Lakehead Course Brings Students to Europe to Honour Sacrifices in Wars
Dr. Harvey Lemelin, front right, and his Battlefield Tourism students started the trip off at Thunder Bay's Memorial Park, which commemorates veterans from the First World War.
March 28, 2014 – Thunder Bay, ON
A dozen Lakehead University undergraduate students and their instructor are taking a trip to Europe to learn more about the history, monuments and battlefields of the First and Second World Wars.
This April and May, students from the Department of Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism’s Battlefield Tourism course will spend 10 days visiting monuments and battlefields in Normandy, Northern France, Belgium and Holland.
Lakehead students will explore and gain a better understanding of the history of the events surrounding the First and Second World Wars.
“I am extremely interested in seeing the interpretation strategies used at the different battlefield sites, such as interpretive guides, displays, pamphlets and audio recordings, and to see how these sites are being managed,” said Sarah Schruiff, a third-year student.
“As well, I have some family who fought in the war and I would like to pay my respects to them and to all who fought in the war,” Schruiff added. “This trip is a chance to fully grasp the significance of these battles and help us realize that they are not just stories in a textbook – they're real."
The students' experiences will be captured in video interviews, updates, and blogs will be posted on the Battlefield Tourism website http://4370battlefieldtourism.blogspot.ca/.
“Students will acquire insight into the management and interpretation of these tourism sites, many of which began as memorials and pilgrimages,” said Dr. Harvey Lemelin, instructor of Battlefield Tourism.
“The goal of this trip is to provide students with a first-hand opportunity to see and feel what the sites offer, and perhaps even gain a better understanding of what Canadian soldiers faced and endured during the First and Second World Wars,” Dr. Lemelin said.
Students will also contribute to research by interviewing visitors to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Northern France. The findings from these interviews will be published in reports and publications, and presented at conferences.
“Commemorating the fallen and paying our respect is another important component of learning,” stated Dr. Lemelin.
“Our students will honour the sacrifices of Canadian veterans by placing a wreath at the Menin Gate in Belgium, and on Lieutenant Norman Howard Pawley's grave at the Villers Station Cemetery in France.”
Lieutenant Pawley is the great uncle of Dr. Lori Livingston, Dean of Health and Behavioural Sciences at Lakehead University. He was killed during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917.
“We are honoured that the family is allowing us to pay our respects to Lieutenant Pawley,” Dr. Lemelin said.
The students will also examine the possibility of planting a tree in one of the city parks to honour all of the veterans from Thunder Bay and the North Shore.
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Media: For more information, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
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