Student Tour Blog

Written by Renée Rousseau

With a chilly and rainy morning starting off with Professor Gary Sheffield’s explanation of the First World War winding down in the 100 days offensive, we all knew that today would be jam-packed. With six student presentations and professor lectures across a plethora of sites, you bet we were all focused and ready to learn.

Travelling across vast rolling hills and beautiful farm fields, we came across the site of Wailly Orchard Graveyard where Laurie-Ann honed her masters research skills discussing Lieutenant Piere Eugène Guay. Unlike many Canadian soldier’s sentiments during the war, Guay found sanctuary in the adventure, connections and adrenaline of the Western Front. Not only was Laurie-Ann beaming with a smile on her face from her 2-year rigorous journey of researching sir Guay, but so were all the students and professors. Her enthusiasm and wit was infectious!

A few graves over, Mary-Pier demonstrated her strength in museology studies by talking about the identification of Piper James Clelland Richardson’s bagpipes. The bagpipes, previously in possession in Scotland, had been retrieved and returned to the collection of the Canadian Scottish Regimental museum of Victoria in 2006. MP elucidated that the tartan design attached to the drone pipes did not match the description of another piper killed on the Somme, but that of Richardson’s original 15th Regiment’s ‘Lennox’ tartan pattern.

Whistling down the roads, the group stopped at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Visitors Centre to admire the craftsmanship and dedication towards preserving, memorializing, and honouring the fallen soldiers of the Great War. With nine stages of listening stations to immerse into, there was something personal for everyone to take away from this pre-lunch stop.

At the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Emma discussed the importance and the morality of conscription by the end of the war. By 1917, conscription introduced a whole new perspective of fighting for the Canadian Dominion. While the opinions varied from opposition (Easter Riots of Mar. 28 1918) to agreement. Emma enraptured the group with their knowledge and passion for the politics of the 1910s (I especially found their section on the Military Voters Act the most interesting!), and demonstrated the importance of public opinion with such a topic.

The morale of the CEF was thoroughly explained by Chance under the soggy shelter of an umbrella at our next stop. With the Bolshevik Revolution drawing Russia out of the war, Chance emphasized that the morale of the Canadian soldiers had gained a newfound confidence. Having a well fed, trained, and supported army proved enamorous superiority in fighting and reconnaissance. Mood and spirit are the ideal combination for morale. And the littering rain and wind does not stop our group!

Under the dry safety of a hearty tree at the Bourlon Wood Memorial, Landon presented his familial connection to the famous painter Alfred Munnings and the importance of Homefront prevalence in painting. Known for Impressionism and realism, Munnings first gathers his artistic identity before the war and implements it into his work. The Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron (1918) for instance depicts atmosphere, sacrifice, and labours that Landon so perfectly describes as ‘wild’. It is important to note that Landon also demonstrated that horse painting runs in the family by finger-painting a horse on our bus’s rainy window.

Finally, Hannah stood beside the grave of Private James Fenton of the 78th BN in the Dury Mill cemetery. Her family friend’s connection to Fenton influenced Hannah to provide the group with a somber tribute. As a conscripted lumberjack heading to face the enemy opening day at Hill 70, Fenton could not help but write of his personal determination to fight; his brother had been killed 13 months before himself. Hannah makes the point that graves are meant to be for memorial, and that for the generations that come after him can understand and respect the sacrifice of his life for the Commonwealth. Five pennies were placed atop his grave to commemorate the five members of Fenton’s family who still hold him in memory in the family tree back overseas.

With six varying student presentations at locations across so many battles, I couldn’t help but be reminded of our group’s resilience and dedication to the study of military history. A discussion of the Armistice and the Treaty of Versailles marked the end of the First World War and the end of our adventures for the day.

-Renée Rousseau (University of British Columbia)