The Sound of the Somme, a short film about Chilliwack war hero Piper James C. Richardson, is the subject of a renewed fundraising effort to get it wrapped by the deadline of Nov. 12.
The biopic, Sound of the Somme, is being filmed in Belgium, based on the true story of private James Cleland Richardson, a 20-year-old bagpiper in the 16th Canadian Scottish Battalion.
Richardson was killed Oct. 8 on the blood-soaked battlefield in 1916, earning the only Victoria Cross ever awarded posthumously to a piper for "conspicuous bravery." When he put his pipes down in no-man's-land it was to escort a sergeant to safety and the piper was never seen again, although his pipes were recovered from the battlefield.
He'd been assigned to stay behind the lines as a stretcher bearer, but Piper Richardson had been determined to boost morale in the heat of the battle. His resolve led him to defy orders, risking his life to bring a glimmer of hope to the soldiers by playing his pipes.
Piper Richardson was cited in the official medal citation documents for his brave decision to "play his company over the top" where they rushed the barbed wire with "such fury and determination" that battle positions were captured from the Germans.
This heroism earned the piper the Victoria Cross, the highest honour within the British Commonwealth.
Richardson's family lived in Chilliwack when he went overseas at the start of the war, and some of his kin still resided in the community when in 2016, Chilliwack Museum and Archives hosted a commemorative event on Oct. 8 to mark the 100 years that passed since the piper fell in the Battle of Somme.
The film was to resume shooting in Zonnebeke, Belgium, in late October, according to the info from film producer/writer Alexander Menu, and director Michael Vermaercke.
"We already started building the battlefield and received construction material from several sponsors, but we need your support to complete the trenches!" Menu wrote in the Kickstarter post.
"In the past we had a successful Kickstarter campaign but unfortunately had to postpone the project for several years due to COVID.
"Many people who share the same passion for WWI and the bagpipes stayed interested in the project so earlier this year we announced the project is back on track with no way to return (just like it was for Piper Richardson in 1916)."
See more details about the online fundraiser with Kickstarter which has raised more than $7,389 of a $12,850 fundraising goal.
