Significant Sacrifice St. Andrew’s immeasurable contribution to the Great War
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his year marks the centennial of the start of the Lt. Brown, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Vimy Great War, where, between 1914-1918, over Ridge earning the Military Cross, was killed in the mud and 600 Andreans fought and 104 Old Boys and blood of Passchendaele on November 14, 1917. As fate would two masters lost their lives. have it, both Malone and Brown, such dear friends during their One hundred years ago, a young Serbian nationalist assastime at St. Andrew’s, are buried in the Lijssenthoek Military sinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, sparking Cemetery, mere feet from one another. And Lt. Wright was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. killed by a German high explosive shell on August 28, 1918. Interestingly, most Canadians took very little The sacrifice made by St. Andrew’s during the Great notice of the events transpiring in Europe. As War was indeed significant. In 1921, Governor General history has proven, those events had an enormous Lord Byng of Vimy visited the old Rosedale school and impact not only on our country but also on our unveiled the memorial tablet; Percy Robinson, Latin Andrean community. master, read the roll call, and Flowers of the Forest At St. Andrew’s College, Headmaster Dr. D. Bruce was played by Cadet Lt. F. Roper Dayment ’22 Macdonald lauded the achievements of the 1913-1914 and Sgt. Harold Hunter ’22. Headmaster academic year, as described in William Scoular’s Macdonald ended the service praising the book Not An Ordinary Place. Lindsay Wright, Andrean effort in the Great War. Class of 1914, captained the championship When St. Andrew’s moved to football team while classmate Richard A. Aurora in 1926, the new school was Brown, established a new School record founded quite firmly in memory of in the Annual Cross-Country Run. When those who never returned. That the boys of SAC returned in September, memory lives on to this day. Europe was ablaze and as the boys prepared Both Memorial House and the for classes, British, French, and German Memorial Chapel are living troops were fighting a decisive battle along reminders of that very sacrifice. the river Marne. As you can imagine, And, every year, Andreans Andreans wasted no time joining the return to the sacred battlefields fight. And it was in the spring of 1915 of France and Belgium to when St. Andrew’s lost the first son; on honour the men who laid March 16 of that year, Lt. Frederick C. themselves so selflessly upon Andrews, Class of 1915, fighting with the the altar of sacrifice. Royal Leinsters, died of gunshot wounds. As we look to the future at After the gas attack at Ypres in 1915, SAC, we must also look to the Andreans were involved in all major past and discover where we have battles of this grand conflict. Sadly, come from: 1914 was a pivotal year many of the young men who in both Canadian history and the helped establish St. Andrew’s in history of St. Andrew’s College. the early years would not return. And if we understand the journey Lt. Maurice Malone, Class of St. Andrew’s has been on, we will 1913 and a close friend to remain faithful forever: Dileas Friends Richard A. Brown, Class of 1914 Richard Brown, was killed Gu Brath. David D. Stewart, (above) and Lt. Maurice Malone, Class Head, Department of History repelling a German attack of 1913, are buried mere feet from one another in Belgium. and Social Sciences at Ypres on June 3, 1916. 16 Fall 2014