Malcolm (Mac) Bussineau: Life and Service
- Ontario Métis Facts
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
Updated: 32 minutes ago
Malcolm (Mac) Bussineau was born on August 9, 1894, in Dunns Valley near Sault Ste. Marie, into Joseph Bussineau and Annie McKensie’s growing Métis family.
Malcolm was the third brother in his immediate family to serve in the First World War. Unlike his brothers, John Joseph and George Mark, however, Malcolm did not initially volunteer to serve; instead, he made the difficult decision to remain at home to tend to the farm and support his family while his brothers were fighting overseas.
On May 13, 1918, just six months before the war ended, Malcolm was drafted into the 1st Depot Battalion, 2nd Central Ontario Regiment, which was initially created to supply reinforcements overseas.
Malcolm trained briefly in Ontario with the battalion before taking a leave of absence without pay in the fall of 1918, likely to care for his family. An acquaintance of Malcolm advocating for his dismissal noted the responsibilities he was facing at home:
“Father living and getting old. Mother dead lost one brother overseas and other brother back on leave. One sister and three boys at home.”
Malcolm officially left service in January 1919 and spent his remaining years in Sault Ste. Marie with his wife, Olive, and their two daughters. He managed his own camp on Lake Mashagama, called “Camp Bussineau,” which was popular and well regarded by both visitors and friends.
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