Living memorials to the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge is growing in two greater Saint John communities.
Two Vimy Oaks saplings have been planted in the towns of Rothesay and Grand Bay Westfield. These saplings are direct descendants of an oak tree that grew on Vimy Ridge, according to the Vimy Oaks Legacy Program, Canadian solider Leslie H. Miller sent acorns home to Canada that he gathered from a tree after the battle. The acorns were then planted by him on farmland which he called the Vimy Oaks Farm.
According to deputy mayor of Rothesay, Matt Alexander, only 250 were available for planting across Canada and 30 were secured for New Brunswick.
In Rothesay, the sapling was planted in the town’s Veteran Park. In Grand Bay-Westfield, it’s planted next to their MADD bench at the intersection of MacDonald Drive and River Valley Drive.
