343 14 15 16 17 18 The GreatWar sites and cemeteries, enterprising locals opened “trench cafes” selling coffee, eggs and chips, wine and beer and souvenirs to the throngs of sightseers so keen on experiencing the remnants of war. Not all the visitors were tourists. Another group comprised of veterans, grieving widows, children, sweethearts and other heartbroken family and friends came to France and Flanders as well.While they may have shared the hotels and cafes with the tourists, their journeys or Pilgrimages were motivated by something far deeper and more reverent. These were the first Pilgrims and they “were seen as far different, as they engaged in more solemn acts of remembrance.” There was a sacred nature ascribed to their sojourns. They often traveled with fellow grievers, stopping to place flowers or wreaths in the newly created cemeteries, speaking of their experiences in hushed voices. For mourning family members and war haunted veterans, these reverential trips were about seeking answers and finding closure.2 For those in attendance at the Dominion Convention, the prospect of a Pilgrimage must have stirred a mix of emotions at the prospect of returning to the sites of memory and mourning. However, there was also the opportunity to gather with old comrades and the thrilling prospect of a trans-Atlantic voyage and seeing Europe — something extraordinary for the average Canadian in the 1920’s. Pretty heady stuff indeed! Legion organizers would approach railway and steamship companies to seek out the best rates possible to ensure those who wanted to come could afford the fare. Planners faced a major setback soon after however, when the stock market crashed in 1929 and worldwide economic depression changed priorities for many Canadians; traveling to Europe was out of the question for those now out of work or those scraping by, lucky enough to have even a low paying job. Adding to the economic issues of the day, delays in construction and cost overruns of the Vimy Memorial meant that plans for a Pilgrimage, while not dead, were on hold, at least in the short term. Notwithstanding the challenges, the spirit of the veterans remained strong. Dreams for a pilgrimPromotional advert for the pilgrimage.
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