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4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe by Daria Valkenburg.

On The War Memorial Trail….Monuments In and Around Thélus

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September 20, 2017.  When we first entered the town of Thélus on our way to Vimy Ridge, we passed by the Canadian Artillery Memorial, built to remember the sacrifice of Canadians from Artillery battalions who died in the battle for Vimy Ridge and the surrounding area.

When we were at the Vimy Ridge Visitors Centre, we saw a large photograph of this monument, taken when it was actually dedicated during the war.  The monument was built on top of a dugout.  The steps leading up to the monument marks the original entrance to the dugout.  The monument was unveiled by General Currie on April 9, 1918, a year after the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

IMG_20170905_112407215 Sep 5 2017 Photo of Cdn Artillery Memorial in Thelus at Vimy Visitors Centre

Photo of the Canadian Artillery Memorial as it was unveiled in Thélus on April 9, 1918. (Photo taken by Pieter Valkenburg of a panel at Vimy Ridge Visitors Centre)

After learning about the monument at the Visitors Centre, we made a stop to see the real one.

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Pieter at the Canadian Artillery Memorial in Thélus. The shell shaped columns surrounding the monument have actual fuses from shells attached to their tops! (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

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The inscription reads “Erected in memory of officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Canadian Corps Artillery who fell during the Vimy operations April 1917.” This is followed by the units: Canadian Field Artillery, Canadian Garrison Artillery, Royal Field Artillery, Royal Garrison Artillery and the South African Heavy Artillery. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

CIMG8303 Sep 5 2017 Rue des Artilleurs Canadiens in Thelus

The road leading out of Thélus towards Bailleul Sir Berhoult is called Rue des Artilleurs Canadiens (Street of the Canadian Artillery). (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

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Across from the Canadian Artillery Monument is a sign leading to Bailleul Sir Berthoult. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We then followed the road between Thélus and Bailleul Sir Berthoult.  Only 4 km separate these two towns, but it was the scene of much fighting on April 9, 1917 during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Not far down the road was a monument to the people of Thélus who perished during two world wars, a vivid reminder that not only soldiers are war casualties.

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Thélus memorial to its war dead in two world wars. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Halfway between the two towns, in a farmer’s field, is a memorial to the First Canadian Division, on the spot where they were opposite the First Bavarian Reserve Division.  By April 9, 1917 there wasn’t much left of the villages!

CIMG8314 Sep 5 2017 Pieter by sign directing you to Memorial to 1st Cdn Division

Pieter by the sign leading across a farmer’s field to the 1st Canadian Division Monument, about halfway between Thélus and Bailleul Sir Berthoult. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

We stopped at this monument to honour John ‘Lymon’ WOOD and Patrick Raymond ARSENAULT, both of whom were in the 1st Canadian Division during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and whose names are inscribed on the Vimy Memorial.

After an article about these two men was published in the County Line Courier in April 2017, we heard from a Ernesto Brucker of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who noted that his father, Georg BRUCKER, had been part of the First Bavarian Reserve Division and had been captured as a prisoner of war on April 9, 1917, likely at or very near this exact spot.

CIMG8318 Sep 5 2017 Memorial to 1st Cdn Division halfway betwen Thelus & Bailleul

Pieter at the 1st Canadian Division Monument, about halfway between Thélus and Bailleul Sir Berthoult. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

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Inscription on the 1st Canadian Division Monument, about halfway between Thélus and Bailleul Sir Berthoult. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

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A lone poppy was growing on the path towards the 1st Canadian Division Monument, about halfway between Thélus and Bailleul Sir Berthoult. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

In the next blog entry we continue to visit the cemeteries in France where soldiers on the Borden-Carleton Cenotaph are buried.  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at memorialtrail@gmail.com or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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On The War Memorial Trail….Visiting The Canadian National Vimy Memorial

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September 18, 2017.  After the tour of the Vimy Memorial Visitors’ Centre and the tunnels, we went to visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Although familiar to us from seeing it on TV, the memorial is much larger and majestic in person.

