King Edward VIII unveiles the figure of Canada at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on July 26, 1936. [LAC/PA-148880]

Badge of remembrance: The 1936 pilgrimage to Vimy

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT

On July 16, 1936, five passenger ships steamed out of Montreal harbour and down the St. Lawrence. They were escorted by the HMCS Saguenay and cheered by throngs of noisy well-wishers on shore.

On board were roughly 6,400 Canadian “pilgrims” making the nine-day journey to France for the highly anticipated unveiling of the new Canadian National Vimy Memorial. On the first day of the voyage, each pilgrim received a commemorative silver badge resembling a medal to be proudly worn on their chests throughout the journey to France and back.

In the 90 years since that journey, the great memorial itself, with its high white towers, brooding figures and broad walls carved with the names of Canadian Great War soldiers missing or presumed dead, has come to embody the spirit of Canada’s wartime memory and sacrifice. And yet, one might argue that another object of that time, quite humble and mostly forgotten, more profoundly animates Canadian remembrance—the Vimy Pilgrimage Medal.

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Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean presents William MacDonald with the Star of Military Valour on April 4, 2008. [Valour in the Presence of the Enemy]

Afghanistan veteran William MacDonald on being considered for the Canadian Victoria Cross

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

Retired master warrant officer William MacDonald remembers the Afghan heat and dust that enveloped his platoon on Aug. 3, 2006. Above all else, he recalls the maelstrom of Taliban fire amid the Battle of the White School.

His comrade Corporal Chris Reid had been killed by an improvised explosive device that had devastated his vehicle earlier in the offensive. And some 200 insurgents had engaged in a fierce resistance, prompting an assault force predominantly comprising Charlie Company, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), to push across an open field toward two outbuildings.

MacDonald, a sergeant at the time, watched the situation deteriorate. Positioned on the right flank with the C6 machine gun team to provide covering fire, it soon became evident that the beleaguered troops ahead required further assistance.

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