Vimy Prize Testimonials
Inspired by the heroic victory of the Canadian Forces at Vimy Ridge, the Vimy Foundation brings together youth from Canada, the United Kingdom and France, so that they can better appreciate their intertwined history and the lessons that can be learned from it. This scholarship program challenges young people to consider new ways to approach problems, using the success of Vimy Ridge as an example.
I think that this scholarship may have made me a pacifist. Walking through the trenches, I couldn’t help but marvel at the courage of the soldiers, and shudder at the horror of war.
Michael Dover, St Catharines, ON (2010)
This experience was valuable in so many ways, and provided different perspectives demonstrated in varied means that are impossible to gain from textbooks and in-class learning.
One memory that deeply affected me was visiting the cemeteries. In school, we are told the numbers of casualties and deaths in a factual manner. Yet once seeing the cemeteries and physically being there, the consequences of the world wars are put into perspective.
It truly is an indescribable feeling to know that behind every inscription on every grave is a soldier and behind every soldier there is a story, a family, a sacrifice. The significance of each cemetery remains the same, whether it contains thousands or hundreds or fewer graves, and they all symbolize the importance of Remembrance.
Jill Epp, Calgary, AB (2010)
This prize was one of the best things in my life… The people were awesome, the guest speakers were amazing… and the places we went to were good too!
Iain Summerby-Murray, Sackville, NB (2010)
The Beaverbrook Vimy Prize is a fantastic experience from which I believe all young people in Canada could benefit. The depth and presentation of such a unique program does wonders in awakening a sense of identity and pride in one’s country. I would not trade my time in Europe for anything in the world and finally, I’m happy to say that I enjoyed every second of it.
Reid Dobell, King, ON (2010)
Rows upon rows of crosses, memorials and statues. These are sights that must be seen in person to be understood, and yet the scope of them never can truly be comprehended. They are, however, unforgettable.
David W. Wagner, Montreal, QC (2010)
(Before this experience,) I didn’t like history; I found it bland and boring. But History is a completely different beast when alive.
Daichi Ishikawa, Vancouver, BC (2010)
The sense of immensity when looking out over the endless graves was utterly overwhelming. The sights we saw, the people we met, the friendships formed and the things we learnt were endless.
Jaanuja Sriskantha, Harrow, London, England (2010)
The things that I learnt and the connections that I made these two weeks will stay with me for the rest of my life. Staring at the endless rows of graves in the cemeteries completely opened my eyes in a new way toward the realities of war and its huge impact on society. This opportunity has taught me so much that I could never learn in a history book. It was the experience of a lifetime that I’ll never forget.
Sarah Neuburger, Saskatoon, SK (2010)
By winning this scholarship, I learned something about myself. I learned that if I want something badly enough, I can make it happen. Then, while on the scholarship, after hearing all these war stories, I learned what I can do in my community to promote Remembrance. While seeing all the young dead soldiers from my home town in the Dieppe cemetery, I realized that they died for me. They died so that I wouldn’t be the Hamiltonian in another country with a white headstone. I will also never forget the friends I have made. I had never met someone from France before, and now I have a very good friend. It’s the similarities that get you talking and the differences bring you closer. This has been the best experience of my life and that is not an exaggeration.
Ian Harrison, Hamilton, ON (2010)
The people I met, the places I saw and the connections I made have totally changed my perspective and outlook on the history of WWI & WWII. Our visit to Tyne Cot Cemetery stands out in my mind because it was our first large cemetery visit. The sight of it took me aback; it shocked me and froze me for a moment as I tried to absorb the sight. It is fine to learn a statistic in class and to realize that those numbers represent human lives, but I now know that you cannot possibly understand how large a loss 12, 000 men is until you have looked out over those men’s graves. I am confident that this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life, and that the way I look at the world has been permanently changed by it. I firmly believe that remembrance of the sacrifices made during these conflict is not only important for educational purposes, but for the way we view and plan the future.
Arielle Legere, Halifax, NS (2010)
We are told that cemeteries put the loss of war into perspective. However, upon seeing row upon row of graves, the sheer loss was unimaginable and overwhelming.
Lauren Roy, Montreal, QC (2010)
Actually seeing the battlefields, cemeteries, and museums to honour those who fought for our freedom and peace is a humbling experience. The Vimy Prize was an excellent experience that will for sure stand out in my memories for years to come.
Prasanna Iyengar, Fredericton, NB (2010)
I feel that the hardest aspect of writing this testimony is placing my finger on one particular event or experience which stood out. The Vimy scholarship has been enriched with invaluable, insightful opportunities which will stick by me as I move on in life. As they say, “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter,” and as a Vimy scholar on this scholarship, every day was far from wasted.
Rhia Mhajan, Ealing, London, England (2010)
To study history is interesting; to be a part of history is utterly life-changing. I recommend this scholarship to everyone. Whether history is your favourite subject, or maybe just a hobby, this scholarship will change your life like it changed mine.
