Vimy Memorial

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Vimy Memorial

Visit to Vimy Ridge March 1, 2006

Exactly a year ago we left the coastal city of Goa and travelled inland to Belgaum, birthplace of my great-grandfather Arnold Henry Grant Kemball. Born into a military family, educated at Wellington College, Kemball graduated from Sandhurst in 1880. His legacy includes letters and photos of life on the Northwest Frontier, British Columbia and his final years in the Great War. As we have been sailing around the world I've been working on a book on his life.

Kemball served with the 1st Battalion Royal Scot Regiment from 1880-82 in Malta,

2nd D.C.O. Belooch Reg't 1885

1888 with 5th Gurkhas

hunting,Kashmir 1894

while on a ski trip in Norway, Kemball met and married Vivi Sundt, 1895

Crossing the Lowari Pass, Northwest Frontier

destroying a fort on Northwest Frontier

After serving 30 years in the Indian Army, my greatgrandfather retired in 1910 as CO of the 5th Gurkas.

Gurkha signalers saying goodbye to Col.Kemball 1910

After one false start on Kootenay Lake, the family hacked a fruit farm out of the bush in Kaslo, BC.

Arnold, his daughters Dorothy and Gerda, his wife and her sister, 1912

By the summer of 1914 fruit was being harvested, but when war was announced in August, Kemball signed up. He lead the 54th Kootenay Battalion(click for link to excellent website on the 54th Kootenay) overseas in 1915 and they reached France by August 1916. The battalion saw action in the Somme and then moved to near Vimy. A large gas raid was planned and postponed several times due to unfavourable winds.Since the element of surprise was lost, Kemball tried to get the raid cancelled. He left battalion headquarters at 0440 and fearing stiff opposition, the 56-year-old led his men over the top at 0540 on March 1st, 1917. During an armistice, the Germans returned his body for burial.