Illustration by Marley Allen-Ash
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For most of us, the day to remember and pay our respects to Canada’s fallen soldiers is Nov. 11 but in a small part of England, it is July 1. We learned this on a recent trip to the U.K. and were pleasantly surprised how a tradition is continued by schoolchildren on Canada Day. We wondered, “How come?” We wondered, “Why July 1?”
Last September, my wife and I visited friends in England, who know that we like to visit historical parts of the country and eat or drink in old English pubs. (Many English pubs are older than Canada.) Sue and Peter usually do a little advance scouting before we arrive. On one of these excursions, they spotted a Commonwealth War Grave sign, investigated and found that it was a graveyard for Canadian soldiers. When we arrived, they suggested that we visit.
We drove to the parish of Bramshott and Liphook, and the Church of St. Mary’s in Hampshire, about two hours’ drive south of London.
St. Mary’s is one of those small Church of England buildings that viewers of Grantchester, Father Brown or Downton Abbey would be familiar with. Originally built in 1220, its most recent renovation was in the mid-1770s (in England anything after 1700 is deemed recent). We wandered to the rear of the church to search for the graveyard: Why were Canadian soldiers buried there?
In this English city, memories of Canadian soldiers and nurses loom large
We followed a narrow path and found the headstones of over 300 Canadian soldiers under a canopy of maple trees. They were neatly laid out around a granite cenotaph topped with a War Cross. Each headstone was marked with a carved maple leaf. The dates on the headstones were mostly 1917, 1918 and 1919. The soldiers’ ages of 19 to 21 told us they were mostly boys responding to the call of duty in the First World War.
A local older gentleman with a rake over his shoulder and grass clippers in his hand came along the path and greeted us with a cheery, “Hello! Can I help you?”
Our British friends explained that we were from Canada and had come to pay our respects.
He lay down his gardening tools and began to tell the story. During both world wars, the area was a site for Canadian soldiers. In the First World War it was one of the largest training areas for Canadians in Britain. There was also a field hospital nearby during the First World War. Many soldiers returning from France succumbed to their injuries and after 1918 the influenza epidemic brought death to many; hence the 1919 dates. In the Second World War, the area was also host to Canadian soldiers training to go to France. Those soldiers must have passed this grave site on many occasions. We had to wonder, “What would have been their thoughts?”
The community never forgot the sacrifice of Canadians. After the First World War, locals came every July 1 with baskets of flowers and flags and laid them under the engraved maple leaf on each headstone. Today, schoolchildren continue the practice on July 1 remembering the Canadian sacrifice. When we returned to Canada and did some follow-up research on the cemetery, we learned that Princess Anne representing the Royal family had been there before us to attend the Canada Day memorial and service.
I take walks in my local cemetery because it exudes life
As he left us, the gentleman suggested that we try the church’s side door and, if open, go inside to see the Canadian dedications. We entered the somewhat dark and musty church; after 700 years, it ought to be a bit musty, I reasoned. As our eyes adjusted, they widened with the sight of the church interior.
Several stained-glass windows commemorated the Canadian war contribution to the freedom of the British people. A Canadian Red Ensign and other Canadian Forces banners, dating from the two wars, hung at the rear of the church. But most striking were the prayer kneeling pads in this Church of England. Many pads were decorated with needlepoint designs of Canadiana – there were moose, loons, beavers, maple leaves and Canadian flags. A booklet in the church indicated that the kneelers were dedicated on Canada Day in 1985 – 40 years after the end of the Second World War.
On that day and in that place in England, we felt proud to call ourselves Canadian. This July 1, while Canadians celebrate at home, I will be thinking of this hamlet in England, where locals remember and pay tribute to the Canadians who died to protect the values both countries share.
Peter Strum and his wife Dorothy live in Ottawa.