Signs of Soldiers

Home / Explore / Historic Sites

Some of the carvings and drawings were extremely high. Here the High Resolution camera team is photographing a section of the cave wall that has three names from the Royal Montreal Regiment which were at a height of 13 feet.
CANADIGM
William and Clarence Harvey of 162 Battalion Parry Sound attested on the same day. Both survived the April Battle for Vimy Ridge, unfortunately Clarence was killed at the Battle of Fresnoy in May. William survived the war but he was never the same.
CANADIGM
Henry White worked as a farm labourer before he joined the 86th Battalion. He was transferred to Machine Gun Corps while in England prior being sent to France. He survived Vimy Ridge but unfortunately died of an acute heart infection in April, 1918.
CANADIGM
The Souterrain is always at an even cool temperature. A cover needed to be fashioned out of thick fabric to maintain the proper working temperature for the 3D laser scanner. It also served to protect the scanner from moisture.
CANADIGM
Robert McKee arrived in Canada at the age of 12. He enlisted in 1916. He survived the Great War to go on and serve in the Second World War. He survived the Second World War and passed away in 1973.
CANADIGM
Searching the Souterrain was a daunting task. Some names were no bigger than a signature on a credit card while others were much larger. It took two weeks of long hours for six people to map the exact locations of over two hundred names and carvings.
CANADIGM
A good tripod is a necessity for both laser scanning and high resolution photography. In this image the photographer has had to set up the tripod on a rocky incline to capture the carving on the wall.
CANADIGM

A new exhibition is uncovering engravings soldiers left down in the dirt during the First World War.

Launched on April 9, 2015, Souterraine Impressions features more than 250 carvings soldiers dug into caves and tunnels while waiting to join the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917 — a battle that has become a symbol of national unity, sacrifice, and achievement.

From signatures the size of credit cards to detailed drawings of badges and loved ones, visitors will get a rare glimpse at images that have been concealed for the past 98 years.

In 2009, the idea for this exhibition struck Zenon Andrusyszyn, the founder of the Canadian Historical Documentation and Imaging Group (CANADIGM), a group of creatives, historians, educators, and technicians.

He was inspired by a television show about the tunnels and caves near Vimy Ridge in France. The show featured the carvings and, Andrusyszyn — a visual artist and world war enthusiast — want to preserve and display them.

In June 2012, Andrusyszyn and his team scanned the carvings one-by-one. The images were then reproduced with a 3D printer.

Souterraine Impressions exhibition completed its cross-Canada tour between 2015 and 2018.

Help keep Canada’s stories strong (and free)

We hope you will help us continue to share fascinating stories about Canada’s past.

We highlight our nation’s diverse past by telling stories that illuminate the people, places, and events that unite us as Canadians, and by making those stories accessible to everyone through our free online content.

Canada’s History is a registered charity that depends on contributions from readers like you to share inspiring and informative stories with students and citizens of all ages — award-winning stories written by Canada’s top historians, authors, journalists, and history enthusiasts.

Any amount helps, or better yet, start a monthly donation today. Your support makes all the difference. Thank you!

Support Canada's History