Delview Secondary Students Honour Ladner Soldiers

Over Spring Break, fourteen students from Grades 10-12 at Delview Secondary embarked on a poignant trip to France and Belgium to visit the battlegrounds and cemeteries of the First World War. The aim of the trip, organized by Social Studies teacher David Yuill, was to help students understand the ultimate sacrifice made by more than 66,000 Canadian soldiers during the First World War, and enable them to pay their respects.

Historical Sites and Museums

The students were accompanied by History Teacher Mark Turpin and Counsellor Leah Hughes. They visited several significant historical sites and museums including Tyne Cot National Cemetery, Langemark German Military Cemetery, Vimy Ridge, Menin Gate, Somme Trench Museum, In Flanders Fields Museum and the Armistice Clearing. In addition, the students visited iconic landmarks in Paris such as the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Eiffel Tower, Tuileries Gardens, Opera House and the Louvre.

Student Reflections

The trip left a lasting impression on the students, who had various reasons for wanting to participate:

“I had a personal connection to engage with the history of this area firsthand, rather than read about it in a book.”

“I wanted to be more open to seeing things in front of me. And to stand in the same place where people had made the ultimate sacrifice.”

“All four of my great grandfathers fought in the war, so I wanted to learn more about it.”

Upon returning home, the students shared their profound experiences:

“It was surprising how big the memorials were – particularly seeing all the names on the memorial at Vimy Ridge. Looking at photos in a textbook doesn’t convey the scale of it. You feel so small standing beside it.”

“I lost count of the number of Commonwealth graveyards we passed…. We saw thousands of headstones.”

“When we went into any cemetery, you couldn’t capture what it was like in a photo… how big it is, or how silent it is. We saw a baby bunny on a gravestone. Seeing this new life amongst death reminded us that life keeps moving forward.”

“It shocked me. No matter where you looked, you saw remnants of the war. We drove past so many graveyards and monuments. People over there are surrounded by this history.”

One student shared her connection to a young soldier’s grave. “Seeing the grave of the 15-year-old soldier was the biggest moment for me as I’m also 15. He made such a sacrifice for his country. What can I do to show appreciation for his sacrifice?”

“I didn’t realize how many Canadians were there. The age of the youngest Canadian we saw was 17. It makes you ask yourself What can we do with this information? How do we move forward? Why is this still happening today?”

“Every one of those soldiers had families back home. I couldn’t help thinking about how the families were affected by their loss.”

“I didn’t realize how much it would affect me. There was a story behind every name on every headstone. Seeing the headstones of soldiers from Ladner made you realize just how far from home they were.”

“It was hard to deal with the idea that they went to fight but never came home. We went there to honour them. We all shed many tears.”

“They were all people like us. It made me ask myself, would I have been able to go to war?”

Contrasting Experiences at Historical Sites

The students visited Tyne Cot National Cemetery and Langemark German Military Cemetery and found the difference between them striking. Tyne Cot was bright, while Langemark was dark and a reminder of the realities of war.

“At Langemark, it felt dark and black. There were patches of grass with 4-8 names – each plot was a mass grave. It was hard to think that all these people had their own stories and families and now they’re in some small patch of grass in Northern France.”

One of the students reflected on the emotional experience of seeing unknown graves. “It was difficult seeing how many unknown graves there were. The first time I cried was when I saw an unknown gravestone that read ‘Known unto God’. It hit me hard that for them, no relatives can go and visit their grave.”

Life in the Trenches

A large part of the trip showed the students what soldiers experienced during the war, for example, living in poor conditions in the trenches and the struggles that resulted.

“Many of the trenches were built haphazardly. These were not places where a human should be living, yet people lived there for 4 years.”

“It was interesting seeing how close the front lines were at Vimy Ridge. If you stood in one trench, you could see the other. They were so close, and yet so much happened in such a little space.”

“The In Flanders Fields Museum was done so well. They have displayed artifacts with stories and music. It was ingenious how they combined the dramatic arts with museum pieces. It was very interactive.”

