Description du lieu patrimonial

The Trattle Memorial Maple Tree consists of one mature Broad Leaf Maple Tree located at the intersection of 96th Avenue and Trattle Street in Fort Langley. In front of the tree is a bronze memorial marker that lists the name of the soldier being commemorated and a small tribute.

Valeur patrimoniale

Planted in 1923, the Trattle Memorial Maple Tree is significant for its historic and social values, in particular for the man it memorializes and the world-shattering event it remembers.

Belonging to a well-known Langley family, Alfred Trattle was a former Canadian Pacific Railway worker and farmer who was killed at Vimy Ridge in 1917. He was one of 360 men from Langley who went overseas to fight in World War One and one of about 36 who died in the line of duty. The tree planted as a memorial to his death is located on a prominent road in Fort Langley. Its location and its size alone make it a landmark feature of Fort Langley, but its true value lies in its association with Mr. Trattle and the role the tree plays to remind people how a European war touched so many in the community of Langley.

Also associated with this tree are Dr. Benjamin Marr and Archie Payne, Langley residents who were members of the Langley Volunteers division, which fought in France during the war. These two men wanted to honour their fallen comrades by having broad leaf maple trees planted and named after the soldiers. They also arranged for the street names on which each Maple stood to be changed to the last name of the soldier being memorialized at that site. This tree is one of only four WWI memorial maple trees that have survived in the Township and represents the residents' pride in their community and their civic-mindedness in honouring those who fought and died in World War One.

The Maple Tree family is highly significant for its representational and memorial symbolism. Not only are Broadleaf Maples the largest growing maple tree native to BC (reaching up to 36 metres), they are also the symbol of Canada and an early expression of Canada's nationhood. The maple leaf was the first military insignia for Canada, so it is appropriate that a maple tree was chosen to memorialize fallen Canadian soldiers.

The listing of this tree on Langley's Heritage Register demonstrates the commitment of the Township of Langley and its citizens to recognizing and preserving its natural heritage.

Source: Langley Centennial Museum, heritage files

Éléments caractéristiques

The character-defining elements of the Trattle Memorial Maple Tree include:
- The strong cultural associations that the community has for this tree, in particular the memorializing of Alfred Trattle and of the First World War, as indicated on the plaque at its base
- The siting and relationship of the tree to the intersection of Trattle Street and 96th Avenue, which is an important access road to Fort Langley
- Its species (Broad Leaf Maple Tree – Acer macrophyllum)
- The deciduous aspect of this tree, which results in the seasonal changes of its colour and canopy