Skip to main content
Hugh Cairns V.C. School
Inspiring Learning
News Item

Remembrance has special meaning for students at Hugh Cairns V.C. School

October 31, 2018

Hugh Cairns VC_news.jpgStudents from Hugh Cairns V.C. School are among those who remember a Saskatoon soldier who died during the final days of the First World War.

The students were part of a ceremony of remembrance held Nov. 2 to honour the memory of their school's namesake, Sgt. Hugh Cairns, who died Nov. 2, 1918, just nine days before the armistice that ended the war.

Cairns was the last of 71 Canadians to receive the Victoria Cross during the First World War as a result of his actions at Valenciennes, France, on Nov. 1, 1918. He died the following day from injuries sustained during the battle.

To recognize, the 100th anniversary of Cairns' death, a ceremony organized by Veterans Affairs Canada took place at the Footballers' Memorial. The memorial is a statue of Cairns located in Kinsmen Park at the corner of Spadina Crescent and 25th Street East. It is dedicated to the memory of soccer players who lost their lives in the First World War.

An afternoon assembly and gathering at the school provided students with the opportunity to showcase their learning.

The school has a display about Cairns and the role he played in the war. That information, along with explicit teaching from teacher Lauri Lee, helps students build understanding about Cairns' life, the significance of his service and the war in which he fought and died.  

"It is very important to her, and the rest of us, that students understand the history and sacrifice of our school's namesake and that we never take that for granted," says Principal Ian Wilson. "This is then echoed in classrooms where teachers find age-appropriate ways to discuss the importance of Remembrance Day.

"This year we are paying special attention to the day as it marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Sgt. Cairns as well as the 100th anniversary of the Armistice."

Cairns was a 21-year-old sergeant in the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes his extraordinary actions during the battle at Valenciennes:

When his battalion was held up by a machine-gun post, Cairns grabbed his Lewis machine gun and single-handedly charged the enemy position, killed the five-man crew and captured their gun. Later that day, he repeated his actions and rushed another machine-gun post by himself, killing 12 and taking 18 enemy soldiers prisoner, as well as capturing two guns. In a third act later that day, he outflanked another position, killed several enemy soldiers and captured more guns, although he was once again wounded.

After his unit captured and reinforced its new position, Cairns went forward with a patrol, armed again with his Lewis gun, and forced another 60 German soldiers to surrender. While disarming the group, he was severely wounded again, but opened fire and killed several. A group of roughly 20 Germans then tried to rush Cairns and overpower him. He collapsed at that moment from loss of blood, and was carried away during the skirmish by Canadian troops. Cairns died from his injuries the next day, 2 November. Nine days later, the armistice was declared, ending the war.

The recognition of Cairns is part of a Veterans Affairs initiative to remember the 100th anniversary of Canada's 100 days and the end of the First World War. Many achievements on the battlefields of Europe were capped by a three-month stretch of victories at the end of the war – Aug. 8 to Nov. 11, 1918 – that came to be known as "Canada's Hundred Days." More information is available at: www.veterans.gc.ca/100days