Au revoir to the grand-père of Vimy

I once saw a piece on CBC about Monsieur Devloo and was touched by his dedication to Canadians and the fallen memorialized at the Vimy Monument. Every day for the last 13 years he has met Canadian visitors to Vimy at the train station and ensured they were able to get to the site.

M. Devloo passed away on the 6th of February at the age of 85.

Au revoir to the grand-père of Vimy
Last Updated: Monday, February 9, 2009
By Adrienne Arsenault CBC News

Vimy, that crucial French village so soaked in Canadian history and blood, is a place of pilgrimage. Anyone who opts to take a train there knows, though, that actually getting to the memorial is tough. It's nowhere near the station, and the station has no taxis. It has no phone. It has no employees. But, for the past 13 years, it had Monsieur Devloo.

He was the 80-something man in the trench coat, beret and broad smile who virtually every day stood on the platform to wait for wayward Canadians and offered to take them to the memorial. He asked for absolutely nothing in return.

The best guess is that he shepherded roughly 1,300 Canadians through Vimy. But he did much more. Always a gregarious soul, he quickly got to know the young Canadian guides who worked at the memorial. When they were sick, he took them soup. He stored their bicycles in his house over the winters. He taught them how to drive standard. He teased them about their French, and he was always there with a kind word for the lonely and homesick.

CBC Video

Facebook Group - I heart M. Devloo

Veteran's Affairs has already recognized M. Devloo but hopefully the Canadian Government, the CF or both will consider something appropriate to further recognize this man with a giant heart for his service.