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To: AZRepublican
My grandfather was at Vimy. He went from there to a British military hospital thence back into the line in time for Passchendaele.

Vimy Ridge is seen by many Canadians as the beginning of Canada's development as a nation.

Our people went to war thinking of themselves as British Subjects, they came home thinking of themselves as Canadians.

6 posted on 03/03/2007 1:11:36 AM PST by Clive
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To: Clive; fanfan; Pikamax; Former Proud Canadian; Great Dane; Alberta's Child; headsonpikes; Ryle; ...
Given the relative size of the WW1 Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC), it's quite possible the paths of your Grandfather & my paternal Grandmother may have crossed.

It was a fairly small world back then within the CAMC with likely only roughly a maximum of 1,000 total Medical Personnel - doctors, nurses, various attendants, etc - overseas at any given point in time.
As an example, her best fellow Nursing Sister friend was apparently the fiance of Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae who wrote "in Flanders Fields"; whom she thus knew quite well.
At best might have been a couple of hundred - including my Grandmother & although she'd spent considerable time in France earlier - posted in England immediately after Vimy Ridge. Generally, only 12-15 Nursing Sisters were assigned on a rotating basis to the 2 or 3 - out 5 different ones over the duration - Hospital ships which ferried our war wounded back to Canada.


Click image for details of the criminal German
sinking of the Hospital Ship 'Llandovery Castle'
with the loss of 14 Canadian Nursing Sisters.

(my Grandmother happened to be assigned to RCNHS Araquaya,
outbound to Halifax with war wounded, which recovered
their bodies - thankfully, Llandovery Castle had been returning
back from Halifax with only crew/ Medical Staff on board)

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

BTW, did you know for about the past 6 or 7 years you've been able to obtain your Grandfather's complete WW1 Military records from the National Archives?
It's not all that expensive at about $3 per page but, if you go through a sympathetic Member of Parliament, they pay zip for docs from this source.
I got my Grandmother's a few years ago via a Liberal MP who simply wished to score free points with a constituent.

12 posted on 03/03/2007 10:11:25 AM PST by GMMAC (Discover Canada governed by Conservatives: www.CanadianAlly.com)
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