Illustration by Marley Allen-Ash
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I always told my mother I would visit her beloved brother’s grave should I ever go to France. So, when my husband and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in Europe, our trip included stops at the Commonwealth War Memorials in France and Belgium.
We were travelling with another couple, also celebrating their 40th anniversary, and we all had relatives who fought or died in the two World Wars. During the hottest September Europe has seen in years we toured the memorials in our rental car. I never expected to have such an emotional trip.
We drove first to the British Cemetery at Vailly-sur-Aisne, where Harold Brody Steckley, my husband’s great uncle, is the only Canadian buried there. He was a bomber pilot and died in 1918 at age 23. There were rows and rows of white headstones separated by rose bushes and neatly trimmed grass. Azure blue skies made the cemetery hauntingly beautiful. Being our first stop, it took my breath away to see so many headstones and see the young ages of so many of the soldiers.
We then made our way to Vimy Ridge, about a two-hour drive north. The trees have grown back on the battlefields but the craters from bombs are still noticeable. Unfortunately, we could not find where my great uncle – Earl Albert Gardiner – was buried. I did not know anything about Earl except that he was the youngest of four brothers who fought in the First World War. How easy it is to be lost in the sands of time when so many did not grow old to pass on any stories.
We drove another 30 minutes north to the cemetery at Hersin-Coupigny, where our friends’ relative, John Fitzpatrick (August 1918) is buried.
The cemeteries were quiet, without many other visitors but at each one there is a book to record your name and date of visit. The pages were often full.
We ended our first day on the road at Ypres and the Menin Gate Memorial. It was disappointing to see it was being renovated and was covered in tarps draped over scaffolding. But there is a small park with story boards to impart the history and pictures of this First World War tribute to the dead. My great uncle Edwin Lincoln Gardiner is one of 54,000 soldiers whose bodies were never found. He died on his first day in the field and his name is engraved on the Gate walls. At the memorial’s inauguration in 1927, British Commander Field Marshall Lord Plumer told the families present, “He is not missing, he is here.” When Menin Gate reopens in 2025, I will return to see it in its full glory.
But the most emotional stop for me was a trip to St. Aubin le Cauf, a village in northern France, about 10 kilometres east of Dieppe. My uncle Edwin Gardiner, named after my great uncle, is buried in the small churchyard along with his flying partner, Norman Monchier. Edwin was 23 and Norman 19 when their planes crashed in a field nearby in August, 1942. Villagers who’d watched the air battle rushed to the crash site – one was able to retrieve Edwin’s ID cards before the Germans swooped in. Three days later, villagers buried the pilots side by side in the churchyard.
Edwin and Norman were listed as “Missing” and it wasn’t until after V-E Day when my grandfather, former Minister of National War Services James G. Gardiner, received word where Edwin and Norman were buried. In January of 1946, he went to St. Aubin le Cauf and the townspeople asked that the pilots remain in their care. To this day, they have lovingly tended the graves.
What touched me the most about this small churchyard Memorial was the Canadian flag flying over the graves and pictures of the two men above their grave markers in a case on the wall of the church.
I never knew my uncle of course, but my mother kept his memory alive in our home. Every day I would pass a life-size portrait of Edwin in the hallway. My mother also honoured her brother by embracing life as if she was living for the two of them. She even got a pilot’s license.
Later, we walked along the beaches of Dunkirk, Juno and Dieppe and stopped at every monument and cairn we saw recognizing the units that participated in the battles. The people of France and Belgium, and Friends of the Fallen volunteer groups have dedicated much time, land and resources to the remembrance of our dead.
We ended our trip in London and unexpectedly encountered the annual ceremonies commemorating the Battle of Britain. While standing in Trafalgar Square we witnessed a flyby of two restored Spitfire airplanes. It was almost like seeing Edwin and Norman saluting us.
Touring these Memorial sites has renewed pride in our country that I was reluctant to acknowledge. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is doing an admirable job of maintaining these Memorial sites. We should be doing our best to continue educating current and future generations about the sacrifices that young men and women made to keep us free.
This year I’ll keep Earl Albert Gardiner (Lens 1917), Edwin Lincoln Gardiner (Passchendaele 1917), Harold Steckley (Vailly-sur-Aisne 1918) and John Edwin Gardiner (Dieppe 1942) close to my heart.
Remembrance Day has so much more meaning for me now.
Jane Steckley lives in Calgary.