Vimy Ridge 100 Years April 9-12, 1917 battle

The Canadian victory at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France during the First World War is widely considered a defining moment for Canada. Canadian soldiers captured most of the ridge from the Germans on day one of the attack. But, the victory came at a terrible cost.

Over four days of bloody fighting, the Canadian Corps suffered 10,602 casualties:


3,598 killed

7,004 wounded




Hundreds of boots worn by current members of Canadian Armed Forces placed on Vimy memorial symbolizes each soldier killed there 100 years ago. #VimyRidge #Vimy100


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The Ring of Remembrance in France, where 585,000 names of fallen soldiers are written

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RCMP‏Verified account @rcmpgrcpolice Apr 5

Paying respects to our fallen. #Vimy100 http://rcmp.ca/-dRu

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As part of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge this year, the RCMP is proud to send a ceremonial troop to participate in Veterans Affairs Canada's commemorative activities in France from April 5 to 9.
The RCMP troop consists of police officers representing every province and territory, many of whom have family connections to the Battle of Vimy Ridge and First World War.

Separate from the RCMP's official delegation, an RCMP pipe and drum band from Alberta will participate in commemorative activities at the Vimy monument and elsewhere in France.

The RCMP has a significant military history and connections. During the First World War, hundreds of members of the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP, the RCMP's precursor) took their discharge from the force to fight overseas as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, including at Vimy Ridge.

In total, 182 former RNWMP members are interred in cemeteries in France and Belgium. Of these, 30 are named on the Vimy Memorial, and 27 are named on the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium.

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Raised in early hours of Vimy battle, cross honouring Canadians returns to France

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Johanne Gagne from Veterans Affairs Canada helped bring the cross to Nine Elms Military Cemetery, seven kilometres south of Vimy, France, where the men named on it are buried — the first time the cross has been reunited with the men whose names it has carried for 100 years

Few memorials speak of monumental loss as eloquently as the limestone twin pillars at Vimy Ridge.
But at the newly opened visitor centre a short walk away, there now stands one other tribute to Canada's war dead that speaks more intimately of the pain.


Until last month, the wooden, 100-year old battlefield cross was hanging in a museum housed in the basement of a Toronto church. But the rare relic that is going on display in Vimy this weekend once stood for years at the heart of one of the world's most hideous conflicts.
And that made it all the more fitting to have it in Vimy in time for the 100th anniversary commemoration.

Since the First World War, it has also crossed the ocean twice. Its return to France now is both a homecoming and a reunion.
The Celtic-style cross was made and raised in the battlefield, shortly after the assault on Vimy Ridge started on April 9, 1917.

Etched on its surface are the names of 57 Canadian soldiers, most from the 15th Battalion, and most of whom were killed in the first hours of that assault.

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Battle of Vimy Ridge, Legion Magazine, Canada’s Ultimate Story and William Shatner tell the story of this important First World War battle.

Our victory at Vimy was a defining event for Canada. On the 100th anniversary, we revisit the Canadian triumph over the German army and explore why the battle has come to signify the birth of our nation.


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Prime Minister Trudeau poses for a photograph with his wife Sophie Gregoire, their son Xaviver, French President Francois Hollande, Governor General of Canada David Johnston, his wife Sharon (third right) and Princes Charles (center), William (second right) and Harry (right)

Trudeau was joined by Francois Hollande at a ceremony in the town of Arras before a visit to the Canadian WWI Cemetery in Vimy and a tour of the trenches with his wife Sophie Grégoire and their nine-year-old son Xavier.

Some of his remarks:

'On Easter Monday, April 1917, battling through snow, sleet, and constant machine gun fire, they broke through an impregnable fortress and achieved a historic victory. They succeeded where other armies had failed – but at a great cost. Nearly 3,600 Canadians lost their lives. Over 7,000 more were wounded.

'The Battle of Vimy Ridge remains one of the bloodiest battles in Canada’s history.

'Despite these losses, Canadian bravery and ingenuity won the day and led to one of the most decisive victories in the First World War. The innovative fighting techniques used so effectively by our soldiers at Vimy Ridge would contribute to the final Allied victory a year and a half later.


'Many of the soldiers wearing the Canadian uniform that day were immigrants to this country. People of many languages and backgrounds, representing every region in Canada, fought for the values we hold so dear: freedom, democracy, and peace.
In the words of one veteran: ‘We went up Vimy Ridge as Albertans and Nova Scotians. We came down as Canadians.’


'Today, as we gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, we remember the thousands of Canadians who gave their lives far from Canada’s shores. We pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of a pivotal battle that has left an indelible mark on our history.

Many more pics here

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Gun Emplacements, Farbus Wood, Vimy Ridge by Mary Riter Hamilton, 1919 (Library and Archives Canada

Some of the most expressive paintings of Vimy Ridge were produced by Canadian-born professional artist Mary Riter Hamilton. Although Hamilton was unsuccessful in her attempts to be appointed as an official war artist, she was commissioned by The War Amputations Club of British Columbia to provide images for The Gold Stripe, a veterans’ magazine. Hamilton was anxious to paint the sites where so many men died before any reconstructive efforts were undertaken, and left for Europe shortly after the war ended. She painted in Europe from 1919 until 1922 and produced over 300 works, including Gun Emplacements, Farbus Wood, Vimy Ridge and Petit Vimy and Vimy Village from the Lens – Arras Road. In both of these works, Hamilton’s spontaneous and loose handling of paint combined with a light palette demonstrate a sense of optimism despite the circumstances. Hamilton refused to sell her war paintings. Hoping that they would benefit the men who fought and their families, she exhibited them several times in fundraising exhibitions. In 1926 she donated 227 paintings, drawings and prints to the Public Archives of Canada (now Library and Archives Canada).

We celebrate past victories yet wars continue; where or when will the next decisive victory be? I'm not optimistic there will ever be another one for soldiers who continue to lose their lives today on obscure battlefields in the world. There will be no memorials on the sites where they died. So sad.