Anglais
The last man: Canadian WWI soldier died at 2 minutes to peace
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George Lawrence Price died on a Monday. It was a rainy day whose hours were almost evenly split between war and peace. And it was a terrible day to die.
That Monday marked both the end of the long suffering of the First World War, and of the Canadian private’s short life. His premature death, just minutes shy of a tenuous peace, was no more or less tragic than that of countless others killed during the course of the war — or afterward, because of it.
But being the last Canadian and Commonwealth soldier to die in the war to end all wars — just as so many people were celebrating — lifted him out of almost-certain anonymity.
His death on Nov. 11, 1918, ultimately made him a symbol of the futility of conflict.
George Lawrence Price was eventually buried in St. Symphorien Military Cemetery near Mons, Belgium. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)
Before all that, George Price, the civilian, lived an unremarkable life.
Son of Annie and James Price, he grew up in what is now Port Williams, N.S. As a young man, he moved west, ending up for a time with Canadian Pacific Railway in Moose Jaw, Sask.
He made headlines there for an unfortunate aside: Stealing « a quantity of house effects, » including dishes and linen, from his landlady. The value of the goods? A then-significant $25. He served one month in prison with hard labour.
It was also there that he joined the army. As a soldier in the 28th North West Battalion, Price served in the thick of the Canadian effort leading to the end of the war, according to Tim Cook, author and historian at the Canadian War Museum.
« He served throughout the Hundred Days campaign, » said Cook, in reference to a series of successful Canadian battles in which they suffered heavy casualties.
According to his personnel record, Price was also hospitalized for a month after a gas attack in France.
The Canadian soldiers who made it to the end were « exhausted, » said Cook. « They had seen their comrades, their best friends killed. They had buried them in shallow graves. »
Letters sent home
Like many around him on that Monday, Price was a conscripted soldier — drafted at 24, and without a wife or children. He wrote home diligently, sending stoic and hopeful postcards to his little sister, Florence.
« Just a line to let you know I still think of you, » he wrote in one. « I will see you someday. »
In his letters to his mother, Price revealed he was a reluctant warrior.
« He didn’t want to shoot anybody, » said George Barkhouse, Price’s nephew and namesake, who turned 90 last month.
A last-minute mission
Early Monday, the Canadians had just taken the Belgian village of Havré, on the outskirts of the newly liberated Mons, a city that still today remembers both Canadians and Price for their sacrifices.
At 6:30 a.m. that Monday, the Canadian Corps received official word telling them the fighting would stop that day — an armistice that would come at 11 that morning.
Most of the units would have heard by runner or telegram by 9:30 a.m., Cook said.
« They had about two hours to know that the war would be over. And most of the officers simply said to the soldiers … ‘Find a hole in the ground and stay there. Don’t expose yourself, don’t endanger your life,' » he said.
« They understood that this was the end of a very long and costly war. And yet for some reason, Pte. Price was leading a small patrol to the east of Mons. »
A view of the George Price Footbridge, which sits close to the spot where the Canadian private was believed to have been killed on Nov. 11, 1918. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)
For Price and a handful of other soldiers, the war went on. And there are a few versions of what exactly happened with Price that morning.
According to one account, by Pte. Art Goodmurphy, Price suggested they go sweep some buildings sitting across a narrow canal in Ville-sur-Haines to look for German soldiers.
Five soldiers walked across the small bridge and arrived at one home, kicking down a door to enter. While inside, German machine guns came alive, picking at the bricks of the house.
For these German soldiers, too, the war had not yet ended.
As the Canadians ventured back out, Price was shot by a sniper. On the inside his uniform, he was wearing a delicate flower knitted by his fiancée.
« All of a sudden — BANG. One shot came from all the way up the street. Got hit right through the back and to the heart, » recalled Goodmurphy.
Various accounts mention a young woman who ran over and tried to help. They note that the lady of the house also tried to comfort Price.
But he went quickly: Price was dead — just a month shy of his 26th birthday.
‘The war is over!’
Goodmurphy reported the death to his major. « The war is over! … The war is over! » the major replied. « What the hell did you go across there for? »
By Goodmurphy’s telling, Price never knew an armistice was imminent. « He was just doing his job. »
A « Killed in Action » report filled out afterward records Price’s death at three minutes before the armistice took hold — and ahead of the church bells that echoed across Mons.
Other accounts — including an inscription on his old headstone, now housed at a museum in Mons — say it was just two minutes before: 10:58 a.m.
Learn more about how George Price left a lasting legacy in the region where he died:
In another version, Price had crossed the bridge to say hello to a young woman who had waved to him, perhaps for a kiss or a handshake.
« It’s interesting we focus on Price and what his death means, but we don’t, in fact, have a clear picture of how he died, » said Cook.
But on the other side of the ocean, what was clear was that the jubilance of that Monday was short-lived for Price’s family, who had joined countless others that morning, gathering at the local park to celebrate.
« The war was over and [the family were] having a real good time, » said Barkhouse. « They got home and found out Uncle George had been killed. Pretty darn rough. »
Buried alongside enemy soldiers
Price was eventually buried in the St. Symphorien Military Cemetery, which is also the resting place for several German soldiers.
Now, 100 Remembrance Days later, a new monument is being unveiled in Price’s honour in the city of Le Roeulx, across the canal from where he died, just under a footbridge also named after him. Barkhouse will be attending the ceremony with his granddaughter, Sylvia.
After a lifetime of telling the story, the pain lingers for Barkhouse, heir to the grief and love of the uncle he never knew.
George Barkhouse, Price’s nephew and namesake, was given this frame during a trip to Belgium in 2014. It contained the knitted flower his uncle was wearing on the day of his death and a handwritten thank you note from a Belgian family. (Eric Woolliscroft/CBC)
On a trip to Belgium in 2014, Barkhouse also inherited an unexpected gift: That knitted flower worn by Price on the day he died. It’s still stained by his blood.
The flower was given to Barkhouse by a Belgian family, who had framed it and added these words:
« Today, Nov. 11, 1918, at the exact moment where the peace was signed, you fell for us. The last victim of a terrible conflict. Thank you George Price! »
Read Pte. George Lawrence Price’s war records:
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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.
In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.
Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.
With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.
Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”
“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.
The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.
When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.
“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”
MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.
MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.
The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.
The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.
Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.
STUDIO SHORTAGE
The film industry is cramped in Montreal.
According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.
With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.
Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »
« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.
She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.
« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.
There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.
« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.
Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.
For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.
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