Challenging Personal Beliefs: Day One at the Somme and Ypres

Posted on by CBF Students - Étudiants FCCB

Today was a busy day. Starting off this tour, I was a little apprehensive about the itinerary, meeting new people, and the academic work that accompanied it. After arriving in France today (May 26) I realised that all my concerns were misplaced. We all have something that draws us together, only making this trip more memorable.

We began our Battlefield tour by visiting the museum in Péronne. The display was like nothing I had ever seen, and it was interesting how it was strung together. See, Péronne resides near the First World War battlefield of the Somme. When I was learning history, the stories I heard about the Somme were gruesome. It was difficult not to judge. You hear of soldiers marching towards the German trenches instead of running, and as a result being mowed down by machine-gun fire. I had a teacher who always said, “you are only as good as your last war.” For the soldiers of the First World War, this statement seems accurate, and as historians we look back at the war with 20/20 hindsight. In truth, probably the best my sight has ever been.

The museum presents how the various levels of society address war. Nationally, there is a big push to support the war. It is hard to convince people to fight and die for a cause that is not supported by leaders. Ultimately, that is one of the reasons why the First World War was so disastrous. In the national section of the gallery, there were objects of prior wars, glorifying the prospect of dying. A term used by Wilfred Owen, but first attributed to Horace, is the phrase “dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.” It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country is the message that Owen was mocking. This form of memory, that the World War was brutal, emerged once it was too late. I can’t begin to understand the mindset of these people who lived and died during the First World War, but the objects presented by this museum make it easier to believe that it isn’t straightforward.

While the soldiers were fighting, the people at home were buying into the belief that the sacrifice of those fighting on the Western Front was necessary. It doesn’t matter if their beliefs are right or wrong. They are the people who contribute to history, and it is their beliefs and memories that historians need to address to help develop a bigger picture of the First World War.

The other galleries of the museum break down the experience into societal perspectives, including the lives of the soldiers, and the people they left at home. One of the most haunting images for me was a child’s outfit designed as a mini soldier’s uniform. This mentality challenges the narratives of the First World War. How can we condemn a war that was supported by all levels of society, not just the leaders?

The museum presents a lot of useful information that I could discuss, but I would end up writing more than necessary. If you have the ability to visit the museum, do so.

After the museum, we travelled up to Ypres, a major battle for allied troops. When we arrived, all we saw was a beautiful location with a giant statue named “the Brooding Soldier.” It is intended to represent the sacrifice made by the allied nations during the various battles of Ypres, but also the Canadians. This statue is imposing. It is a long obelisk like memorial with a First World War soldier at the top with his head bowed. What the message is depends on the person, but for me, I saw someone who was respecting the sacrifice made by not only Canadians, but all soldiers who fought in the war. It didn’t matter about national or personal beliefs, dispelling the questions and concerns historians have about the First World War. Nothing mattered but remembering the sacrifice of those who fought.

For me, it was easy to imagine soldiers and trenches in the fields behind the monument, battles raging. It was a complete juxtaposition compared to the day that we had. I always imagine the First World War to be grim, dark, and rainy. They would have seen the sun shining down onto the battlefield, where 100 years later we stood. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky and the sun shining down. It is difficult to describe the emotions associated with every sight, but today I have felt a mix of happiness, despair, hope, and the ultimate sacrifice that any soldier was expected to make.

And that was only the first day…

 

Catherine S.

Péronne and the Museum of the Great War – Day One

Posted on by CBF Students - Étudiants FCCB

We have finally arrived! This trip has been a long time coming. Much research, planning and anticipation has gone into the preparation for today and the two weeks to come.

You will have to excuse this blog post if I start to ramble off on random tangents or cut it off in the wrong spot…. Jet lag! I think all of us can speak to this tonight. But, what a day! I am feeling extremely lucky to be on this trip with such an amazing group! I’ve already learned so much and can’t wait to continue.  Every place we visited, every conversation had, were highlights of the day for me.

When driving along the winding roads of Ypres, Dave Patterson (General, driver and comedian) began pointing out various movements within the battles on the Ypres salient… “You see that hill? The Germans held that hill and advanced in this direction towards the British…etc”. It was these moments that I realized how incredible it is to be here. I tried to close my eyes and imagine the beautiful green farm land of Belgium looking muddy, dark, full of craters and littered with bodies… But it was near impossible. Until we passed a bunker, one lonely bunker in a field, still in tact.. The war was not that long ago.

One of the biggest highlights for me today was exploring the great war museum in Péronne. It was refreshing to walk through a museum that so well brings to light what citizens pre war, citizens during war, soldiers during war, and soldiers after war thought of what was going on. Not just British or French citizens, but Canadians, Germans, and Russians too. It put the great war into context like I never thought was possible at a museum, showing pieces from Germans, French, Britts, etc. These exhibits were also quite subtle, no flashy lights, no somber dark music. It’s not only the fact that this museum chooses not to be exclusive in the history they are telling, but they also display these exhibits in a remarkable fashion. For example, the first room contextualizes the world on the cusp of war by showing things such as propoganda (and not categorizing it as a negative “trick” to help enlistment numbers rise), children’s games, etc. It falls away from one standard idea or collective memory of what pre war life was like, and rather looks at each countries experience individually. The second room, which displays various exhibits to depict the entre into war, all soldiers uniforms are laid on the ground, which is unique for a museum, but represents the men who fought on the ground and died on the ground and are forever reside in the ground.

So many discussions surrounding our ever changing memory of war were had here.  This museum brought to light how selective we as Canadians can be of how we remember the first world war as it was truly unbiased to one side or another.

