The First Week

It’s been one week since I started working as a guide at the two international memorial sites run by Veterans Affairs Canada; Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont-Hamel and Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge. The Winter is a quiet time at these sites but still, visitors come from all over. 

I have had the pleasure of giving four guided tours so far, 3 in French and one in English. Each time I find my tours are improving and I am finding my stride. I still stumble on the long numbers in French, but I am hoping that with time and practice it will come more easily. Today was my best tour so far and I had a family of five from Wales. I still can’t get over the awe at how close the German and Canadian observations trenches are to each other and of course the huge Grange crater in the middle of no man’s land is also awe inspiring. 

The majority of visitors at the Vimy site are French locals, some of whom take daily walks through the site. They always stop and say hello and some talk with us about the area and what us guides should visit next. I am learning so much about the area and how the site has changed over the years. Today, a French woman said this was her fourth guided tour and her first had been when she was a young student. She said that every time she takes the tour, there is always something new. So, if you have already seen the site once before, it is worth doing it again. 

We also get a number of British visitors and a few Canadian visitors. While the French may visit every day, the Canadians always spend at least 3 hours on the site and sometimes spend whole weekends visiting the Canadian monuments. There is nothing quite like seeing a fellow Canadian who feels that same connection to the site as I do.