Mary Greyeyes Reid: The First Indigenous Woman to Join Canada’s Armed Forces
Information and image from The Canadian Encyclopedia
Mary Greyeyes Reid, from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation reserve north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, enlisted in the military after being inspired by her brother David who joined as well. She enlisted in June 1942 at 22 years old. Her enlistment made her the first Indigenous woman to join the forces as a member of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps.
She was a cook and did laundry at a Canadian base in Aldershot, England but didn’t like this job. When she asked to transfer, her sergeant lied on her papers and said that she “does not speak English.”
Eventually, Greyeyes was transferred to London, where she cooked at the war headquarters instead. She was brought around to public events to provide the appearance of the military being a pro-diversity workplace. Through these public events, she met Princess Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother and King George VI.
As part of her public campaigning, Greyeyes was asked to pose for a photo which would be used to encourage more women to enlist (image above). This image was used for many years, being first published in the Regina Leader Post.
Greyeyes worked as a cook until 1946, at which point the Canadian Women’s Army Corps was disbanded and Mary was discharged.