Boots of the Fallen

Virgin Lodge No. 3 was entrusted with a special memento commemorating Canada’s heroism and sacrifice at the battle of Vimy Ridge in France during World War I.
The Canadian victory at Vimy was a defining moment for Canada when, the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain, feeling capable of greatness due to their actions at this epic battleground. Canadian troops earned a reputation as formidable and effective because of their stunning success. But it was a victory at a terrible cost, with more than 10,000 killed and wounded. The battle raged between Apr 9, 1917 – Apr 12, 1917.

In 2016 and early 2017, a group of students from Queens County planned to travel to the ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France on April 9, 2017.

Mechanics Lodge No. 78 of Caledonia, Nova Scotia helped by contributing funds to make the student’s plan successful. The students from Queen’s County and other parts of Canada and France laid four rows of boots, representing the four divisions of the Canadian Corps that fought for the first time as one formation at Vimy Ridge over a century ago. They returned with a pair of combat boots that provided a powerful symbol of remembrance during the celebration.

Upon their return, the students presented the boots to Mechanics Lodge. For the next six years, they were a persuasive emblem during the annual memorial celebration, first at Mechanics Lodge, and then at Virgin Lodge in Halifax.

In 2021 Mechanics Lodge went into darkness, closing its welcoming doors for the last time. MW Bro Cody, the GM of Masons in NS at the time the hundredth anniversary of the battle took place, was a guest at the ceremony of surrendering the warrant. He was given this memento for safekeeping until it can be displayed at the Halifax Masonic Temple, as a token of our remembrance and testimony to Masonic contributions and charity. This year, it is again a sad remembrance of the cost of freedom,

 

Lest We Forget!

Summary of the presentations made by M.W. Bro J. Cody and Rt .W. Bro D. Evans at the Remembrance ceremonies at our lodge, on Oct 23, 2023.