Vimy 100 trip an emotional experience for KDSS students, chaperones

Sam Thompson says it was an honour to kneel at the grave of Private Orwell “Orrie” James Daniel of Kincardine who was killed in the First World War and is buried in Tigris Lane Cemetery, France.

One of 18 Kincardine District Secondary School students and three adults who travelled to France and Belgium in April for the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Sam was also one of the speakers at a presentation about that trip, held Tuesday evening, May 30, at the Kincardine Legion.

The students and adults said the trip was an emotional experience, as it was the Canadian soldiers who brought about victory at Vimy Ridge in April, 1917, and these soldiers were honoured and remembered during the centenary celebration at the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France.

Over a year ago, the students were researching local soldiers who fought in the Great War. Sam's research was about Orrie Daniel.

“Orrie was born Jan. 26, 1898, in Kincardine, the third of four children born to Charles and Ruby Daniel,” said Sam. “A very socially-active man who would attend many dances whilst based in Britain with friends, he would even cycle up to 12 miles to attend these dances where he knew it would be less crowded and there would be less fellow soldiers and more locals to socialize with.

“Orrie was in high school when an enlistment officer came to the school to talk to the students about enlisting and tried to convince them to do so. The war was described as an adventure and certainly not described realistically in the way that we all know it took place. Orrie was enticed by this and at the young age of 17, he decided he would apply.

“He was officially enlisted Feb. 17, 1916. At such a young age, just as life was really beginning, he was willing to leave home and travel to the other side of the ocean for his country and for adventure.

“Orrie died at the front line as his battalion liberated small French towns from the Germans near the Belgian border. They had just liberated the Town of Vis-en-Artois and were marching on forward when Orrie died from sniper fire on Aug. 26 or 27, 1918, only two-and-a-half months before the world saw an end to the war.

“It was interesting researching Orrie's life – he was the life of the party, a real ladies' man. But he was just a young man in a big world.”

Jim and Marian Daniel live on the farm where Orrie grew up, and Sam asked if there was anything they would like him to take to the grave in France. They gave him four stones from the family house to place there.

“We saw a lot of cemeteries between France and Belgium and they had a real emotional impact on us,” said Sam. “On the bus ride, I was bugging our teachers about going to the Tigris Lane Cemetery near Arras, because it was so close. We made it there and I was able to kneel at the grave of Orrie Daniel. He was the same age as I am now when he fought in the war. Because of his sacrifice we live in freedom. So we must never forget.”

About 50 people attended the presentation which featured a description of other First World War soldiers from the area, including the Bell brothers, and an outline of the trip through France, the Vimy Ridge memorial celebration, and Belgium.

Joining the 18 students, were KDSS teachers Dan Weigand and Jennie Evans, and Deb Sturdevant of the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre.

Evans said the trip was very moving because her father's oldest brother fought in the Great War. “To go where he fought was a powerful experience for me.”

They arrived in France and toured several well-known places of interest, including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Palace of Versailles. Their tour guide was a lovely Greek man, Antonis (pronounced Adonis) Psarras. He was extremely knowledgeable, competent, humorous and caring.

Day 5 of the trip was the moment they were all waiting for – to be among of the thousands of Canadians who had made the pilgrimage to France to participate in the 100^th anniversary of Canadian victory at the four-day Battle of Vimy Ridge.

After the long line-ups and a few other obstacles, they made it to the memorial for the service. And all agreed the Vimy Ridge monument is a powerful memorial. There are 11,169 Canadian dead, missing and presumed dead soldiers from the First World War commemorated on the walls of this monument.

To remember each life lost in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 3,598 pairs of empty black combat boots were placed atop the monument or on the green grass of the surrounding ridge. The group brought back two pairs of these boots and presented them to the Kincardine and Ripley Legions which had made donations toward the trip.

KDSS student Maia Hinchberger was interviewed by CBC's “The National,” about her family ties to the Great War. Her great, great, great-grandfather, Arthur Manuel Hall, fought there, and she would be the first member of her family to visit his grave in the Sucrerie Cemetery.

Later, at the gravesite, Nathan Smith played two pieces on the bagpipes, and Maia placed some Canadian flags and other artifacts by the headstone.

The group also stopped at the St. Julien Memorial, often referred to as the “Brooding Soldier,” near St. Julien, Belgium, which marks the battlefield where 18,000 Canadians withstood the first German gas attacks in April, 1915.

The students and chaperones watched the nightly ceremony of the RCMP Pipes and Drums at the Menin Gate. They ran into Kincardine native Rob Macleod who was in Brussels, from his home in Frankfurt, Germany. They toured the Grand Place, the main square of Brussels, and enjoyed Belgian waffles.

Finally, after their amazing 10-day trip, they returned to Kincardine.

“Thank you for your incredible support of our journey through France and Belgium,” said Weigand. “We will never forget it.”

As a token of their gratitude, several families have pooled their resources to buy some Vimy Oaks for the Legion and KDSS. These are oak trees that have been raised from acorns that originally came from the Vimy Ridge battlefield.

“We think this would be a fitting tribute and gift to the community to remember both our trip and the sacrifices of those soldiers 100 years ago,” said Weigand.