One hundred years ago today, Private George Lawrence Price (a Canadian) became the last soldier of the-then British Empire to die before the 11 a.m. Armistice of November 11. In the Belgian village of Ville-sur-Haine, Private Price was shot and killed by a sniper at 10:58 a.m.
Rosa ‘George Lawrence Price’ was named in September 2018 by the Belgian rose breeder Jaak Vangampelaere in conjunction with the Ville du Roeulx municipal council, to mark the centennial of the conclusion of the First World War and to honour Pte. Price. It had been a winner in the previous year’s international rose competition.
This low-growing cultivar (to 90cm / 3 ft.) is intended for both gardens and bouquets, as the double-flowered blossoms are long-lived as a cut flower. A memorial to George Price, inaugurated yesterday, will be decorated with beds of Rosa ‘George Lawrence Price’. In this article from the tourism office of Ville du Roeulx, Baptême de la rose ‘George Lawrence Price’, the writer notes (**translated by Google Translate**):
If the last drop of blood shed by George Price confronts us with the immense human chaos that was this terrible conflict, the features of his young face send us back to our hopes of peace and the work of memory which must necessarily guide our choice in building a better future. Thus, where the poppy is traditionally associated with the memory of dead fighters [at the warfront], the pink ‘George Lawrence Price’ will bring hope. It will embody our commitment to a world where international mutual aid works for peace and the defense of universal rights.
Additional reading:
- via CBC, The last man: Canadian WWI soldier died at 2 minutes to peace
- via Canada’s History, Belgian Town Honours Canadian Soldier: A rose christening marks 100 years since the end of the First World War
- video of the George Lawrence Price being honoured at the Roeulx New Rose Competition
- additional photographs from this past year’s rose competition, including more images of Rosa ‘George Lawrence Price’, by today’s photographer, Bernard Lafaut
- the Canadian Virtual War Memorial for George Lawrence Price
Lest we forget.
“I don’t want to kill anyone,” George Lawrence Price wrote in a letter to his aunt back in the tiny Annapolis Valley hamlet of Church Street, now part of the village of Port Williams in Kings County.
Be prepared to weep.
https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/local/annapolis-valley-man-the-last-canadian-to-die-in-first-world-war-256848/
Well, first ‘plant of the day’ to bring me to tears. Thank you for sharing the remarkable human story behind this Rose.
Thanks, Daniel. What a lovely posting for today. And thanks to Bernard Lafaut for sending the photo.
Beautiful photo, sad story, let’s hope flowers and peace for all. JWT
Thanks for putting up this sad story with its beautiful flower. Not sure why, but for me, WWI more than any other speaks to the absurdity of war.
For me, WW1 is especially significant because it was to be “the war to end all wars.”
THANK YOU for sharing such a moving story – I hope some day to plant this rose in our orchard and share the story and memory – and the accompanying challenge to create peace – in our part of the world.
Gracias for sharing such a beautiful story! No flower can express dignity and beauty quite like a rose.