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Thelus Canadian Monument, near Arras
1919, Photograph
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Thelus Canadian Monument, near Arras
Thelus Canadian Monument, near Arras
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Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
23229
Title
Thelus Canadian Monument for those who fell in the operations in and around Vimy, France.
Description
Photograph of an early memorial built by troops fighting around the village of Thelus during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917. The memorial is a crudely built pyramid of stones with a concrete cross at the top. A plaque set in the centre bears the dedication. Around the monument are 8 artillery shells used to support a chain around the base of the monument.
Date
1919
Type
Photograph
Location
Museum of Edinburgh
Accession number
HH3697/12/72
The monument still stands at a crossroad in Thelus, northern France. It was built for the men of the Canadian Field and Garrison Artillery killed in combat around the area. There are a number of larger memorials and cemeteries in the area, notably the Canadian National Vimy Memorial to commemorate those who died at Vimy Ridge, April 1917. The Thelus monument was unveiled in April 1918.
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.
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Armed Forces Day
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