Video of the dedication ceremony of the Vimy Oak Tree and monument today, April 15, 2023 in Dunnville.
This oak tree was purchased by the Port Maitland “On The Grand” Historical Association as a sapling from the Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation to commemorate those who fought and gave their lives at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9 to 12, 1917.
Lieutenant Leslie H. Miller, a soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (1914-1919), sent acorns home to Canada that he had gathered after the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
These acorns are now large majestic oaks that are growing on his former farm, today the home of the Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church, in Scarborough Ontario. This tree is a descendant of those original acorns brought home by Lieutenant Miller.
At least 17 men from Haldimand County were known to have fought and died at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.