Preserved in stone at the war museum in Ottawa

If you have ever been to Vimy in France before, you probably went into one of the tunnels that Canadian soldiers used during World War I. 

The tunnels housed soldiers prior to the attack on the ridge that was held by the Germans in 1917.

A new exhibition – Preserved in Stone – at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa takes visitors into the tunnels to show the names, messages and images that Canadian soldiers carved into the soft chalk walls prior to going over the top to take the ridge on April 9, 1917.

The exhibition consists of 3D reproductions and photographs of carvings and other markings made by servicemen to express their thoughts, pass the time or simply provide directions in their subterranean labyrinth. Together, their words and images reflect the camaraderie, boredom, loneliness and fear that characterized life underground.

“After a century of obscurity, it’s a thrill to see these hidden artworks re-emerge from the darkness and to discover the echoes of Canadian soldiers who fought in the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge,” says Stephen Quick, director general of the Canadian War Museum. “Thanks to technology and the dedicated individuals working to document and preserve these vestiges of the past, we can imagine in vivid detail what it must have been like to spend days or weeks underground, waiting to engage the enemy.”

Preserved in Stone – Underground Art of the First World War is presented from October 17, 2016 to January 7, 2018 in the lobby of the Canadian War Museum. The exhibition is free for visitors.