magazine Article on Filip Konowal
• Find-A-Grave profile for Filip Konowal

This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.