Our first stop in our "say goodbye to Jeff"
trip was Arras, France; we came here to
see Vimy Ridge and the Canadian War
Memorial honouring those who died during
WWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arras
Saying goodbye has never easy
for me. When I was a pre-teen I spent
my summers hanging around my favourite
aunt and uncle, Dorothy and Bill.
Soon after school would
end they would drive into our
hometown of North Bay pulling a
shiny silver air stream trailer behind
their station wagon.
After two months of fishing and swimming and
Canasta and happy hours (for the adults)
it was time to say goodbye; I would hide
in the house trying to ignore the fact that
they were leaving or, when I grew a little older,
I would hide behind dark sunglasses,
hoping to shade the fact that I was crying.
Interesting that we chose Vimy ridge for our first
stop in saying goodbye to Jeff.
It was here, in the Northwest of France,
in the Nord-Pas-De-Calais
region that Canadians won a four day battle against
the Germans in 1917.
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/index_e.shtml
It was here, at Vimy,
where thousands
of Canadian parents
said goodbye to the sons they lost.
The present day town of Arras contrasts
starkly with her history. This town was
almost completely destroyed during WWI and yet
today, we were greeted with spacious cobbled stone squares,
the impressive Hotel de Ville and
historic 17th and 18th century mansions, all
meticulously restored.
On the main square of Arras Alec discovered the Tunnel Museum;
miles of tunnels were built, mostly by New Zealanders,
under the city of Arras to house supplies and soldiers.
(http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/arras-tunnels) Today the
museum houses artifacts and memorabilia from the Great War
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1090337.
Canadian sculptor and architect
Walter Seymour Allward created this moving memorial.
"Carved on the walls of the monument are the names of 11,285
Canadian soldiers who were killed in France and whose final
resting placewas then unknown."
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/sculptures_e.shtml
trip was Arras, France; we came here to
see Vimy Ridge and the Canadian War
Memorial honouring those who died during
WWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arras
 |
| Vimy Ridge Canadian National Memorial |
Saying goodbye has never easy
for me. When I was a pre-teen I spent
my summers hanging around my favourite
aunt and uncle, Dorothy and Bill.
Soon after school would
end they would drive into our
hometown of North Bay pulling a
shiny silver air stream trailer behind
their station wagon.
After two months of fishing and swimming and
Canasta and happy hours (for the adults)
it was time to say goodbye; I would hide
in the house trying to ignore the fact that
they were leaving or, when I grew a little older,
I would hide behind dark sunglasses,
hoping to shade the fact that I was crying.
Interesting that we chose Vimy ridge for our first
stop in saying goodbye to Jeff.
It was here, in the Northwest of France,
in the Nord-Pas-De-Calais
region that Canadians won a four day battle against
the Germans in 1917.
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/index_e.shtml
It was here, at Vimy,
where thousands
of Canadian parents
said goodbye to the sons they lost.
The present day town of Arras contrasts
starkly with her history. This town was
almost completely destroyed during WWI and yet
today, we were greeted with spacious cobbled stone squares,
the impressive Hotel de Ville and
historic 17th and 18th century mansions, all
meticulously restored.
 |
| Alec's room....cider, anyone? |
 |
| view outside our hotel room window |
On the main square of Arras Alec discovered the Tunnel Museum;
 |
| Tunnel Museum, Arras, France |
under the city of Arras to house supplies and soldiers.
(http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/arras-tunnels) Today the
museum houses artifacts and memorabilia from the Great War
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1090337.
Canadian sculptor and architect
Walter Seymour Allward created this moving memorial.
"Carved on the walls of the monument are the names of 11,285
Canadian soldiers who were killed in France and whose final
resting placewas then unknown."
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/sculptures_e.shtml
 |
| the Beaton name (my mom's ancestors?) |
 |
| Grieving Canada |
I have given my son his Canadian heritage,
an inheritance he can certainly be proud of.
 |
| two Canadians, eh? |
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