Talbot Mercer Papineau

Who was Talbot Mercer Papineau?

Major Talbot Mercer Papineau, MC was a lawyer and soldier from Quebec, Canada.

Born in Montebello, Quebec, he was the son of 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 High School of Montreal and at McGill University. In 1905, he was one of the first Canadians to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, and subsequently 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. Through an exchange in 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 Times of London. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Belgium and he eventually rose to the rank of major. He was hit by a shell and killed during the Battle of Passchendaele near Ypres on October 30, 1917. His body was never identified, and he is commemorated at Ypres Memorial.