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- -ttoevva‘IO'OOllroo-totoe "‘ ":;.‘.\'.’ .-.‘n; " 15'“ l O I. . l I U 1.. m w ' """' Bfiifl‘i ' °' ‘ Only questions remain O O O I O I Family shares tale of Louis Steckenrezter, one of 1 6 local men being memonallzed . Mlmlnsoa forgotten. *4" were“. m7 . throwaway "i want my family â€" my children &_ and grandchildren â€" to lmow about «I: "’ a?“ n the morning of Apr. 10. their family,'shesaid. O 1917. the 128th Battalion The lifeof Uncle Louis has been A" 1 my . Canadian infantry joined a challenge to research. Louis â€"her _ . _ "a5 ‘ ”w ‘ " . . .-' h 1- thousands of other Canadian sol» husband - was born in 1921 and “1.19qu "7 +9.5 3!, . '7 . 1 "P if”: 121%. . diers in the assault on me Ridge never knew his uncle. and he said %» .1 WW- 1?“ . 1 *1,- . 39‘ g f’ in“ "I: - in France. Among those soldiers his fatherand hisaunts did not talk , _ ”fish's ": ' ‘ ' ’9. V ’ was Waterloo native Private Louis about Uncle louis , ' . , 3 ' 1 a . ,5, 1 . ._ 1‘. Peter Steckenreiter. What theydo know is that louis 71,31 . ' “'-' : ' ,. . The Germans had transformed Peter Steekenreiter was born Apr. 9. . . ”r“ j 1 . W’ a} ’- the ridge intoaveritabie fortress of 1887 to Nicholaus and Helene ‘, . é' ‘ \, .. . 1 ” barbed wire. machine guns and Steckenreiter in Bridgeport. His 3‘ ’ ’ WI ”a.“ 1 , .' ’ 9 ‘ 1 ,1- artillery cannons. but by the end of grandparents had immigrated to J ..th .. 1 i '3‘;- ”M ‘ ‘. k the day the Canadian men had Canada from Germany during the a. it. ~ captured the entire ridge. save for a 18505 and he was one of five chilâ€" heavily fortified area known as The dren in the family. He worked as a 1 Pimple that was taken two days bookkeeper and labourer. ' 7?}? later. Louis moved to Saskatchewan 1 1f W1 1 " Steekenreiter after 1911 with g i. never made it to his brother John . - the top ofVimy to work on a ' V ’ Ridge. Though farm and enlist~ E - . his body was edwith the 128th never found. he Battalion in These are a few of the family mementoes left from Louis Stedtenreiter, including his tennk racquet. was officiallylist- Moose law in “mm ed as killed in February 1916. in l‘ehmary 1917, the 128th bat- Canadianrnemorial atVimy. France. leaving behind little more action on Apr. 10 The battalion talion became pan ofthe 5th Cana- To this day the battle is viewed than the contents spread out on the and his name trained at Camp dian Division and relieved a British as one of the turning points in the Steckenreiter's kitchen table. He can be found Hughes in Mani- contingent of soldiers stationed at First World War and Canadian his- was unmarried and had no chil- alongside the toba before ship- Vimy Ridge. tory. it was the first time that Cana- dren. but the letter he sent to his more than 3.500 ping out to Eng- Under the command of Canadi- dian soldiers fought under the sister tells of more than just cakes other Canadians land in August of an Majorâ€"General Sir Arthur same banner and symbolized andsocks killed over the that year. William Currie. the soldiers trained Camda‘soomingofageuanation He also wrote of a ring he had course of the 'He was for months for their assault on the Lou‘s Steekenreiter is one ofthe given to a woman named Edna four-day battle going over to ridge. The British and the French 16 Waterloo men who died during back in Saskatchewan before leav- Ninetyâ€"five fight cousins. had spent two years trying to the First World War and will be ingfor Europe. nevertoretnrn years later. the maybe. Who recapture the strategic position. a memorialized by a new cedar ”He talks about giving some- remnants of ma. mm knows?” said seemingly futile attempt that had arbour being built by the Waterloo body a ring. but we don‘t know who Steckenreiter's Dorothy. cost them hundreds of thousands Horticultural Society at the Memoâ€" she is." said Dorothy. life are spread out across the top of “And to be killed.’ oflives rial Garden in Waterloo on Erb The fact he died just one day a large kitchen table inside a corner The only wartime letter they The Canadian attack began on Street between Albert and Caroline after his 30th birthday is just as unit at the iaurelwood Retirement have is dated Sept. 19. 1916. The Apr. 9. 1917 and it took four days streetstltisSundayathm heartbreakingshesaid. Community home inWaterloo. fiveâ€"page letter. written in black for the Canadians to finally dis- The project was funded by the "i think it's sad." said Dorothy. “i . Photos. war medals, a death cer- ink. was sent from Surrey. England. lodge the German soldiers from City of Waterloo. Royal Canadian wonder ifhe celebrated lwonder if til'icate and even his old tennis soon after he arrived and offers a their perch atop the ridge. Louis Legion Branch 530. Ontario Thul- hehadamke.‘ racket are just a few of the items glimpse into iouis's personality. was initially reported as missing in um Foundation. Fleischauer land- One other question lingers in that Dorothy Steckenreiter has col- "1 would appreciate if you could action following the assault on Apr. scoping and the Waterloo Horticul- the back of Dorothy’s mind as she lectedoverthcpastwyearstrying send me occasionally some of 10. but after thebattlehewascon- turaISociety. looksovertheportraits ofthe man to piece together the life of louis those cakes and homemade sweets firmed killed in action. A reception at Legion Branch that remains a mystery to this day. Dorothy is married to another like you used to make." he wrote to His body may not have been 530 will follow the dedication me “You wonder what his kids Louis Steekenreiter. the nephew of his sister. “And tell iohn to draw in recovered. but his memorial stone mony. A display honouring the would have been like if he had the man who died at Vimy Ridge. few dollars out of my bank account can be found at Canadian Ceme- 16 fallen soldierswill beatWaterloo kids?“ she said. “What would they and she has made it her mission to to send me some good. heavy tery No. 2 in Pm-de-Calais. France. City Hall from Sept. 24 toOcL 26 havedone? make sure that "Uncle louis' is not woolen socks“ about one kilometre south of the louis died on the battlefields of 'What would they look like?” ' W ‘ ~ ~ . ’ “' "V. . ‘ «Wantâ€"11*“ . ' v 1* W531 '1.” "v a. . . ' z *1 meme" . - ewe a? «.1 - - . as. - ~ 4. , . . . .- « . - ~ orbes $1 ’3‘" V ‘ ‘ V!” $fi’l‘“ “4". I . 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