I hope to learn more about the how we remember and why we remember the way we do while we continue our journey!

Cheers!

SaraH

 

In All Thy Sons Command

Posted on by CBF Students - Étudiants FCCB

Having finally arrived home after a long trip and a chance to sober my emotional thoughts, I felt it necessary to reflect upon the lessons learned and the experiences had on the CBF 2016 tour. It was incredible to have been able to experience the battlefields of wars fought decades ago. The impact of war has had long-standing consequences on the land and those that inhabit it. Something that will always stay with me is the warm welcome we received. Simply by brandishing the maple leaf, we inherited the title of liberators. Having felt that I did nothing to deserve this, I was especially astonished. I suppose remembrance and commemoration were always to be thankful for. The endless generosity and gratefulness of the people of France and Belgium will always be remembered.

On a more personal level, the Canadian Battlefields Foundation gave me something that meant the world to me. They gave me the opportunity to learn to love my great grandfather, Valentine Solomon Crawford. I would have never taken the time to delve into the details of a man whose life is the reason I live today. On June 10, at the Bretteville-sur-Laize cemetery, I approached his grave. I wasn’t prepared for the emotions I felt that day. Anger, sadness, pride, joy. Through tears, I revealed the details of his life. My endless love and admiration for this man had been realized in those precious moments I spent sitting in front of his grave. The tragedies of war had come to bear on me as I traced the letters engraved on his tombstone. I had spent the entirety of the trip reflecting on the perils of facing the enemy in combat and now I reflected upon the aftermath. “We miss him more each day. Friends know not the sorrow within our hearts concealed.” Fewer words had ever rang truer. Leaving him was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I took solace in how peaceful his final resting place felt. He died so that others may live and that is the noblest of sacrifices.

The passion of those involved in the tour made the information they imparted so much more fascinating. The connections I made and the knowledge I learned have strengthened my resolve to continue studying the trials of military conflict. I plan to impose this particular experience on my future academia. I am eternally thankful for being one of the few selected to participate in this year’s Canadian Battlefields Foundation Tour. It has been the experience of a lifetime and the memories made will be ones I will keep with me forever.

Emilio G. Caputo

Leaving’s the hardest part

Posted on by CBF Students - Étudiants FCCB

Our last true day on the battlefields tour happened today and instead of detailing every single thing we saw, I’m going to share what happened as we visited the Canadian Cemetery at Brettville-sur-Laise. This cemetery contains some of the many Canadians who perished during the push through Normandy.

At this cemetery, I couldn’t contain myself and truly sobbed. I think it was a product of being emotionally exhausted and truly realizing everything we have experienced in the past few weeks.
At the cemetery, we stopped at three graves for our last three soldier presentations.
Lilia went first and told us about a local Ottawa boy. He was a 23-year-old air gunner whose plane was shot down, killing him. His elder brother went missing in action in Normandy and is commemorated at another cemetery nearby. His family continued to remember him but had never visited the grave so Lilia was honouring him for them.
Then we heard from Shelagh who told the story of one of the Canadians murdered as a POW at l’Abbaye d’Ardennes. He was young when he was murdered and had only married a short bit before the war began. He initially went Missing In Action and his mother and wife wrote letters to try and find his whereabouts to no avail. Eventually, his body was found with a bullet hole in the back of his skull and he became a part of the trial of Kurt Meyer. At this point, his grieving mother had to relive the horror of her son’s last moments. He waited in a basement cellar as he heard his friends getting murdered, then he suffered the same fate. By this point, none of us had dry eyes. We all imagined the horror of not knowing what happened to a loved one, then the even worse horror of discovering this truth.
Finally, came the last presentation, and to me at least, the most moving one. Emilio stood in front of the grave of his Great-Grandfather and began by describing Valentine to us. They share the same nose and build. We had all heard snippets about Valentine throughout the tour, so this moment was all the more real for us. Last night, I even had the chance to read some of the letters and files, and get to know Valentine through his own words. Today though, standing in front of his grave, Emilio told us about the great-grandfather he never met, and the soldier he was when he died. He had volunteered with a wife and kids at home, and died July 20, 1944 probably when the armoured vehicle he was in exploded.
Hearing about the end of this man’a life brought me to tears. The overwhelming sense of sadness continued as I walked through row upon row of graves. I reflected on the fact that this is where thousands of loved ones rest forever, so far away from those they held dear. They can be visited but they will never return home, and we must always leave them. This sense of loss was made even more real as I glanced down at a passing stone and saw, “We love you always, Mum and Little Alex.” This is what sent me over the edge. I truly thought about all the graves we’ve seen and stories we’ve heard and I sobbed. The loss on all sides in both wars was incredible, almost unfathomable.
We are 70, 100, years past the events of these global tragedies and these two weeks have made me feel as if they happened last week. We have had the opportunity to learn and remember all these people. We heard the stories of 11 soldiers in both wars and got to know them just a little. But there are so many more resting here in France and our work is far from done. I will take from this experience a deeper understanding of these wars and the people who lived them, as well as all those left behind. I will also continue to want to learn more about these terrible events, perhaps in the hopes that they are never repeated.
In closing, I listened to a song that really fit the mood at the time. It’s “Go Solo” by Tom Rosenthal and it’s a song about making one’s way home. It gave me hope that although these men never found their way home, their memories might.

For your love I will go far
I wanna be wherever you are
I know I’m coming back for you

And I’m happy, nothing’s going to stop me
I’m making my way home
I’m making my way

And as sad as I felt, and as exhausted as I continue to feel, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I have become so close with those who shared it with me and we now share a cross-Canada bond, like many of our soldiers. I will also make it my goal to bring these soldiers’ memories home with me.