TRAVEL THE WORLD - BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Each summer a beautiful arrangement of flowers forming a striking pattern is displayed for a few days in the Grand Place in Brussels. It was impossible to find a vantage point for the photo that would show the pattern of the flowers to full advantage. It was amazing to think of the amount of work and coordination that must have been involved as each flower was put carefully in its place. And of course, the creativity needed to visualize the pattern is truly remarkable. The photo was taken in 2008.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - WATERLOO, BELGIUM

Having read biographies of Napoleon and Wellington, I was interested in seeing the Waterloo battlefield. It was here that Napoleon suffered his final defeat at the hands of the Prussian general, von Blucher and the Duke of Wellington, leader of the English army, plus assorted smaller forces contributed by the coalition which formed in order to defeat him. It was hard to believe that this ordinary-looking field could have held thousands of soldiers with their assorted weaponry and ammunition and could have been the site of one of the decisive events in European history.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FRANCHIMONT CASTLE, BELGIUM

The castle was built in the 11th Century and belonged to the Prince Bishop of Liege until around 1500. During this period, the chief official of the castle was one of my ancestors. We spent an hour or so in 2008 looking around, trying to visualize the layout and functions of the castle.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - LA HULPE, BELGIUM

These photos of two sculptures by Folon were taken in 2008 in the grounds of the Folon Foundation at La Hulpe, Belgium. My cousin, Robert, took Paul and I there to see the exhibits of the work of Jean-Michel Folon, an artist, illustrator, painter and sculptor who was born in 1934 and died in 2005. We had not heard of him, but when we saw examples of his work, we recognized their style from many illustrations we had seen over the years in magazines and advertisements. The exhibit is very nicely put together and well worth seeing. Walking in the extensive grounds was also a pleasure.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ESNEUX, BELGIUM

The charming town of Esneux in the Ardennes region of Belgium was photographed in 2008. I have always associated the Ardennes with the German invasion of Belgium in World War II and with the fact that my family's origins were in this area at Arimont near Malmedy. We spent three days in the Ardennes enjoying its peaceful beauty.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BRUGES, BELGIUM

No trip to Bruges would be complete without a boat trip on one of the town's many canals. This photo from 1997, the year we first visited Belgium, is a good example of why Bruges will always remain in my mind as the town where you only have to point your camera in any direction to get a great photo.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - JEHAY CASTLE, BELGIUM

My cousins took us to Jehay castle near Liege in 2008. The castle, which was was built in the 16th Century, has been owned by the family of Guy van den Steen since 1680. Extensive renovation work was done following World War II. The castle has a moat, as you can see in the photo. It is set in beautiful grounds and is furnished as it would have been at the time it was built.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - LIEGE, BELGIUM

My cousins took us to Jehay castle near Liege in 2008. This exquisite clock was only one of many lovely things to look at in the castle which was was built in the 16th Century. After World War II Count Guy van den Steen, whose family has owned the castle since 1680, undertook major restoration work. This included beautiful new furnishings from the period when the castle was originally constructed. There are also attractively landscaped grounds.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ARIMONT, BELGIUM

This field near Malmedy is where my cousin took us in 1997 to show us the location of the family castle. He had come here as a young man with his father who wanted him to see where the castle had been located. It was here that one of the foundation stones had been found. On the road near this field there is a road sign which says "ARIMONT." The family had lived in this area until the late middle ages when they moved to Jalhay.

All of this was a revelation to me, as my father had not mentioned anything about a castle or a coat of arms, likely because he disapproved of the class structure that he felt typified life in Europe.

TRAVEL THE WORLD, BRUGES, BELGIUM

Here in this 1997 photo are a few of the many beautiful medieval buildings of Bruges. If you visit the city, be sure to take a boat trip on the canals.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BRUGES, BELGIUM

The wonder of Bruges is that it remains much as it was hundreds of years ago as a result of losing its economic primacy to Antwerp in the 15th Century when its canals silted up. It is the only place I know where you can point your camera in any direction and be certain of having a beautiful photo! These buildings, photographed in 1997, are among the most interesting and attractive of many in the town that date from the medieval period.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - LIEGE, BELGIUM

In 2008, my cousins who live near Liege took us here. The crosses are to commemorate members of the Belgian resistance who were killed in Word War Two. The lateness of the day with night approaching made for a very sombre occasion. Each cross bore the name of a person who had been put to death here during the German occupation. Five of these had on them my family name, Darimont. We also saw the brick wall where members of the resistance were shot. Seeing such things brings home the reality of these events as nothing else can.

LIFE OF MY FATHER - 8

GRANDPARENTS

When he emigrated to Canada, my grandfather was receiving a pension from the Belgian army after having had a medical discharge due to sunstroke. As a result, upon the outbreak of World War I, he was required to return to Belgium and rejoin the army. I have often wondered about what happened to him in that war, especially after reading about the horrors of trench warfare and the high rate of casualty.



