Michelle Sanlon, Niagara Falls, ON (2010)
The Vimy Prize offered an insight that cannot be obtained through other avenues. It was an extremely thought-provoking and insightful experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Prasanna Iyengar, Fredericton, NB (2010)
During a ceremony in Dieppe, an elderly woman turned around upon realizing our nationality, and said, “Vive le Canada!” This lady was eight years old during the Dieppe Raid, and 68 years later, continues to visit the fallen soldiers’ graves in lifelong gratitude. We don’t realize the impact our country has made on other people’s lives. We must ask ourselves, “What feelings will future generations harbor toward Canadians? What legacy are we leaving them?”
Lauren Roy, Montreal, QC (2010)
The emotional and insightful experience was topped only by the other incredible students we got to spend it with.
Jaanuja Sriskantha, Harrow, London, England (2010)
Dr. Mike Finch opened our eyes to the language, attitude and tendencies of a true Englishman.
Lauren Roy, Montreal, QC (2010)
This is not a textbook, we are not a class, these are not images, and they are not words. This is his story, this is her story, and this is our story. And the story shall be told, it shall be remembered. We will remember.
Daichi Ishikawa, Vancouver, BC (2010)
We always learn about the war, and all the numbers involved. But twenty minutes in a small Canadian cemetery left a greater impression on me than four months of learning in school ever could. After seeing how many young Canadians our age died, it is impossible not to have changed your life. I also feel lucky to have had the opportunity to visit the Vimy memorial at a young age.
Raffaele Salvino, Vancouver, BC, Canada (2008)
Standing at the opening of one of the Commonwealth cemeteries in the north of France, I felt humbled. It's difficult to find words to describe the emotions that came over me. Almost all my life I had been taught about the sacrifices soldiers had made during the First and Second World War. The numbers had been anchored in my brain. But for the first time, it struck me. These were real people, with real lives, but in situations any ordinary person would find difficult to comprehend. At that moment, to me, they all became heroes.
Zainab Hakim, Harrow, United Kingdom (2007)
Whilst looking out at row upon row of headstones in the Tyne Cot cemetery in Belgium, the true sum of sacrifice hit me. Real people, with real lives and stories of their own sacrificed their lives so that future generations could live freely. To me, that thought made the war come to life, and the notion of Remembrance became increasingly clear.
Dylan Kocsis, Vineland, ON, Canada (2009)
I remember Langemarck Cemetery, where about twenty names of young German students were engraved on each marble plaque. I looked at the rest of the group contemplating the same stones, and it was then that I felt that our entire group could very well have disappeared in the prime of its youth just as the German students…
Lucie Millot, Douai, France (2008)
Coming from Canada, I felt that it was very hard for either world war to have an impact on me. Distanced by time and space, the wars were just numbers and maps. Actually visiting the battlefields and cemeteries shattered this ignorance. Now, every man had a story, every man had a face, and every man made a connection. The wars became personal. It has been said that one death is a tragedy, while a million is a statistic. This trip made me see each fallen soldier, making the numbers finally mean something to me.
Christian Buchanan, Westmount, QC, Canada (2009)
The most powerful part of this trip was seeing the numbers of graves in the cemeteries. It was then when I realized how many people died in the wars. The epitaphs that attach each one of those graves to a family are truly powerful and extremely moving.
Thomas Littlewood, Quispamsis, NB, Canada (2009)
Shortly after the Vimy trip I was reading a book in which World War One was mentioned in passing. One character, referring to the Great War, said this: “What is that war? To you it’s old black-and-white film on TV.” Reading that, I was surprised – for me, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I saw the images, so fresh in my mind, of Beaumont-Hamel, Vimy Ridge, and Hill 70; of the countless Commonwealth cemeteries in which the countless dead are buried. My experience at Vimy made that part of history come alive for me, and realize that Remembrance is of the utmost importance.
Elise Buckley, Vancouver, BC, Canada (2009)
I have read history textbooks and written down statistics, but there is nothing like seeing the thousands of white headstones, the words A Soldier of the Great War, Known unto God... Not only did I learn so much this summer, but I also made new friends. Friendships forged through the sharing of unforgettable experiences, like walking through old trenches or wandering through the Chalk Quarries, where over two thousand soldiers lived for a week, before going into battle.
Jessica Ross-Howkins, Lennoxville, QC, Canada (2009)
Seeing the shell-torn fields, still undulated, but now covered with vegetation and with sheep peacefully grazing the grass carpeting them, was truly touching. Then, of course, there was speaking to the veterans. It was incredible to hear them talk about their experiences and hear their emotions when they were speaking about the different aspects of war. I still get chills when I think about it. These are all experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Liane Bernstein, Montreal, QC, Canada (2009)
Mrs. Boulanger, sister of soldier Robert Boulanger, spoke to me during our short visit to the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, the site where her brother is buried. “Never forget all those who died for our freedom in the Second World War,” she said.
“These soldiers who fought to defend our freedom were no older than we are right now,” I answered. “I will never forget them.”
Xavier Delporte, Douai, France (2009)
I now realize that the soldiers died for us. Our future. Our freedom. Behind every headstone, in every cemetery, lies a story, a family and a pertinent sacrifice! The Vimy experience has given me an understanding, taught me acceptance and allowed me to make friends for life.
Krishni Muruganathan, Harrow, United Kingdom (2008)