“I was so fed up standing in the trench with water up to my waist that I said, ‘The hell with it and started after the German army'. My captain tried to shoot me because he figured I was deserting.”
.
These are the words of Canadian Cpl. Filip Konowal as he single handedly attacked German positions during the Battle of Hill 70 on Aug 22 1917.
Under murderous fire, he began clearing cellars, craters and MG emplacements with his bayonet and rifle, killing scores of enemy soldiers.
The next day, he again attacked enemy positions by himself, killing a total of 16 of the enemy, until he was shot in the head. After recuperating from his wounds, he received the Victoria Cross for his actions in France.
Upon returning home, on 19 July 1919, Konowal accompanied his friend and war veteran Leontiy Diedek to look at some bicycles at the home of William Artich, an 'Austrian' bootlegger and bicycle salesman. Konowal heard a commotion and went to investigate. A fight had started between Artich and Diedek. By the time Konowal arrived, Diedek had been viciously beaten and Artich was armed with a knife. Konowal managed to gain control over the weapon and killed Artich with a single stab to the chest.
Konowal did not attempt to flee the scene; when police came, he simply said: "I've killed fifty-two of them, that makes the fifty-third."
.
Veterans rallied to his cause and raised money to bail him out. During the trial it was discovered that he was suffering from serious medical problems stemming from his war wounds: pressure on his brain was increasing and his condition was continually deteriorating. Medical experts unanimously agreed his wound to the head was likely making Konowal mentally unstable, causing flashbacks to the war's battles.
The jury agreed and he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, then institutionalized for 7 years. With his condition drastically improving, he was released and eventually found employment as a caretaker at the House of Commons in Ottawa.
When the Prime Minister saw the Victoria Cross ribbon on Konowal while he was at work, he arranged for him to be reassigned to a lifetime job in the PM's personal office until his death in 1959. #ww1