January 1, 2018
Acorns from the battlefield

Acorns from the battlefield

A living memorial for the Battle of Vimy Ridge


After the decisive battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War, Canadian soldier, Lieutenant Leslie Miller, gathered acorns from oak trees amongst the rubble and wreckage. Miller brought the acorns back home to Scarborough, Ont. and planted the trees, which stand to this day. In 2015, The Vimy Oaks Foundation launched a project to grow oak trees from cuttings and acorns of those trees, in an effort to promote the memory and legacy of Canadians who fought in the First World War. 
 

Vimy Oaks legacy takes root

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More than 500 Vimy Oaks saplings have been purchased for war memorial plantings across Canada. The trees are grown by NVK Nurseries in Dundas, Ont., from cuttings and acorns collected from the Vimy Oaks sight in Scarborough, Ont. Trees are available for sale for $125 to organizations that are committed planting them at commemorative sites such as cenotaphs, town squares, memorial sites and parks, heritage sites, schools, military cemeteries, Royal Canadian Legions, public locations associated with the First World War and at sites that communicate messages of universal values and peace. For more information, visit www.vimyoakslegacy.ca.
 

Centennial Park underway in France

The Vimy Foundation Centennial Park is located on four acres of land adjacent to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site in Northern France. The park will feature 100 Vimy Oaks, which will be dedicated to Canadians as a fundraising project for the Vimy Foundation. A nearby nursery in France is currently growing the trees from acorns shipped over from the Vimy Oaks in Scarborough, Ont. The park is being designed by Linda Dicaire, Landscape Architect for The Vimy Foundation, with 3D-digital renderings done by CSW Landscape Architects. For more details, visit www.vimyfoundation.com.



 

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