Student Tour Blog

Written by Julia Giardini

On June 1st, 2026, it is a beautiful sunny day and the birds are chirping as the CBF student study group enters the bus for the day. On our way to Sunken Road in Somme, France, we see the golden Virgin Mary statue in the horizon of the bus windows in all her prominence. When we arrive at Sunken Road, we observe the memorial statue and discuss the actions of Canadian soldiers within the 29th Battalion, and their efforts to push back the Germans to quickly claim the area in 1915. Despite the inexperience of young soldiers, Sunken Road is an area where Canadian soldiers quickly learn how to fight in a war and produce war materials. At Sunken Road is where Canadian soldiers learn to march in a line to maintain control against the Germans, and march cohesively to use artillery split fire to hit targets.

We then headed to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland memorial, and this location was particularly monumental during the Battle of Somme. This site represents the tragic deaths of almost all Newfoundland soldiers during the battle, and while many of the deaths that happened here are unknown, they represent the perseverance for peace in the First World War.

One of my favourite moments of the day was when we visited the Thiepval memorial, which represents the 74,000 allied soldiers that died during the First World War. This memorial is powerful in its architecture, and was built in 1932. While visiting the memorial, Professor Sheffield said to me “we memorialize the dead more than the living,” and this line struck me deeply as I understood what he meant. It is interesting how we do the most to memorialize the dead, but then lack to appreciate them while they are alive.

Next, we move over to the tank monument, where Major Nick Wheeler educates us on the development of an iconic war weapon, tanks. Tanks were created to solve a deadlock problem in the First World War, they are inspired by tractors. Although tanks are not the most effective weapon in making a difference for Canadians, they provide extra protection for soldiers.

Overall, this day is quite memorable for me and is a reminder of the development of strategy and weaponry used in the First World War. What I will take away and appreciate from this day is the level of sacrifice these soldiers made in order to preserve freedom and peace throughout the world, and how they were willing to put their lives on the line to defend their respected nations.

-Julia Giardini (Simon Fraser University)