“At the In Flanders Fields Museum, I saw a piece of queer history for the first time, which was important to me. It’s not something that was talked about.”

Honouring Canadian Soldiers

At Menin Gate, the students attended the Last Post Ceremony, which was started by the Belgians in the 1920s to recognize the many thousands of missing soldiers. Volunteers of the local fire brigade have continued to honour the missing with a nightly ceremony at 8pm. Two students laid a wreath that was kindly donated by the Royal Canadian Legion Delta Branch 61.

During the trip, the students visited the gravesites of seven local heroes whose names are on the Ladner Cenotaph at Memorial Park; Pte. Lester William Handford and Pte. Guy Arthur Taylor (Haynecourt British Cemetery), Pte. Robert Kettles, Pte. William Savage Montgomery and LCpl. Cyril Leslie Moore (Vimy Ridge), Pte. Stanley Cecil Smith (Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery at Neuville-St Vaast at Vimy Memorial Park) and Pte. Sidney Norris Rich (Menin Gate)

Prior to the trip, students paired up to research the lives of these soldiers. At the gravesite of each soldier, students shared the soldier’s story, before observing a moment of silence. After the final gravesite visit at Vimy Ridge, the students stood next to the statue of Mother Canada and sang ‘O Canada’.

“It was a profound moment. The lyrics sat differently. They made sense. I will never think of the national anthem the same way again,” said one student.

“My heart was able to feel the meaning of the lyrics. I felt more pride being Canadian over there than I do here.”

“It was surprising to see how much Canada and Canadians were celebrated over there. Here in Canada, we rarely celebrate what it means to be Canadian. Over there, there were flags, celebrations, and ceremonies for the Canadian soldiers. I felt a sombre sense of pride.”

To honour the Ladner soldiers who didn’t return home, the students placed Canadian pins and flags next to headstones. “We wanted to learn about their history, honour them and bring a piece of Canada to them as they couldn’t come home,” shared one student.

Group Bonding and Reflection

The trip fostered strong bonds among the students. From the first day, they formed discussion groups to talk about their experiences and debrief together.

“Often, we put up walls at school, but being vulnerable in front of each other on this trip, those walls came down, and we shared many meaningful connections that aren’t possible in a classroom.”

Teacher Mark Turpin shared his thoughts on the trip, highlighting the profound impact it had on the students. “I think every student had a profound ‘aha’ moment. One of the students mentioned his mom took him to the airport and sent him off with some Gravol and the trip’s itinerary. He questioned what the mothers of soldiers would have felt as they said goodbye to their sons heading off to war? It made me proud as an educator and as a citizen to see the students understand what it means to make such a sacrifice. Another ‘aha’ moment for many of us was understanding that the mothers of German soldiers cried just as hard as the mothers of our soldiers.”

“Our guide taught us the German word ‘Vergangenheitsbewältigung’ that means the struggle of coping with the past. What we saw on this trip was incredibly difficult. It reminds me of Truth and Reconciliation today – how do we reconcile with the past?”

Paris Sightseeing and Reflections

After visiting the battlefields and cemeteries, sightseeing in Paris felt insignificant to many students. “Having experienced all that tragedy and destruction, it felt weird to be seeing tourist attractions. I don’t think any of us stopped thinking about what we’d seen at the battlefields and cemeteries once we were in Paris and, everywhere we looked, there seemed to be reminders of World War One,” shared one student.

Upon returning home, the students are continuing to reflect on their experiences through a group chat. “I feel like I brought home some of the history that had been left there. It’s difficult to explain to others who haven’t seen it for themselves.”

A Trip That Left a Lasting Impact

David Yuill expressed his pride in the students. “For all the times we hear people maligning the youth of today, these students put a lot of work into making this trip meaningful and to grapple with this country’s history. I’m really proud of them. I feel there is cause for hope.”

Leah Hughes, the counsellor, also expressed her pride in the students. “Everywhere we went, the students showed a staggering amount of respect. This was a journey of learning, reflection and profound moments that will stay with us all for a lifetime.”

Thank you to the students who shared their thoughts for inclusion in this article: