Think Like a Historian
Vimy in Letters (Francis Bathe)
A letter captures one person’s perspective in time. What can it tell us about the experience of Canadian soldiers at the Battle of Vimy Ridge?
Francis Percy Bathe was a brother, a son, and a barber. At 20 years old, Francis and his two older brothers enlisted in Oshawa, Ontario to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was one of close to 100,000 Canadians participating in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.