The Cross of Lorraine
It was built by E.L. Ruddy Co. and erected in November 1953 at a cost of $2,670. It was placed on the edge of the escarpment so that it would be visible from most of the city and across the bay. Its purpose was to publicise the constant threat of TB, to keep people alert to its dangers and to bring hope to those already afflicted.
The Cross of Lorraine is the emblem of the Dukes of Lorraine in France. It was carried by Godfrey de Bouillon as leader of the first Crusade. It was his standard when he was chosen Ruler of Jerusalem in 1099. It was chosen by the Free French as their emblem during World War Two.
The double barrelled cross was also the emblem of the eastern branch of the Christian church. It is still the emblem of the Greek or Orthodox Catholic church. The same cross is also known as the archiepiscopal cross because it is part of the heraldic arms of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
Because of all these associations, the double barrelled cross is regarded as a symbol of hope and humanity.
At the International Conference on Tuberculosis which met in Berlin in 1902, a Parisian doctor named Dr. Gilbert Sersiron suggested that this ancient cross be made the distinctive emblem of the war against tuberculosis. It was adopted. In 1912, after considering the history and artistic merit of many designs, a committee of the National Tuberculosis of the United States chose the cross with the equal cross arms with the ends pointed rather than squared. In 1920 the Association registered trademark on this symbol in ensure its use would never be sullied.
I now remember seeing the ‘Cross of Lorraine’ shining on the mountain from the time I was a young child. I was born in 1947. I was never told the name of it, why it was put there nor where it was exactly. (I am happy to hear the name as my mother’s name was Lorraine & a finer person you could never find).
I loved to see that cross shining. I am happy to learn it was a symbol for TB. I do remember we were all fighting for TB back then, but I do not remember hearing what TB is.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT…IS IT STILL STANDING…IF SO, WHERE CAN I FIND IT. WHY DOES IT NOT SHINE ANY MORE….IT COULD BE A SHINING LAMP FOR MANY THINGS…LIKE THE UNITY OF ALL.
I learned a bit about TB when I moved to the Arctic, to Baker Lake, Nunavut in the late 60′s. I did not learn until I went back to Baker in 2006 that there was a clinic in Hamilton from the 1950′s and was told by many that some of their relatives were sent there & never returned & never heard from again.
I was reading a web site about Chedoke hospital as I am trying to find out as much as I can about the Inuit who were brought to Hamilton for healing of TB in the 1950′s