A view of Vimy Ridge, France. (Shutterstock)

Famous battlefields

Lisa Stubbins is literally following in her great-grandfather's footsteps.

Stubbins, a Penetanguishene, Ont. native and fourth-year history major at the University of Guelph, is on her way to one of two WWI memorials as part of a Veterans Affairs Canada program. She will act as a tour guide for interested tourists at either Vimy Ridge, France or Beaumont-Hamel in Newfoundland and Labrador, locations of two of the most famous battles from WWI.

The 21-year-old former student of Ecole Le Caron will guide tourists through the well-preserved trenches of either Vimy Ridge or Beaumont-Hamel, answering questions and providing background information on the two bloody battles.

And nearly a century ago it was her great-grandfather, George Arthur Stubbins, who fought in those very same trenches at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

"I knew a little about him, but it never struck home (until I went to Vimy Ridge)," says Lisa, who has already spent one semester as a guide during the summer of 2009.

The program recruits Canadian undergraduate students to spend a semester, four months, at either Vimy Ridge or Beaumont-Hamel. While the program seems ideal for history majors, Stubbins says that students in all disciplines participate and the only prerequisite is that the student be bilingual.

She says that the presence of students in different programs only enriches the experience, as everyone has a different interest and different point of view.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge is one of the most famous war battles in Canadian history. On April 9, 1917, Canadian soldiers attacked the key German occupied region. Though they sustained heavy casualties, Canadians held tough and managed to take Vimy Ridge from the Germans. Roughly 3,500 of the over 10,000 Canadian troops that attacked were killed in the battle.

Despite the heavy losses, Stubbins says the battle, "served as a rallying point." It’s also seen as a turning point for Canada as a nation.

"Canadians could look at what they accomplished as Canadians," she says, and stopped thinking of themselves as just part of the Commonwealth.

Beaumont-Hamel is a much different story, though. In July, 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment saw their first action as the Battle of the Somme got underway. Known as one of the bloodiest losses of the First World War, nearly 20,000 soldiers lost their lives on the first day alone.

Stubbins describes the divergent stories of Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy Ridge. While both were bloody battles, the victory at Vimy “made it worthwhile.”

Beaumont-Hamel, on the other hand, was simply a massacre and terrible loss for the Allied Forces, she says.

Though she’s always had an interest in history – “it’s easy to learn history, I just look at it as a story,” she says – Stubbins says that the program has taught her much about both Canadian history and her own family history.

During her last stint as a guide she was able to retrace the steps her great-grandfather took, and follow his life during WWI. George Arthur Stubbins spent most of his time during the war as a bike messenger, but also spent time in the trenches of Vimy Ridge.

Interestingly, after making corporal he demoted himself right back to private. Stubbins has tried to uncover the reason he demoted himself – there are a few rumors and speculations – but has been unable to come up with any concrete reason.

After demoting himself to private, George Arthur made it back to Sergeant, where he finished his military career after WWI concluded.

In addition to learning about her great-grandfather, Lisa has also learned about the different perspectives of the war. As a tour guide she meets people from all over the world. She says that depending on where the tourists come from there could be any number of points of view and preconceptions about WWI and its various battles.

She now realizes, for instance, that Vimy Ridge was much more than just a Canadian offensive. While Canadian troops were a major part of the battle, she explains that British and other Allied troops helped tremendously.

And each tour she gives reflects those differing perspectives, so she’s always kept on her toes.

She also gets some strange questions every now and then. One of her favourites is about the wildlife that live around the former battlefields. Sheep are known to graze around Vimy Ridge, and she’s received a few, “did the sheep blow up?” questions. Many unexploded shells still remain in the area, and cause problems for farmers and other locals.

Many of their tours are given to European schoolchildren, mostly British. To give the children an idea of what life was like for the soldiers the guides will take them into the trenches and show carvings made by WWI soldiers in the trench walls that have been preserved for 90 years. They’ll then shut off the lights and ask them to imagine they’re knee-deep in cold water, with rats and stench all around them.

After giving them a chance to imagine life as a soldier, the guides will turn the lights back on and Stubbins says the children are usually awestruck and quiet for quite a while.

She then continues the trip, walking the same trenches George Arthur Stubbins called home for a time in the early 20th century.