According to the Royal Canadian Legion, pilgrimages to battlefields became more prevalent in the years following World War I. “There were numerous reasons for veterans, war widows, and families to return.”
That has not changed nearly a century later.
Pilgrimages provided an opportunity for women made widows by the casualties of war to visit their lost loved ones and pay their respects. For some, it was a chapter closing on their old lives, and for most, it was the beginning of Remembrance for lives lived, lives lost, and the sacrifices that we made during both world wars, at home and abroad.
“But what about us, the younger and non-battle-tested Canadians of today? Why do we conduct pilgrimages?”
For Jayne Odegard, President of the C.J. Kinross VC Lougheed Legion branch, it was a desire to learn more about the war that stole her father’s father from him, just three months after returning from WWII. “In his home, my dad grew up without his father because of the war.” She says, “At some point you want to know what happened, and why.”
Growing up by Lougheed, Odegard had a sense of the village’s biggest hero, Cecil J. Kinross, but only in his later years, by reputation. “He wasn’t ‘just an alcoholic,’ he served, and he was a hero. But what kind of atrocities did he see? Did all survivors see?”
Odegard says she saw the Legion Pilgrimage as an opportunity to educate herself on the wars, and to get a greater sense of both WWI and WWII and the part both Canada and Lougheed’s veterans played in it.
Each year the Legion sponsors one person from every province to go on the pilgrimage with all expenses paid. She applied for that, but was informed in August that her application had not been successful.
A few months later she got a call that there were seats open on the pilgrimage, but these would be self-paid seats. Odegard thought about it for a few weeks, and then got the funds together to go.
Before heading out she went to Morris Sigalet, the man responsible for compiling biographies of most known Lougheed-area veterans, including those killed in action during WWI and WWII.
From him, she got a list of graves and names that she wanted to connect with, if possible.
Odegard boarded her flight in Edmonton, with a layover in Toronto where she met up with the rest of the pilgrims, including the tour guide, John Goheen. She says Goheen was a superb guide, with nearly 40 years of experience in his role.
READ THE FULL INCREDIBLE STORY IN THE NOVEMBER 12 EDITION OF THE COMMUNITY PRESS (click here)
Leslie Cholowsky
Editor
