CLIFFORD – Oak trees have been used to commemorate the First World War in Canada since a young soldier brought acorns home from the Vimy Ridge battleground and planted them on his farm in southern Ontario.
Recently, the Clifford and District Horticulture Society, Clifford Rotary, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 296 in Harriston and Town of Minto worked together to plant two “crimson spire” oak trees that flank the Clifford cenotaph.
Clifford and District Horticulture Society president Vic Palmer spearheaded the project and stated, “The society is always interested in projects that beautify our town.
“We invited other service groups to support the project and the Town of Minto very generously arranged the purchase, delivery of the trees and planting of them.”
The oak trees are cultivars of the commonly called English oak or French oak with the botanical name being quercus robur.
Harriston Legion past president Hugh Clunas said, “The oak trees are a gentle reminder of the sacrifices made for this country.”
The columnar trees stand on guard of each side of the cenotaph. In addition, the project included the planting of a third English oak in Clifford’s Cenotaph Park.