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Canadian National Vimy Memorial from a distance. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

CIMG8295 Sep 5 2017 Canadian National Vimy Memorial closer up with twin white pylons

Canadian National Vimy Memorial showing the twin white pylons, one bearing the maple leaves of Canada, the other the fleurs-de-lys of France, to symbolize the sacrifices of both countries. Beside one of the pylons is the statue Canada Bereft. Below the pylons is The Tomb. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Site manager Johanne Gagné noted that “this monument is special because it focuses on values the soldiers shared and ultimately gave their lives for.”  11,285 names are inscribed on the memorial, two of them who also are on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion:  John Lymon Wood and Patrick Raymond Arsenault.  Pieter immediately went to search out these two names.

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Patrick Raymond Arsenault inscribed on Vimy Memorial. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

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John Lymon Wood inscribed on Vimy Memorial. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

After finding the inscriptions, Pieter next looked for two plaques brought to the memorial in April by the students of Kinkora Regional High School and teacher Kevin Bustard.  Kevin had the plaques made after reading about Wood and Arsenault in an April 2017 article in the County Line Courier. (See CLC Apr 5 2017 p9 Two Unsung Heroes of Vimy Ridge)

To everyone’s surprise, the plaques were still at the Memorial. Arsenault’s was on The Tomb, and Wood’s was by his inscription.

CIMG8294 Sep 5 2017 tributes on The Tomb

Tributes left on The Tomb at the Vimy Canadian National Memorial. You can see the plaque for Patrick Raymond Arsenault on the far left. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Pieter reunited both plaques with photos of the two soldiers.

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Plaques and photos of John Lymon Wood and Patrick Raymond Arsenault. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

While the plaques were left at the Memorial, the photos and information about Wood and Arsenault were given to Johanne Gagné, who told us that “the French are still welcoming and grateful for the sacrifices made by Canadians and say thank you.  They are grateful to Canada for keeping the memory alive after 100 years.  It’s humbling.”

CIMG8301 Sep 5 2017 Sep 5 2017 Johanne Gagne with Wood and Pieter with Arsenault

Johanne Gagné with plaque and photo of John Lymon Wood while Pieter holds plaque and photo of Patrick Raymond Arsenault. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

This was the end of our tour of Vimy Ridge and the Memorial.  It had been a special day and we salute Johanne Gagné for the time she spent giving us a wonderful tour and patiently answering our many questions.  Merci beaucoup Johanne!

In the next blog entry we explore two of the memorials in the Thélus area.  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at memorialtrail@gmail.com or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

Never miss a posting!  Subscribe below to have each new story from the war memorial trail delivered to your inbox.

On The War Memorial Trail…..Paying Our Respects To Private Ellis Hooper

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September 4, 2017.  After making the journey from The Netherlands to France, we stopped at our first French cemetery in the village of Aubigny en Artois, 15 km north-west of Arras.  Don’t let anyone tell you that the road between the Dutch border, through Belgium, and into northern France is quiet.  It isn’t!  It’s a madhouse on the highway!

And the names of places can get confusing.  We wondered why the GPS kept telling us to go in the direction of Rijssel – until we saw that the French name for Rijssel was Lille!

Then, just outside of Aubigny en Artois, we stopped at a parking spot off the highway, sort of like a rest stop but without any conveniences.  Pieter wanted to stretch his legs, but didn’t get very far when I saw a sign saying ‘Défense de déposer des ordures’.

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Memo to self… next time, bring a French-English dictionary! (Photo credit:  Pieter Valkenburg)

I saw the word ‘Défense’ and remembered all the stories about unexploded mines in the area.  While I had no idea what the rest of the sign said, I knew ‘Défense’ was a warning of some kind.  “Don’t go there”, I shouted, “it’s a mine field!”  Of course, Pieter paid no attention to me, and it wasn’t until we got to the hotel and I looked up the translation that we could laugh about it.  It says something along the lines of “Don’t dump your garbage”!

