Large Fierce Mammal

Laura Secord

“The distance to the outpost by direct road was 12 miles but Laura feared she would encounter American guards that way and chose a roundabout route. She went first to St Davids where she was joined by her niece, Elizabeth Secord, and then to Shipman’s Corners (St Catharines). Elizabeth became exhausted and Laura continued alone, uncertain of the way but following the general direction of Twelve Mile Creek through fields and woods. That evening, after crossing the creek on a fallen tree, Laura came unexpectedly on an Indian encampment. She was frightened, but after she explained her mission to the chief he took her to FitzGibbon. Two days later, on 24 June 1813, an American force under Colonel Charles Boerstler was ambushed near Beaver Dams by some 400 Indians led by Dominique Ducharme* and William Johnson Kerr*. FitzGibbon then persuaded Boerstler to surrender with 462 men to his own 50 men. In the official reports of the victory no mention was made of Laura Secord.” ~ Biography of Laura Secord, The War of 1812 Website

Laura (Ingersoll) Secord was a heroine of the War of 1812, legendary for her role in thwarting an American invasion of Upper Canada. Today would have been her 239th birthday if she were still among the breathing, and I feel certain that if she were, she would still be fighting the government for a pension. In this land where history is now as well taught and understood as spelling, punctuation, and manners, most know her name as a brand of expensive chocolate candy and confections purchased as a gift to someone you’re trying to get sex from.

If you are old enough and have an attention span that’s at least slightly longer than that of a kitten, you may remember Heritage Minutes – a series of 1 minute short films depicting significant events in Canadian history that aired in commercial slots between scheduled TV programming during the closing decade of the last century. Among these was one about Laura Secord that I present now for your viewing pleasure.

It will come as no surprise to you that I am an advocate of lacing education with a healthy dose of salt, humour, and ribaldry as a means of keeping the audience on mission, and history lends itself beautifully to this approach. On its YouTube channel, the comedy troupe called The Mind Diddlers describes itself and its work as, “… a wandering septuplet of Hasidic Comedic Gentiles bringing forth good tidings, bad taste and awkward laughs. If you like what you see, keep watching, we’re sure to disappoint.”

Here now is their interpretation of Laura Secord’s desperate adventure, with the added bonus of an opportunity to view all of their historical presentations.

I’ll close today’s celebration of the birth of an exceptional Woman with as close to a Canadian nationalist anthem as you’re ever likely to hear – Secord’s Warning. Performed by folk band Tanglefoot with a decidedly Saturday night at the pub flair, and its message notwithstanding, I offer it here in the form of a music video crafted by YouTube user Andi Garbett for the toe tapping enjoyment of all my Readers, whatever your nationality.