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Photograph of a war memorial
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Photograph of a war memorial
Photograph of a war memorial
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Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
23254
Title
Photograph of a memorial to Sgt John Walker
Description
A photograph of the grave of Sgt John Walker who was killed in action at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, near Arras, northern France on the 15th April 1917. Walker had fought with the Seaforth Highlanders, possibly alongside the large number of Canadian troops at the Battle of Arras.
Type
Photograph
Location
Museum of Edinburgh
Walker was killed in the area around Vimy and the villages of Thelus and Neuville-Saint-Vaast. It was reported that an army chaplain buried him near to where he fell. There are a number of memorials and cemeteries in the area, notably the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the two cemeteries of Zivy and Lichfield Craters to commemorate those who died at Vimy Ridge, April 1917.
This photograph is part of a collection of items relating to an Edinburgh-based man, Sergeant John Walker. In civilian life, Walker was originally from Haddington, but lived in Leith, and worked as a butcher. He and three brothers joined the army. Walker eventually joined the Seaforth Highlanders, where he was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal. He was killed by a shell in the area around Vimy and Thelus on 15th April 1917. The collection includes several photographs with holes made by the shrapnel which killed him. A set of photograph postcards of Walker's grave and other memorials, some of which include a man in military uniform, may have been taken by Walker's brothers touring the area immediately after the Armistice. The total devastation of the landscape can be seen in the ruins of houses, although by the time the photographs were taken, the roads had been resurfaced. It is interesting to note that many of the road signs are still in English.
Exhibitions with this item
Armed Forces Day
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