When Victor “Lloyd” Clemett signed up with the 93rd Battalion in 1916 he lied about his age. The boy soon sailed across the broad north Atlantic. On the other side he hoped to find – and fight alongside – his three older brothers.
Only days before being shipped to the raging continental fronts, Clemett’s superiors discovered he was a mere stripling of 16. The boy soldier was made a bugler and passed the last days of the war in the relative peace of Aubin St. Vast, France.
Clemett died last month at the age of 107. Now, only two Canadian veterans of the First World War – John Babcock, 107, and Percy Wilson, 106 – survive.
One of Clemett’s last public actions was to decline a state funeral, an honour the House of Commons has resolved to offer to the last First World War veteran.
“He himself feels there should not be attention given to the last person, but the attention should be given to them all,” Clemett’s guardian Merle Kaczanowski told national media at the time.
Clemett’s stance was humble and gracious – and, it must be said, utterly correct.
While many young Canadians would perhaps not do the same, Clemett did not see his decision to enlist as an act of heroism. The true heroes, he likely thought, are the men who now rest beneath the poppies of Flanders fields.
The Commons’ decision to extend this honour to the last veteran of the so-called Great War came last year after it received a petition, signed by more than 90,000 Canadians, urging such a tribute.
The petition and the subsequent House of Commons resolution indicates a strong desire to mark the passing of an era with dignity, respect and appropriate fanfare. But a state funeral is not the answer.
State funerals are given almost exclusively to prime ministers and governors general. They are occasions to commemorate the life and achievements of our national leaders. To use a state funeral to mark an event rather than a person is both a misuse of the custom and a mischaracterization of the man. After all, as Clemett himself recognized, his achievement would have been merely outliving his comrades.
State funerals are special and meaningful events because, in part, of their rarity. Using the custom inappropriately, such as it would be in this case, is surely the first step down a very slippery slope. State funerals could become so commonplace that they turn into trivial events.
The death of the last First World War veteran is clearly an event of historic significance. It is therefore right and fitting that we make it a moment of national remembrance.
This responsibility falls on the Department of Veterans Affairs. It should keep in mind that a state funeral is not the only option. It should take inspiration from the upcoming 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, to be held on April 9.
A more creative event than a state funeral would honour the past, attract the attention of contemporary Canadians, as well as respect the wishes of the last veterans themselves. It would also protect our traditions. And is that not what our veterans fought for?
–Jeffrey Davis