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By Mike Kostek
Sharing a name, Edmonton, Alberta and Edmonton, Middlesex,
England have cultivated the connection between the two cities. Mike
Kostek recounts how, in 1920, thousands of school children in both
cities became aware of their shared heritage and how his visit to
London in 1998 renewed the bond for today's students.
"No link of the British Empire chain will shine brighter
than the one that bears the names of Edmonton." Dr. Frank Crang,
chairman of Edmonton's Public School Board, was speaking to an
outdoor
assembly of some 15,000 students, teachers, and interested parents
in Edmonton on September 1, 1920. The occasion was the presentation
of a 27-foot long flag and an embossed bronze shield designed to
clasp its pole, to the students of Edmonton's 43 public and eight
separate schools. The flag and shield were gifts from students in
Edmonton, Middlesex, England.
When one First World War veteran/teacher returned to his
classroom at Houndsfield School (Edmonton, England) with stories of
the victorious conclusion of the Great War, he also told of
contributions made by Canadian soldiers in helping to save the
British Empire. Students learned of another town named Edmonton, in
far-off Canada. A campaign to purchase gifts as tokens of
appreciation for the valour and bravery of Canadian soldiers in the
Great War went beyond Houndsfield School to include all of the
schools in the borough. Each student was encouraged to contribute a
penny towards the purchase. Those who could not afford pennies
brought halfpennies or farthings.
Twelve thousand students attended the send-off ceremony in Pymmes
Park, Edmonton, England. There were bands playing, flags waving and
much cheering. The gifts were entrusted to an Imperial Press Party
which toured Canada in 1920. Students who arrived at their Edmonton
schools on September 1, 1920 were directed to the Great War Veterans
Memorial Hall grounds just north of Macdonald Drive. There, to the
strains of "Oh Canada," "God Save the King," and
"Rule Britannia," followed a very emotional and patriotic
gathering, as revealed in these excerpts from a prize-winning
student essay of the day:
"At a signal from the chairman, Mr. Crang, the Edmonton
Newsboy's band begins to play 'Oh Canada.' We all sing as
loudly as we can, and I am sure we make considerable noise. . . .We
give a cheer as Mr. Woodhead . . . steps out on the platform. He
tells us about the children in Edmonton, England, who cheerfully
gave their pennies to buy us this beautiful present . . . [and]
speaks about the unity of the British Empire and the loyalty of her
sons. We are conscious of a growing feeling of comradeship and
friendliness for our young friends across the sea. . . .Lady Burnham
has risen to speak. We know she is to present the gift; and we
listen intently. . . . She tells us more about the children of the
English Edmonton, and it seems to give added value to the gift to
know that its givers are not wealthy, that they had to make a
sacrifice to give us the flag. . . . She also tells about the part
our Dominion played in the late war and expresses the belief that
such ceremonies as we are witnessing today will serve to cement the
bonds of fellowship between us and our mother country. Now Lady
Burnham . . . grasps the rope firmly and gives it a mighty pull. All
our faces are upturned, the band strikes up 'God Save the King'
and, as the flag is finally unfurled, such a cheer arises as is not
often heard. . . . We realized as I think we have never realized so
fully before how great a thing it is to be living under a flag which
stands for justice and freedom, wherever it is unfurled. Gradually
the crowd breaks up. We join our schoolmates and troop slowly out of
the grounds and down the street. . . . We are more quiet, thinking
over the events of the past hour. We will never cease to have the
most friendly feelings for the Edmonton across the ocean."
Not long after these emotional events, the embossed brass shield
disappeared. Its return to the Edmonton Public Schools Archives and
Museum in 1984 by an antiquarian bookseller sparked new contacts
between Edmonton Public Schools and Houndsfield
School. On October 4, 1998, this writer had the distinct pleasure of
speaking to the staff and 592 students of Houndsfield School, now a
mosaic of ethnic cultures, mirroring similar changes in our own
Edmonton community.
There was intense interest as the flag and shield story of 1920
was chronicled. Questions followed about our city's history and
weather. Houndsfield students were intrigued to learn the ways in
which Canada's links with the British Commonwealth are still
evident and to learn that Canadian school children get a holiday to
celebrate Victoria Day, since British children do not.
Gifts to the school included the flags of Canada and the City of
Edmonton. Maple leaf lapel pins were eagerly received by all
Houndsfield students and staff, and pen-pal letters from Alberta
schools were distributed to several classes.
Much has changed in the two Edmontons over the past 79 years.
King George and the British Empire are no more, and the populations
of the two cities are no longer predominantly Anglo-Saxon.
Commonwealth bonds have eroded, as has the feeling of unity once so
evident among people of British stock. The Edmonton-to-Edmonton
project of 1998 was an opportunity to recapture some of our past
history and to brighten the lustre on that link of chain that once
helped to bind school children on two continents.
Mike Kostek is a retired school administrator and active
archivist with the Edmonton Public Schools Archives and Museum.
Reprinted with permission from legacy magazine November 1999 to
January 2000.
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