In this day and age children are growing up so fast with immediate access to all information at their fingertips and social media is paramount.
Gone are the days where homework and school research relied on encyclopedias or the newspaper. However, the recent news article featuring the commemoration of forgotten First World War hero, Lance-Cpl. Edgar Medley, has helped bridge the generation gap today, in the year 2014 that marks the 100th anniversary of the Great War.
The story of Lance-Cpl. Edgar Medley, recently published in the Innisfail Province by editor Johnnie Bachusky, has spread to the west coast of British Columbia.
Lance-Cpl. Edgar Medley's three young great-great-grandchildren, who are my children -- Jackson Marriott, 11, Lukas Marriott, 9, and five-year-old Grace Marriott -- live in British Columbia and attend Sacred Heart School in Ladner.
On Friday, Nov. 7, Sacred Heart School held a Remembrance Day ceremony where Lance-Cpl. Edgar Medley was one of a few soldiers given an honourable mention, which was followed by two minutes of silence in the gym.
When his name was read aloud in front of 400 students and many parents, I was overcome with shivers of emotions and tears came to my eyes.
What a brave man. He died for his family, future generations and for his country. In the moments of silence I couldn't help but also pray for his wife Maude and two young daughters, Katherine and Eileen. Katherine, whose married name was also Marriott, lived to the age of 95 and was the grandmother of my husband, Jason Marriott.
In the moments of silence, I knew my children were feeling sad but proud, that their great-great-grandfather was a hero of the First World War. I knew they understood that they share an amazing connection to him, despite so many decades between them.
The poppy has new meaning. While it was always a sign of respect, it is now personal.
Our children brought the Innisfail Province article about their great-great- grandfather into school to share with their classmates. Jackson's Grade 6 teacher photocopied the article for each student and had all of them read the article prior to attending the ceremony that morning.
Jackson told me his classmates thought the article was really neat and special. I was very impressed with the teacher's gesture and proud that the students valued the familial and historical significance.
So it came to be on this Remembrance Day in 2014 we witnessed Grade 6 students reading the newspaper on the 100th anniversary of the First World War about a hero who had been forgotten for 96 years. It meant so much to our family, especially to my father-in-law Robert Marriott -- Lance-Cpl. Medley's grandson, his sisters Karole and Andrea, and to my husband Jason -- Robert's son and Lance-Cpl. Medley's great-grandson -- and now to our three young children, Jackson, Lukas and Grace.
My children now know their great-great-grandfather and we will never forget all he sacrificed for our family and his country. Jason and I hope to one day soon take our children to Innisfail and visit Lance-Cpl. Medley's commemorated grave.
When asked what this means to my children, they responded, “We know he will always be with us in spirit, helping us through life.”
Laura Marriott is the wife of Jason Marriott, great-grandson of Lance-Cpl. Edgar Medley, whose military service for Canada in the First World War was finally commemorated on Oct. 16 at his gravesite on the farm of Don and Wendy Chalack, 20 kilometres southeast of Innisfail. The Marriott family reside in Tsawwassen, B.C.
