Vimy Flute at Ardenne Abbey

This is Ardenne Abbey and it is a very sacred space to Canadians.  On this site 20 Canadians prisoners of war where executed in June of 1944. The peacefulness of the Abbey is strongly contrasted by the atrocities committed here by the German 12TH SS.

Vimy Flute at Beny-sur-Mer

Please check out this video of the Vimy Flute a Beny-sur-Mer.  This is a Canadian war cemetery of the Second World War contains soldiers who fell during the first stages of the Normandy campaign.  This include D-Day at Juno Beach and the subsequent holding and blacking out of Juno.

Introducing the Vimy Flute

After working hard a long on the Vimy Flute Stephen Rensink has completed his work.  Please enjoy these pictures of the Vimy Flute. 

Another thing to not is the acorns burnt into the wood.  This represent the acorns to which Lt. Mill took from the ridge in those days after the battle.

This is a line from Penn Kemp's poem 'The Stand of Oak' "In the slow dream of trees may the men awake
who died here". 

Notice the color of the glass beads match the divisional colors of the four Canadian Division that fought on April 9th at Vimy.

Honoring the PPCLI and The Equipment Set up for France

Here is a video that I put together in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Memorial Hall of Honor of me playing Amazing grace.  Please note that this is not the completed Vimy Flute.  This was an opportunity to honor the fallen soldiers of the PPCLI as well as test out my setup for France.  I will be creating several films such as this at the different battlefields I visit in France and the Netherlands.  These videos are meant to help educate people about these battles and to remember those who sacrificed so much.  I hope you keep coming back to my blog or Facebook to see the videos.

I also want to give a shout out to Canada Drone Sales http://www.canadadrones.ca/ who supplied me with some video equipment which made making these videos possible.  These guy are great and if you are in the marked for something like the OSMO (which I used to film this video) please check them out.  If you are looking for some fun drones or heavy duty work drones also check them out. Thanks again Brian!

I also want to give a big thanks to everyone who have donated to my project Go Fund Me page so far.  I was able to buy a key piece of equipment, the Roland Mobile Cub Amp.  This is going to let me play to larger groups with that awesome sound.  I am still in need of a much better instrument mic, some specialty cords, and also a hard case to protect the Vimy flute once it is complete.  One way or another I am sure I will find a way to make it work, though if you are willing to help me out with a small donation I would greatly appreciate it as it will support me in ensuring I have the right things I need to do the best job possible. https://www.gofundme.com/the-vimy-flute-100-years

Capturing the History

Over the next few months I will be adding bits of information and stories to help capture the history and scale of the Vimy and the First World War.  To start this off I created a visual representation of Canada's losses in conflicts since 1899.  I hope you can get a sense of the massive loss of life from this graphic.

  With those number in mind read the blog post 'Scratching the Surface of Sacrifice' and remember that each one of these soldiers where individuals just like you and I.

Early Concepts

Here is an early concept for the Vimy Flute.  The symbolism is straightforward though I would like to hear some ideas from you.  Feel free to leave comments here, Facebook, or Twitter.

Taking Form

         Using Remembrance Day as the symbolic launch for the Vimy Flute, Stephen took to his workshop to start the process of making the flute. I feel it is a fitting gesture to start the work on this day.  When Stephen works with the wood he allows the process to flow naturally resulting in a unique sound and look for every flute he makes. I am very excited to see what the Vimy flutes final form will be. 

What I do know is this flute will be something special, as well as a worthy tribute to our Canadian Soldiers.  The Flute is now nearing the end of its 100 year journey back to Vimy for the 9^th of April, 2017. 

On this day when the flute plays out over Vimy ridge, it will be 100 years since Lt. Leslie Miller picked up the acorn and started the journey of the flute.  Over the next few months we will keep you updated as Stephen works on the flute.  Please keep checking back for updates.