The Vimy Pilgrimage Award is an educational program that takes twenty Canadian youth to Europe for one week to learn about Canada’s efforts and the First World War. I was fortunate enough to be chosen to go this year and I was truly moved and honored to go with such a wonderful group of people. To learn more about the award and my experience, go check out my other articles.
Before going on the pilgrimage, all the participants had to research a Canadian soldier who died in the First World War, write his biography and tribute to him. Then, during the experience, we got to visit each of our soldiers’ graves and read these two articles, afterwards, we got to make a rubbing of the headstone, as I am doing in the Featured Image. Today, I wanted to share with you the letter I wrote to Sergeant Hugh Cairns, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the last recipient of the Victoria Cross Award of the First World War. This award is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a soldier of the British Empire. (I also wrote about it in my essay for my application, and that’s where I got to know Hugh Cairns.) To read the biography that I wrote, click here.
Dear Mr.Hugh Cairns,
Though we have never met and never shall, I am writing you to say that I was deeply moved reading about your actions. Your perseverance was deeply inspiring for me and I strive to be like that everyday. It is jaw-dropping learning about how selfless you and all your comrades were for this cause. Thanks to brave soldiers like you, Canada is a peaceful country, I am truly grateful for such a great sacrifice, and I know that there isn’t much I can do to repay you. So I will always try to remember the generation that sacrificed itself so nobly.
I feel guilty knowing that I have lived in peace all my life. Not once did I have to bear the burden of knowing that at any instant, if I wasn’t careful, I would be shot. But when I think about it, this was a reality for you, one that you had to carry on your shoulders, as well as your heavy pack, while you trudged through sleet, mud and everything in between. I cannot imagine how your family must have felt when they received a telegram instead of you home, it is horrible to lose a loved one. So, with the hopes that no one else has to suffer pain akin to your family’s, I am trying my best to do everything in my power to stop the mistakes that caused your death from repeating in the future.
It may have seemed to you that your actions have gone unnoticed and nobody but your family remembers you. I hope you never feel that your sacrifice wasn’t appreciated. Because it was. Every soldier’s sacrifice was. You may have felt small and forgotten at times, because of all the lies they were telling to new recruits. World leaders don’t understand that when they order a successful attack, nobody but the soldiers deserve the respect of the people.
Congratulations on receiving the Victoria Cross Award, it truly is a great honor. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving. The least they could for someone as selfless as you was to give them a scrap of metal attached to a bit of ribbon. If this was the case, every soldier of the Great War deserves this shiny piece of metal.
Your deeds are certainly worthy of the highest honor. You are remembered by all who knew you, all who read your story and in every headstone commemorating every soldier who was just as humble and brave as you; all of you are the pride of this world. I can’t describe to you how inspired I was reading about your actions, perseverance and selflessness. My only regret is never having the chance to meet you in person, to thank you personally. Your death was certainly a deep loss not only to your family, but to all of us. I can only imagine what kind of legacy you could have left, how many people you could have inspired, how many lives you could have saved, and how you could’ve saved the world.
Thank you so much for such a selfless sacrifice. I will always keep your memory alive.
Kiana Baghban
Another view of me making the rubbing, that I would use later on for over ten presentations around my school.
And here’s me presenting my biography and letter to the group.
As I said earlier, I also wrote Wilfred Owen’s biography and I also analyzed one of his poems. Stay tuned for those to come sometime in July, as well as another travel post about my trip to Ottawa.
