Vimy Cross, Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) memorial Cross #1. In the old Museum it was mounted in museum case 16. At Jericho, it was mounted on the corridor near the Battalion Orderly Room. DOUBLE NUMBERED WITH 1998.053.001. ** I.W.G.C [Imperial War Graves Commission] ** Memorial Cross No. 1 ** In Memory of the undermentioned soldiers who fell in Action in the taking of Vimy Ridge April 9th 1917 ** And are buried in the vicinity of this cemetery in the area _____?????? [1st Column] 129 734 Pte W. Russell 160104 Pte. C. Jones 130199 Pte J. Walker 172419 Pte. G. Brownie 701051 Pte. H. Smiley 171657 Pte. J. Troughton 472645 Pte. M.J. McDonald 116773 Pte. A.H. Simpson 472521 Pte. A. Clow 116440 Pte. J. Tudge 130 105 Pte. N.K. Percival 72 Canadian Btn. [2nd Column] 887100 Pte. R.O. Nichol 197000 Pte. T. McDonald 988505 Pte. A. Phillips 172505 Pte. G.T. Bird 46 Canadian Btn. 708847 Pte A.E. Yardley 706627 Pte. P. Kirkham 54 Canadian Btn. 410245 Pte. R. Campbell 190049 Pte. L.R. Clark 755155 Pte. H.T. Porter 410413 Cpl. G. Taylor 787388 Pte. E. Megery 208161 Pte. P. Burgon 38 Canadian Btn. [3rd Column] 729077 D.L. Parkes 189987 Pte. G. Heffford 38 Canadian Btn. 434596 Pte. A.E. Martin 50 Canadian Btn. 130158 Pte. W.R. Oatway 129819 Pte. O.B. Wilson 126583 Pte. R.A. Keelan 130312 Pte. S. Dawson 115850 Pte. I.E.C. Pettigrew 160332 Pte. R.J. Boyd 72 Canadian Btn. CAPTION IN THE CROSS' FRAME. The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada received this marker in the early 1920's, just after World War I. Its purpose was to mark the burial site of Canadian soldiers who fell at Vimy Ridge. A similar system of locating burial sites was used in World War II. Soldiers were buried at a site near to where they had fallen. Each body was wrapped in a blanket, with one of the two identity (dog) tags placed around the soldier's neck. The second tag was nailed on a white, wooden cross and placed at the soldier's head. The burial marker displayed here was then placed in the immediate area. This simplified the locating of specific graves, as the metal strips on then cross identified which soldiers were buried in the area. At a later date, the bodies would be exhumed and laid to rest in larger cemeteries. Permanent gravestones would be made to replace the white wooden crosses. (Often, the white crosses would then be given to the families of the deceased). These larger cemeteries are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, formerly the Imperial War Graves Commission. In the Commonwealth, our dead are not returned to their home country, but remain where they fought. In Ottawa, the C.W.G.C has a list showing the burial locations of all Canadian service personnel who have died while serving their country. It is interesting to note what the final entry was in a fallen soldier's Paybook. A $1.00 charge for the blanket he was buried in. PAGE 2 We believe the soldiers listed on "memorial Cross No. 1" were the first Canadians to be buried after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The soldiers came from 5 different battalions. -17 members of the 72nd (Seaforth) Battalion -8 members of the 38th (Ottawa) Bn -4 members of the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Bn -54 members of the 54th (Kootenay) Bn -17 members of the 50th (Calgary) Bn The soldier's names were embossed onto metal strips, and then tacked onto the cross. Other strips were also added, the first standing for the Imperial War Graves Commission. The next metal band identifies the marker as "Memorial Cross No. 1". A third strip gives map reference information.