Kamloops soldiers honoured at Hill 70 Memorial Park in France

“It was a spiritual journey,” said Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Amadeo Vecchio. “Our regimental colours in the background there are the most cherished possession of the unit. Those battle honours are on there, and we actually walked the ground where those names are emblazoned on the colours. So, the men and women of the regiment and members of the association had a chance to see the actual ground where the genesis of those names were from and the horrible, horrible loss that happened.”

On Oct. 2, the Rocky Mountain Rangers attended the dedication of the Hill 70 Memorial Park.

It is there that a plaza has been named for the Rocky Mountain Rangers and a walkway for one of its soldiers, Pte. Frederick Lee.

Image Credit: Mike Young

“That was the reason we were there, because of him,” said Mike Young, President of the Rocky Mountain Rangers Regimental Association. “We wouldn’t have been there, none of this would have happened if it hadn’t have been for Frederick Lee.”

Although he was born in Canada, Lee was not considered a Canadian citizen because he was of Chinese descent.

“He was a very proud young man, and although he wasn’t a Canadian citizen he still volunteered to join the army,” said Gerry Jones, Vice President of the Regimental Association. “I believe he was one of 300 or so Chinese men who volunteered for the army during the First World War, so a very small cohort as far as his numbers are concerned.”

Lee fought in both the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Battle at Hill 70, losing his life in a counter-attack.

His remains were never found.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“This is actually his marker, Hill 70, his walkway,” Young said. “I think it was a great honour when the Hill 70 people that put together the memorial, built the memorial, decided that the walkway was going to be named after Frederick Lee.”

The Regimental Association raised money to place a bench along Lee’s walkway.

“It was pretty thrilling when Gerry and I were able to sit on it, and the two of us spent a lot of our time and effort raising money for that bench, being able to sit on it and see the fruition of our work,” Young said.

“It was surreal, I guess is the right word to use,” Jones said. “This is all coming together and it’s real. We’re in France and we’re standing here in front of the bench.”

This experience, as well as visits to cemeteries, Vimy Ridge and the Menin Gate have secured a place in the memories of the Rocky Mountain Rangers and Regimental Association.

“These were actual people,” Young said, “they weren’t just names on a cenotaph anymore… I’ve seen the ground that they’ve walked on, I’ve seen the ground that they’ve fought on.

“I now know the stories.”

by Jill Sperling

Kamloops soldiers honoured at Hill 70 Memorial Park in France

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