On the wall of the second floor in the Ottawa Officers' Mess are five samples of hand embroidered postcards that were sent home from France, by Corporal Bill Proctor, Machine Gun Section, 38th Ottawa Battalion, CEF to his English girlfriend, later his wife, Florence, during WW1. One of the postcards has the most delicately embroidered national flags in each of the numerals. It is when I see these small, intimate items that the realities of the WW1 conflict resonate. Once you stand at the Vimy Memorial, everything you see about WW1 after that, is suddenly more meaningful. Part of this battle in Canadian history are the myriad of details from people living their individual lives amidst the confusion and chaos of conflict overseas in France. These small, delicate communications have survived the war and remain for us to imagine the seperation of loved ones sending remembrances in the post. CJ
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