Talbot Mercer Papineau

Talbot Mercer Papineau, MC (25 March 1883–30 October 1917) was a lawyer and soldier from Quebec, Canada.

Born in Montebello, Quebec, he was the son of Louis-Joseph Papineau (grandson of the Patriote leader Louis-Joseph Papineau). However, Papineau was brought up a Protestant and had American roots. His mother, Caroline Rogers, was born in an influential family from Philadelphia. His upbringing was mainly in English. He was educated at the Montreal High School and at McGill University. In 1905, he was one of the first Canadians to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, and he studied law at Brasenose College, Oxford. He also played ice hockey for the Oxford Canadians. Returning to Montreal in 1908, he started practising law.

In August 1914, he enlisted with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and was commissioned a lieutenant. In the newspapers, in 1916, he argued with his cousin, the anti-imperialist nationalist leader Henri Bourassa, over support for the war and the British Empire. Papineau's letter to Bourassa would eventually be published in the "The Times" of London. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Belgium and rose to the rank of major. He was notable for his letters from the front. He was hit by a shell during the Battle of Passchendaele in Ypres on October 30, 1917.

He was one of the four Canadians featured in the book "Tapestry of War: A Private View of Canadians in the Great War" [http://www.utpjournals.com/product/chr/751/tapestry28.html] by Sandra Gwyn.

Papineau was portrayed by Justin Trudeau in the CBC movie "The Great War".

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External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7637 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]