Lindsay Place students off to Vimy Ridge memorial
Group travels to France next month to mark the 100th anniversary of Canada’s defining military battle
At 5:30 a.m. Easter morning on April 9, 1917, four divisions of Canadian soldiers launched an assault on a German-held ridge in France. The Battle of Vimy Ridge took four days and exacted a devastating toll, with 3,598 Canadian soldiers killed and 7,004 wounded.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge is considered to be a defining moment in Canadian history — both for the country and its military.
On April 9, 2017, 35 students from Lindsay Place High School and eight students from St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire will attend a ceremony at the soaring Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, marking the 100th anniversary of the battle.
History teacher Melissa Hunter has been working with the students from Lindsay Place for more than two years to prepare them for the trip.
“Vimy Ridge is significant for Canada because it is considered the moment the country was recognized as a strong and independent nation,” Hunter said. “What’s wonderful is that people who have heard about the trip are sharing their stories with me. It helps us connect when we hear the personal stories. These soldiers were fathers and husbands, and brothers and sons.”
It all began with students writing a letter of intent, explaining what the trip would mean to them.
They held a 3.6-kilometre walka-thon last May, which ended at the field of honour in Pointe-Claire. The 3,600-metre distance reflected the number of Canadian fatalities at Vimy. Proceeds from the walk were donated to the Vimy Foundation. They visited the Vimy Ridge cave-carvings exhibit at the Royal Montreal Regiment Museum. In the weeks leading up to the battle, soldiers were sheltered and trained in dank underground tunnels. To pass the time, they carved into the stone walls. The exhibit featured 3D scans of 20 carvings with information about each soldier.
Students also watched the Vimy episode from the History TV series War Junk, created by historian David O’Keefe and filmmaker Wayne Abbott.
On Remembrance Day, Hunter gave each student the name of a Canadian soldier who died that day. During the ceremony, each student stood, spoke the soldier’s name and lit a candle.
“My soldier was T. Dobbie,” student Liam Van Egmond said. “He was my age, 16.”
“I’ve always loved history,” Veronica Jaramillo, 17, said.
“I love the idea of linking what we’ve learned with the real experience. Many of these soldiers were teenagers. They sacrificed their lives for their country. We will be standing where they fought and where they died. It will be an emotional experience.”
The 12-day trip costs $3,774 per person. The Lindsay Place Alumni Association gave a grant to help defray some of the costs.