NEWS RELEASE
TERRY SHEEHAN, SAULT STE. MARIE MP
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SAULT STE. MARIE, ON -- There will be a ceremony tomorrow, Sunday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery to dedicate a sapling that is a descendant of oak trees which grow on the site of the Vimy Ridge in France.
Members of the public are invited to attend - parking is available via Gate 3 off Fourth Line East at Greenwood Cemetery. A parade will start at 11 a.m. Participants will form up by Gate 3 and march a short distance to where the sapling is planted in the Veterans area. There will be laying of wreaths and some remarks from Legion, 2310 Army Cadet personnel, and invited dignitaries.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a deeply meaningful event in the First World War. That battle lasted four days, from April 9 to April 12, 1917 and involved more than 15,000 Canadians. Taking Hill 45 from the enemy, where the Vimy Memorial stands now, came at a great cost - 3,598 brave Canadians were killed and 7,000 wounded. The Vimy Memorial, on land that France dedicated as Canadian soil, stands as a poignant reminder of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers killed in France with no known graves.
A few acorns were collected from oak trees around the site of Hill 45 and sent back to Canada by a Lieutenant Miller and planted on a farm in Ontario.
In 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, saplings from these Vimy Oaks were made available to groups across Canada.
MP Terry Sheehan discovered that this was happening and worked with both the local Legion and the Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation website to successful secure a sapling that is being dedicating on Sunday, April 8. Please join us.
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