Article Database - From Edmonton to Edmonton

Sharing a name, Edmonton, Alberta and Edmonton, Middlesex, England have cultivated the connection between the two cities. Mike Kostek recounts how, in 1920, thousands of school children in both cities became aware of their shared heritage and how his visit to London in 1998 renewed the bond for today’s students.

"No link of the British Empire chain will shine brighter than the one that bears the names of Edmonton." Dr. Frank Crang, chairman of Edmonton’s Public School Board, was speaking to an outdoor assembly of some 15,000 students, teachers, and interested parents in Edmonton on September 1, 1920. The occasion was the presentation of a 27-foot long flag and an embossed bronze shield designed to clasp its pole, to the students of Edmonton’s 43 public and eight separate schools. The flag and shield were gifts from students in Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

When one First World War veteran/teacher returned to his classroom at Houndsfield School (Edmonton, England) with stories of the victorious conclusion of the Great War, he also told of contributions made by Canadian soldiers in helping to save the British Empire. Students learned of another town named Edmonton, in far-off Canada. A campaign to purchase gifts as tokens of appreciation for the valour and bravery of Canadian soldiers in the Great War went beyond Houndsfield School to include all of the schools in the borough. Each student was encouraged to contribute a penny towards the purchase. Those who could not afford pennies brought halfpennies or farthings.

Twelve thousand students attended the send-off ceremony in Pymmes Park, Edmonton, England. There were bands playing, flags waving and much cheering. The gifts were entrusted to an Imperial Press Party which toured Canada in 1920. Students who arrived at their Edmonton schools on September 1, 1920 were directed to the Great War Veterans Memorial Hall grounds just north of Macdonald Drive. There, to the strains of "Oh Canada," "God Save the King," and "Rule Britannia," followed a very emotional and patriotic gathering, as revealed in these excerpts from a prize-winning student essay of the day:

"At a signal from the chairman, Mr. Crang, the Edmonton Newsboy’s band begins to play ‘Oh Canada.’ We all sing as loudly as we can, and I am sure we make considerable noise. . . .We give a cheer as Mr. Woodhead . . . steps out on the platform. He tells us about the children in Edmonton, England, who cheerfully gave their pennies to buy us this beautiful present . . . [and] speaks about the unity of the British Empire and the loyalty of her sons. We are conscious of a growing feeling of comradeship and friendliness for our young friends across the sea. . . .Lady Burnham has risen to speak. We know she is to present the gift; and we listen intently. . . . She tells us more about the children of the English Edmonton, and it seems to give added value to the gift to know that its givers are not wealthy, that they had to make a sacrifice to give us the flag. . . . She also tells about the part our Dominion played in the late war and expresses the belief that such ceremonies as we are witnessing today will serve to cement the bonds of fellowship between us and our mother country. Now Lady Burnham . . . grasps the rope firmly and gives it a mighty pull. All our faces are upturned, the band strikes up ‘God Save the King’ and, as the flag is finally unfurled, such a cheer arises as is not often heard. . . . We realized as I think we have never realized so fully before how great a thing it is to be living under a flag which stands for justice and freedom, wherever it is unfurled. Gradually the crowd breaks up. We join our schoolmates and troop slowly out of the grounds and down the street. . . . We are more quiet, thinking over the events of the past hour. We will never cease to have the most friendly feelings for the Edmonton across the ocean."

Not long after these emotional events, the embossed brass shield disappeared. Its return to the Edmonton Public Schools Archives and Museum in 1984 by an antiquarian bookseller sparked new contacts between Edmonton Public Schools and Houndsfield School. On October 4, 1998, this writer had the distinct pleasure of speaking to the staff and 592 students of Houndsfield School, now a mosaic of ethnic cultures, mirroring similar changes in our own Edmonton community.

There was intense interest as the flag and shield story of 1920 was chronicled. Questions followed about our city’s history and weather. Houndsfield students were intrigued to learn the ways in which Canada’s links with the British Commonwealth are still evident and to learn that Canadian school children get a holiday to celebrate Victoria Day, since British children do not.

Gifts to the school included the flags of Canada and the City of Edmonton. Maple leaf lapel pins were eagerly received by all Houndsfield students and staff, and pen-pal letters from Alberta schools were distributed to several classes.

Much has changed in the two Edmontons over the past 79 years. King George and the British Empire are no more, and the populations of the two cities are no longer predominantly Anglo-Saxon. Commonwealth bonds have eroded, as has the feeling of unity once so evident among people of British stock. The Edmonton-to-Edmonton project of 1998 was an opportunity to recapture some of our past history and to brighten the lustre on that link of chain that once helped to bind school children on two continents.

Mike Kostek is a retired school administrator and active archivist with the Edmonton Public Schools Archives and Museum.