Not Just Numbers
Case 8 Conclusion: David Greyeyes-Steele
Fifteen Minutes
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Details
Lt. David Greyeyes-Steele was born 31 December 1914 on Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, in Saskatchewan
From 1922, David Greyeyes-Steele attended the Lebret Industrial Residential School, where he studied agriculture until grade 11. The Lebret Industrial Residential School contained a mass grave of 59 children, including 14 whose dates of death remain unknown. Three of the children died during the time David Greyeyes attended the school. David’s brother recalled their experience at Lebret, describing a childhood with little time for play and the strict prohibition of speaking Cree.
After graduation he became a successful grain farmer, winning awards at community run events like the Horticultural Fair for his oats and peas.
David enlisted in June 1940 at age 25, serving alongside his sister Mary, and two brothers in WWII. He excelled in machine-gun operations, rifle use, and drill instruction. He served on the instructional staff for over two years. As a sergeant, he provided advanced weaponry training to reinforcements arriving from Canada in Great Britain.
He then transferred to British Columbia for officer training. Five months later, he returned to Great Britain as a Lieutenant. He served as Platoon Commander for the Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun) for 17 months, seeing action during the Italian Campaign, and later in North Africa, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
David played a key role in supporting the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade during the Italian Campaign. On September 14, 1944, he led one of four mortar platoons during an operation to secure the right flank of the 1st Canadian Division for the attack across the Marano River. Despite persistent enemy fire, and at a cost of 100 lives, the team helped clear enemy strongholds. A week later, after advancing through a heavily mined airfield, his unit occupied Rimini, raising both Greek and Canadian flags over the town hall. Here, he was awarded the Greek War Cross (Third Class) for valour.
Upon David’s return from WWII, he went back to his successful career farming in the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and married fellow Indigenous veteran Flora Jeanne. In 1958, he became chief of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.
In 1960, he broke racial barriers in the federal public service by beginning an illustrious career in the Indian Affairs Branch of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. Eventually, he served as the Director for multiple regions, including Maritime, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. He was the first Indigenous person in Canada to hold a regional director position, and retired from the department in 1975.
David was also an athlete, playing hockey, softball, and soccer. As a soccer player selected for the Saskatchewan All-Star team competing against three English clubs in 1937, 1938, and 1949. During WWII, he was a member of the Canadian Team, winning the Overseas Army Championship, and later played in the Inter-Allied Games of 1946. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Saskatchewan First Nations Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. Additionally, David received the Order of Canada in 1977, and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1993.
He died in 1996 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
For more information:
Boileau, John. “David Greyeyes-Steele | the Canadian Encyclopedia.” David Greyeyes-Steele, September 2, 2020. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/david-greyeyes-steele.
Canada, Veterans Affairs. “David Greyeyes-Steele.” David Greyeyes-Steele | Veterans Affairs Canada, August 31, 2025. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/david-greyeyes-steele.
Canadian War Museum. “Interview with Sargeant David W. Greyeyes [Son of David Greyeyes-Steele].” Canadian War Museum, March 14, 2023. https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/archive/3574186.
“Muskeg Lake Cree Nation Archives – MemorySask.” Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists (SCAA). https://memorysask.ca/muskeg-lake-cree-nation-archives.
TDS NEWS. “National Indigenous History Month, Honours Lt. David Greyeyes-Steele.” TDS NEWS, June 11, 2024. https://www.thedailyscrumnews.com/national-indigenous-history-month-honours-lt-david-greyeyes-steele/.