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A granddaughter remembers

Thomas Gray Tait was a residential school survivor and Second World War veteran

October 31, 2024

It is recorded that Maggie Gray gave birth to Thomas Gray Tait (my grandfather) in Carnaby, B.C. on Feb. 29, 1915. Thomas lived his earliest years with his brother Herb and their aunt and uncle (Donald Gray Tait) in Hagwilget village (Wetsuwet’en territory). When he was a little older he was taken to Lejac Residential School on the Nadleh Whut’en Reserve on the south side of Fraser Lake. Lejac was funded by the federal government and run by the Catholic Church. The abuse inflicted upon its students had an impact which still resonates through my father’s generation and my own.  

When he had completed his elementary schooling, Thomas was able to leave LeJac. By then he had learned how to do carpentry and play the saxophone, and had made many friends with whom he would keep in touch and exchange visits through their adult years. 

Sarah Alfred Wells also attended Lejac until she was brought back home to help out on her father’s ranch, where Thomas ended up working after he left Lejac. Sarah and Thomas were married in 1935, and he built a home for them in Moricetown (now called Witset). Sadly, the house burned down, taking their son’s life. They persevered through this tragedy. Thomas built another home, and Sarah bore him many more children. 

In 1940, Thomas enlisted in the army (as did other Wetsuwet’en men) and fought for Canada in the Second World War. Strangely, these men (and some women) were required to be “enfranchised” in order to serve, which meant giving up their Indian Status rights, and when they came home they were also often denied access to veteran benefits and support programs. They were allowed to continue living on the reserves when their military service ended, and Thomas himself returned to Moricetown, bringing with him a love for tea and scones that he had developed while overseas. 

Discrimination was also experienced by the Wetsuwet’en when they shopped in nearby Smithers, and Thomas decided to give them another option. He opened and operated convenience stores in Moricetown and Fort Babine so Indigenous people could buy what they needed without being treated like second-class citizens. My grandfather eventually became friends with the Goodacres, and I remember as a child seeing him cash his cheques at their Smithers Super Valu store. 

Residential school trauma and combat-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder did not prevent Thomas from make significant positive contributions to his home community. He was a commercial fisherman, an entrepreneur, a carpenter and a musician. He was politically active with the Native Brotherhood. He joined with other members of the Moricetown band to construct a town hall. 

Despite not having received the benefits which were given to non-Indigenous military veterans, he still participated proudly in the yearly Nov. 11 marches through the snowy streets of Smithers, and he joined his fellow veterans at the legion hall afterwards. On one occasion George Williams helped him attend the Remembrance Day service in Vancouver. 

On June 29, 1992 my grandfather passed on to the next realm of existence. Members of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets were his pallbearers, and the occasion was marked with a gun salute. Sne kalyegh for your service, Pte. Thomas Gray Tait. May my grandad rest in peace.   

Priscillia Mays Tait is a proud Babine, Gitsxan, and mostly Wet’suwet’en mother, as well as a gifted writer, photographer, performer, artist, dancer and community activist. She is a member of The Shift peer newsroom. 

Published in Megaphone magazine on November 1, 2024