Acton/Georgetown, Friday, April 13, 2007 7 The reason I’m traveling... Earlier this week, as I sat in than a three-hour flight delay? my hotel room in Arras, France, I As the 310 AirBus made its thought a lot about traveling. way across the Atlantic, I thought My trip here didn’t start off of my grandfather reminiscing great, with the plane only 30 about his trip in a troop ship— minutes out of Toronto having the story relayed to me by my to turn back to have a slight dad. ‘adjustment’ which caused the “I think I’d have frozen to entire Keeping the Memory death if it weren’t for Bill Alive—Vimy Ridge 90th McDonald’s warm back to curl up anniversary commemoration against...” my grandfather said. tour to start on a shaky note. He enlisted in Hamilton, May Arriving more than three 13, 1918. I was surprised to hours behind schedule, I felt a learn (after checking out a num- slight annoyance at my vacation ber of his friends’ attestation having this tiny flaw. papers) that he went to the I thought of ‘traveling’— TED BROWN enlisting office with Bill more specifically, the reason I McDonald, of Acton, and traveled to France this past with the Keeping Charlie Meredith, of Lime- 905-877-5884 Easter weekend. house, to sign up. I guess they I reminded myself the trip the Memory were in search of an adventure, was to trace the steps of the and there was strength in num- hundreds of thousands of Alive Tour bers. Canadian soldiers in the He was transferred to Ops Canadian Expeditionary Force Draft #78 at Niagara-on-the- of The Great War, and, if possi- Lake from 1st Depot Battalion, ble, get a feel for the trip taken by my grandfa- of the 2nd Canadian Overseas Regiment, July Adult Upgrading In Georgetown ther, Fred John Brown, who served for a short 12, 1918, and traveled to Montreal, July 13, time in the closing months of the First World 1918, then to Halifax July 18, and sailed from Sheridan College ACE (Academic Upgrading) Program War. Halifax, August 3, 1918 aboard the His Earn grade 12 equivalency credits in Math and/or English in order to: How could I become annoyed, as I thought Majesty’s Troopship (HMT) Carnarvonshire. • Qualify for Sheridan College post-secondary programs • Qualify for Apprenticeship or Pre-apprenticeship programs of those who braved much greater discomfort I was pleased to learn that he sailed with • Improve your academic and workplace skills Doug Ismond (who later became my uncle) on • Prepare for the GED test the same ship. Are you eligible for this Cost of Program? Classes Dates and Times It would have been nice for him to travel program? Tuition is free. Start any week, subject to with friends. This program is open to A minimum registration space and availability And as I looked at the records from the adult students who have left fee applies. Mon – Thurs Evenings National Archives, I figured it was a pretty safe school. 6:30 pm – 9.30 pm bet that Bill McDonald and Charlie Meredith were on that same ship, too. Literacy North Halton Read*Spell*Write Program The trip took 13 days, and the ship arrived Continuous year round literacy program assisting adults with upgrading reading, writing, basic in , August 16, 1918. math and computer skills – successful students can now readily access the ACE program. (With that thought in mind, I suddenly had If you wish to improve reading and writing for your work and family life, no qualms about my own flight.... It took us this program is suitable for you. seven hours to get here once we finally got in Need to Know More? the air.) He arrived in Liverpool and was later sta- Contact Literacy North Halton (905) 873 2200 tioned all over the south of , but I only know a few locations— like Witley Camp in Surrey, and Seaford, Ashford and for some time. I’m not sure of his contribution at the western front. I had grumbled to myself at Gatwick Airport as we waited in line for an hour to have some- one look at our passports (in spite of the fact we would be in the United Kingdom for only an hour) before heading from Gatwick to Folkestone to wait again before boarding the Eurotunnel (more commonly called “The Chunnel”). As the silky smooth Chunnel train flew under the English Channel at speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h., I once again thought of the CEF boys, who faced the discomfort of crossing the cold and sometimes choppy English Channel. Their trip took several hours in a cold wet ship, with many around them vomiting from seasickness. Mine took 30 minutes, all the while seated comfortably on a bus, which was parked on a train. The more I thought of my trip, the more I realized that it was nothing. I considered the equivalent trip taken by While visiting Tyne Cot British Common- our Canadian and Newfoundland boys from wealth Cemetery in Begium, Del Hicking of 1914 to 1918, and why we are gathering to cel- Branch 197 of the Royal Canadian Legion in ebrate them this week, focusing on commemo- Acton took a moment to lay a wreath on the rating those who took, and held, the elusive grave of First World War solider Sgt. P. Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917. Godfrey of Acton, whose name is inscribed Ninety years later, we’re all back here, thou- on the Cenotaph in Acton. Tyn Cot Cemetery sands of proud Canadians who have made a is the largest British Commonwealth similar trek (and maybe like the boys, perhaps Cemetery in the world, with nearly 12,000 a bit of an adventure) to re-group, and stand graves, of which 70 per cent are unknown. proudly as Canadians can do, to remember, In addition, there is a wall of honour at the and to honour those many thousands of boys rear of the cemetery, with the names of who left home and faced hell, injury, and 35,000 Allied troops whose remains were death, to make our life what it is today. never recovered. Photo by Ted Brown See RECALLING, pg. 8