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We reach the village of Aubigny en Artois. (Photo credit:  Daria Valkenburg)

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Directions to the cemetery are clearly marked.  (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

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Entrance to the Aubigny Communal Cemetery.  The Extension is behind the cemetery, and has 2,771 Commonwealth burials from WWI and 7 from WWII.  There are 227 French burials prior to March 1916, and 64 German war graves. The original cemetery land was given to the commune of Aubigny in 1909 by former mayor Emile Delombre. (Photo credit:  Daria Valkenburg)

After the excitement of the parking spot sign, we finally reached the Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension, and left the car to find the grave of Private Ellis Moyse HOOPER.  Hooper was born October 20, 1895 in Central Bedeque, son of Charles Frederick Allison Hooper and Bessie Marie nee Moyse.  Hooper enlisted in the 105th Battalion, C Company on March 4, 1916, and later transferred to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. On March 30, 1917, he died at No. 30 Casualty Station of gunshot wounds to his leg and left arm.

Hooper, Ellis Moyse

Private Ellis Moyse Hooper.  (Photo credit:  Lana Churchill family collection)

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Right: Pieter by Hooper’s grave, after placing the flags of Canada, PEI, and Canada 150. (Photo credit:  Daria Valkenburg)

Hooper’s cousin, Ernest Shaw MARSHALL, of Ontario, who died May 3, 1917, is buried nearby.

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Marshall’s grave was a few rows down from his cousin Hooper. (Photo credit:  Pieter Valkenburg)

As we left the cemetery, which is very well kept, we signed the guest register book. Each of the Commonwealth cemeteries has a register listing each soldier’s burial location, and there is a guest register.  If you visit, don’t forget to sign the register yourself!

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The register is in a compartment on the pillar by the entrance to the cemetery.  (Photo credit:  Daria Valkenburg)

This special visit was a prelude to our next stop on the memorial trail, the Vimy Memorial.  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at memorialtrail@gmail.com or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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WWI Soldier Private Patrick Raymond Arsenault Uncovered

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CIMG7870 Pieter Valkenburg and Paul Arsenault Great Nephew of P.R. Arsenault.JPG

Photo: Pieter with Paul Arsenault and a photo of Patrick Raymond Arsenault.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

August 7, 2017. With the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI coming up in 2018, Pieter has been actively searching for photos of the men listed on the Cenotaph who died during WW1 as he would like to have a Wall of Remembrance in the Legion.

Private Patrick Raymond ARSENAULT, who was born in Bedeque on October 14, 1896 to Joseph Arsenault and Isabella nee Richard, is one of the two men on the Cenotaph whose names are on the Vimy Memorial in France.

In the lead-up to the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April, his story was told in newspapers, and in a French language interview on CBC Radio-Canada given by Don Arsenault.  More coverage was given in the Journal Pioneer (see http://www.journalpioneer.com/news/local/2017/4/9/special-day-of-remembrance-for-bedeque-soldier.html ) and La Voix Acadienne following the commemoration ceremonies at the Legion in April. (See http://www.lavoixacadienne.com/index.php/patrimoine/1756-des-soldats-a-vimy-sont-honores.)  Unfortunately, up to that time, no family had been found, and no photo was available.

On Saturday, August 5, Paul Arsenault of Borden-Carleton, great-great-nephew of Arsenault, contacted Pieter to say he had a photo of his great-great-uncle after his aunt, Eileen Perry, showed him an article about Arsenault in the County Line Courier (See CLC Apr 5 2017 p9 Two Unsung Heroes of Vimy Ridge).  “…I found the photo in a chest that my mother Noreen had saved from her mother…” he said.  Noreen and Eileen are the granddaughters of Private Arsenault’s sister Mary Ethel Gaudet.

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Photo: Patrick Raymond Arsenault in 1916 in Summerside.  (Photo courtesy of Paul Arsenault collection)

It’s wonderful when family members are willing to help in the Cenotaph Research Project! Thank you Paul!  Readers, do you have more information on Patrick Raymond Arsenault?  Let us know by commenting on this blog, or email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com.

See related article published on August 9, 2017  CLC p30 Aug 9 2017 Face for Arsenault

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

Never miss a posting!  Subscribe below to have each new story from the war memorial trail delivered to your inbox.