Recently, I discovered that my aunt Jacqueline, his daughter, believed that he was in the Intelligence Service. Whatever his role, one certainty is that he had to leave his wife and three children - John, Jacqueline and Jeanne - alone for the duration. My grandmother and the children lived at St. Albert near Edmonton until his return.

My mother found my grandfather a very stern person - "a true Victorian". She had nothing but praise for my grandmother who she said was very warm and loving. My grandmother had an excellent singing voice and often sang arias from the operas to the children.

The first photo is of my grandmother, Therese, as a young woman; the second is of my grandparents when young; and the third shows my grandmother, Therese, with her firstborn, Jean, who died in infancy.

LIFE OF MY FATHER - 7

MY GRANDPARENTS, ALBERT AND THERESE DARIMONT

I wish I had known my grandparents. Albert died before I was born and I met Therese only once when I was a child. There are so many questions I would ask them, if I could!

There is one conversation with my father that I remember very clearly. I asked him about his father's experiences as a soldier and how he became a Lieutenant. (I had been reading a history book that spoke about the negative influence of class privilege in the British army in the early 20th Century. I wondered if it was similar in Belgium.) My Dad said, "No, he joined up as a private."

I replied,"Well, wasn't that a bit unusual for someone from an upper middle class background?"

At that point, he revealed something that to me was quite extraordinary. He told me that his grandfather, Jean Gaspard III, had had a mistress in Brussels - their home was in Jalhay - and had refused to educate his four children because they were in sympathy with their mother over the matter. Thus, my grandfather's need to enlist as a private.

Both photos are of my grandfather: in the first he is holding his infant niece Emilie in 1901; in the second he is a young boy. My grandfather was born in 1875, his wife Therese in 1883.

LIFE OF MY FATHER - 4

HOMESTEADING IN FORT SASKATCHEWAN

My grandfather, Albert Darimont, had served with the Belgian army in the Congo for two years when, in 1905, he was invalided home with sun stroke after spending too long in the sun at the funeral of a friend who died of snakebite. The funeral had to be held immediately because of the intense heat.

He visited the family in Fort Saskatchewan and, according to his daughter Jacqueline, fell in love with Canada, the prairies and farming. He returned to Belgium, married Therese Gustenhoven in 1909, and then joined the family at Fort Saskatchewan. The first and third photos are of my grandfather in his army uniform; the middle photo shows the family's home in Fort Saskatchewan in 1911.

LIFE OF MY FATHER, JOHN DARIMONT - 2

ROOTS

The Darimont family had its origins in Wallonia, in the eastern part of French-speaking Belgium at Arimont near Malmedy. The first written mention of the family that we know of is recorded at Stavelot Abbey where records show Arimont as one of the Abbey's possessions in the late 12th Century. By the 14th Century, the family had moved north to Jalhay. The family name was originally Arimont (possibly meaning arid mountain), then d'Arimont and, finally, Darimont. The photo shows the family coat of arms.

LIFE OF MY FATHER, JOHN DARIMONT - 1

WHY A LIFE OF MY FATHER?

It would never have occurred to me to write the life of my father if someone had not suggested I do it. My father was not an exceptional man, at least not by ordinary standards. He didn't have a wonderful career, he was not exceptionally good-looking or charismatic, he didn't have a whole lot of friends, and he didn't excel in sports - or in anything, really. He was quite shy and not interested in status symbols. In fact, as a child I sometimes regretted his refusal to play golf, buy a cottage, or join the Rotary Club, things often bragged about by my friends in connection with their fathers. My Dad was content to work on jigsaw puzzles or his stamp collection while listening to Kirsten Flagstad sing Bach, and to go on long-distance bike trips.

It was a trip to visit cousins in Belgium in the summer of 2008 that prompted me to begin this life story. For four days, my cousins took my husband, Paul, and I sight-seeing, ending the day at Jean's home for a fabulous meal, lots of wine and good conversation. On the last night, he asked me about my father. After half an hour or so, when I became aware that perhaps I was becoming a bit of a bore, my cousin suggested that I really ought to write up what I'd been relating.

Jean's interest stemmed at least in part from his extensive genealogical research on the Darimont family and thus his interest in all of its members. For me, there is easily enough of interest in my father's life to justify the time I will devote to recording it. My hope is that members of my family who knew him may be interested. And if others who did not know him come here and read, I hope I will be able to portray his life in a way that will make my father a real person for them.

I shall post something here every day or so. My intention is to make the text as brief as possible, to use lots of photos, and to continue for as long as it takes. The photo above is of my father and me taken at my house when we were celebrating his 60th birthday in 1972.