Object Record
Images
Metadata
Collection |
Waterloo Region Museum |
Object ID |
1936.016.001 |
Object Name |
Souvenir |
Description |
Clear glass, apothecary jar with lid. The side of the jar has alternating indented and raised sections. The lid fits into the jar and appears to be sealed permanently. The jar contains soil. There is a cloth tape label which reads: July 26, 1936 SOIL from Vimy Ridge. |
Date |
1936 |
Dimensions |
H-14.5 Dia-12 cm |
History |
Alfred Merser (1876-1946) enlisted with the 34th Battalion in 1915. Leonard Dingley (1883-?) enlisted with the 118th Battalion in 1916. Both men were English immigrants. No information has been found about Sydney Kirby. The monument commemorating the Battle of Vimy, April 9-12, 1917, is the largest and most significant memorial to Canadian casualties of the First World War. The government of France presented the park surrounding the monument to the people of Canada in 1922, and construction of the monument began in 1925. The monument was designed by Canadian architect and sculptor Walter Seymour Allward. It took 11 years to complete the monument at a cost of almost $1.5 million. On July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VII. The ceremony was broadcast by radio in Canada. Almost 8000 Canadians attended the unveiling ceremony. |
Search Terms |
First World War Vimy Ridge |
People |
Dingley, Leonard Kirby, Sydney Merser, Alfred |