Remembering the ultimate sacrifice at Vimy Ridge

In the Hall of Memory at Sir Adam Beck 1 Generating Station's historic screen house, two plaques honour past hydro employees who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

One remembers the 34 valued employees of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario (HEPCO), OPG’s predecessor company, who died while serving their country in the First World War; another lists the 51 HEPCO staff members who perished in the Second World War.

Of the 34 employees who were killed in the Great War, a few gave their lives in the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place from April 9 to April 12, 1917. Many of these employees are now buried near the battleground in Pas de Calais, France.

The fateful four-day clash at the Vimy Ridge escarpment took place in the northern region of France, pitting Canadian soldiers against German fighters in intense and violent trench warfare that included machine gun and artillery fire. The military engagement was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras and involved all four divisions of the Canadian Corps. Canada was ultimately triumphant, with the country's soldiers wresting complete control of the ridge from German defenders by April 12.

For Canada, the victory at Vimy Ridge became a defining moment for the young country and a symbol of national achievement. But taking control of Vimy Ridge came at a major cost, with 3,598 Canadian soldiers killed and 7,004 wounded.

HEPCO employees killed in battle

One of those killed in the battle was Rupert Kelson Starr, of Niagara Falls, an early HEPCO employee.

Starr, who was born in England, joined the 98th Canadian Infantry at Niagara Falls on March 12, 1916. He was transferred to the 4th Battalion in the Canadian Infantry that October and served as a lieutenant in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France. He was killed in action at Farbus Wood, Vimy Ridge, on April 9 when he was struck by a shell. He was just 31 years old.

After his death, his commanding officer wrote to Starr’s wife, Mabel, saying, “He commanded his platoon with great ability during our attack on 9 April, and after the last position of the enemy was captured and held, he was killed instantly by a shell, which also mortally wounded another officer to whom your husband was talking. Your husband’s death is a great loss to the battalion.”

Another lieutenant wrote: “Mr. Starr just seemed like a father to us all, and we did like him so much. His men thought the world of him, because he was good, kind and true and fearless."

Starr is buried at Ecoivres Military Cemetery in Pas de Calais, France, near the battlefield where he lost his life.

More than 600,000 Canadian men and women enlisted during the Great War, with approximately 420,000 serving overseas in Europe. Of these, close to 60,000 died in the conflict.

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Pas de Calais, unveiled in 1936, honours all those Canadians who served and were killed or presumed dead in France.