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... ... ......... Experiences - Impressions and Some Random Jottings Written and Compiled by HERB MORDEN. North Vancouver. B.C. CANADA'S NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL This picture, ta~en by Herb. Morden, North Vancouver, B;C., on that memorable afternoon of Sunday, july 26, 1936, shows Canada's National War Memorial which stands majestically atop Hill 145, Vimy Ridge. Designed by W. S. Allward in its every detail. the monument· i~ recognized as the noblest memorial of the Great War. Its designing, corv struction and erection required about twelve years to complete and the cost of the monument was $1,250,000. The photo was ta~en from a position on! level ground at the rear of the Memorial and slightly to the right. In the immediate foreground are seen a number of pilgrims eating their lunch picnic style. A few minutes later, they started on the long winding wal~ around to the front of the Memorial to ta~e up their respective assigned positions preparatory to the formal dedication of the Memorial by His Majesty King Edward VII/: At the time this photograph was ta~en, blac~ clouds hovered threat eningly over the scene of this historic service but in less than an hour, those clouds had disappeared and the two majestic pylons of the Memorial appeared all the more beautiful as they reached high into the clearness· of a blue summer s~y,. Indescribably beautiful, no photographs or word pictures, no matter how cleverly executed, can begin to describe the solemnity of this se,ice on the summit of Vimy Ridge which culminated in the /OJ·mal dedication by His Majesty of Canada's National War Memorial. It is erected in memory of 60,000 sons of Canada who made the supreme sacrifice for their country and is also commemorative of the deeds and sacrifices of 500,000 Canadians who left their native land and went to the aid of their country during the years of the war. CANADA'S NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL AT VIMY RETROSPECT AFTER participation in an historical event of the magnitude of that of the recent pilgrimage of 6.500 war veterans and their relatives to Vimy Ridge to witness formal dedication of Canada's National War Memorial by His Majesty King Edward VIII, it is only natural that there should come a time at which individual members of that pilgrimage are wont to look back on all that happened during that momen tous and memorable journey. We who had the privilege of being actual eye witnesses of all that transpired, constitute a comparative few as compared with the thousands who were eligible but who, for one reason and another, were unfortunately unable to participate in the pilgrimage. Such being the case, it is only fair and just that those who experienced the thrills and enjoyment of that journey should put forth every possible effort to impart, if only by word, as much as pos sible to those who were not so fortunate. In is in that spirit that I have essayed to recount in substantial detail my exper iences during the pilgrimage and some of HERB MORDEN my impressions. This resume of the entire "D" 21st Battery, pilgrimage is the direct result of volumin 4th DiviSion. ous notations made at all stages of the journey and for additional details, descrip tive of some phases of the pilgrimage, resort has been made to other sources of information as well, the idea being, of course, to make this comparatively short resume as complete as possible for the enjoyment and enlightenment of those who may wish to know as much as possible about that historic pilgrimage. The story is intended primarily as a "family chat around the fire place" with the history-making Vimy pilgrimage the subject. If this effort to give at least a more or less vivid portrayal of the salient features of the pilgrimage has been successful, even to a degree, then it has not been in vain and I have at least attempted to do my part to convey to others a measure of the pleasure and enjoyment that was mine by virtue of having participated in the pilgrimage as Pilgrim No. 4564. Versions of the pilgrimage, of which there will' no doubt be many, will naturally vary as to some of the detail. Those billeted in Arras dur ing the first three days in F ranee, will no doubt have something to say con cerning the pilgrimage that those billeted in Lille would naturally not be aware of, that is, in detail. But the substance of the resumes of the pil grimage will he essentially the same in all instances. - 7- Included in this story is considerable detail relative to localities in F ranee that may be of no particular interest to those who were not in actual theatres of war between 191 4 and 191 8. Howeve.r, among those who may, perchance, read this story, there will likely be some who did serve in F ranee. It is for them that this detail has been included for there are names mentioned therein that will bring back vivid memories of war exper iences-names that to many ex-service men will never be forgotten for they are inscribed indelibly on their minds. I thought probably they would like to hear of those localities again-and-probably reminisce a little. As for the many kindly comments that have already been made to me relative to this resume and general compilation of information regarding the Vimy pilgrimage, I say thanks a lot. In return, may I say that it has been a privilege to have been of some assistance, be it ever so little, to those who for one reason and another were deprived of participation in the pilgrimage. Canada's N a tiona] War Memorial at Vimy is the noblest memorial of the Great War. To do justice to its significance and events that led up to its formal dedication is an undertaking that would well nigh tax the ability of the world's foremost descriptive pens. And so, this story of that major event of modern history, is passed on to you for what you may think it is worth, having due regard for probably many shortcomings. - 8 - HIS MAJESTY GREETS A MOTHER In the course of the never-to-be-forgotten service which marked formal dedication of Canada's National War Memorial at Vim!} Ridge by His Majesty King Edward, there occurred many incidents that bore ample evidence of its impressil,eness. When His M ajest!} descended from the Memorial to that vast natural amphitheatr,e to make a brief inspection of the thousands of pilgrims there assembled, he first conversed and shoo/~ hands with members of a small group of blind veterans who were assigned a position in the front of the huge assembl!J. The King then proceeded to the groups of widows and mothers close by and conversed briefl!J with a number of them. This picture is t!]pical of a number of interesting incidents that tool~ place at this particular time Here King Edward\ is shown shaking hands and conver;sing with Mrs. Catherine Woods of Winnipeg. Twelve of her sons saw active service overseas during the Great War and onl!J five of them returned home. Mrs. ~Voods, now 75, was at this ver!J moment achieving what was probably one of the greatest wishes of her life for she was standing on Vim!} Ridge where some of her sons fought and made the supreme sacrifice. In her hand, Mrs. Woods is seen holding a wreath which, a few minutes after this picture was taken, was placed on the Memorial among the hundreds of such beautiful tributes forward eel from all parts of Canada. So numerous were those tributes that they formed an ~mbroken, colorful mass at the base of the majestic Vimy Memorial. Central Press Picture THE KING GREETS MRS. C. S. WOODS The Vimy Pilgrimage WHEN one sets out to write a series of comprehensive articles regarding the 19 36 pilgrimage to Vimy Ridge, he is confronting himself with a formidable undertaking. Not by virtue of immensity, alone, is it a task, but so much happened and happened so fast in such a brief space of time that it is almost impossible at this writing to have a clear grasp of the whole situation in one's own mind after actually having seen almost everything of any importance that transpired in the course of the pilgrimage. When 6,500 pilgrims left Canada for Antwerp and Le H·avre, bound for Vimy Ridge, at least ninety per cent of them went with the avowed intention of keeping a minutely-detailed diary of everything that happened. Their intentions were of the very best and the idea was commendable theoretically but when it came to the practical, it was a totally different matter. The rapidity with which things happened-the distances travelled in such a short time and other factors soon made it obvious to those planning diaries that their plans would prove hopelessly futile. As a matter of fact, those first three days in F ranee proved to be one of those "make or break" ordeals and about all the physical stamina one could muster was required to "keep up with the parade". In the vast majority of cases, there was little reserve left to spend on the writing of diaries and such like. And so, although there may be such a thing as a comprehensive diary of the whole pilgrimage in existence, if it does exist, it is a rarity, and most of the records that were started with the best of intentions saw a few days completed and were then relegated to the bottom of suitcases and clubbags there to remain until removed when the owner arrived home.