Vimy Oak Commemorative Plaque, 2020.
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Original JPG File | 1800 × 1200 pixels (2.16 MP) 15.2 cm × 10.2 cm @ 300 PPI |
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Screen | 1200 × 800 pixels (0.96 MP) 10.2 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
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Resource ID
8145
Access
Open
Address
3199 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, ON, M1V 4Y1
Date of Creation
2020
Historical Themes
Military History, Parks and Natural Heritage, War and Conflict
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1900-1953
Caption
Vimy Oak Commemorative Plaque, 2020.
Description
This English oak (Quercus robur) is descended from acorns collected on the Vimy Ridge battlefield by Lieutenant Leslie Howard Miller (1889–1979). Miller was born on the family fruit farm just north of this site. He graduated from the University of Toronto and became a teacher in Saskatchewan. Following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was sent to Europe. In April 1917, following the failure of British and French troops to secure Vimy Ridge in northern France, 100,000 Canadian troops—including Miller—carried out a successful surprise attack. Over four days of brutal fighting with heavy artillery, 3,600 Canadians were killed and more than 7,000 wounded. Miller collected acorns from the ruined battlefield once fighting had ended. After the war, his father gave him 24 acres for his own farm where he planted the oak saplings. He named his farm “The Vimy Oaks.” Roughly 10 original oaks survive in the woodlot immediately north of this site. This tree is a descendant of the originals. In 2018, 120 saplings descended from these oaks were planted in the Vimy Foundation Centennial Park beside the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. Over 1,000 Vimy Oak saplings have been planted across Canada.
Marker lat / long: 43.814578, -79.302785 (WGS84)