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Vimy Ridge

  • Thread starter Thread starter Beryl M
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Beryl M

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The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is one of Canada's most important overseas war memorials to those Canadians who gave their lives in the First World War. It was constructed as the national memorial for Canada's 60,000 war dead and is located in France, on the site of the Battle of Bimy Ridge

The towering 10-storey white limestone Vimy Memorial Monument near Arras, France, fell into disrepair as rain eroded the soft stone and winters cracked some of the building blocks. After three years of restoration work, which included dismantling and rebuilding much of the structure, the dedication of the restored monument takes place Monday, April 9.

Very early on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, the assault began. It was raining. It was freezing cold. And it began with a huge artillery barrage… 1917-style.

The fight to take Vimy Ridge cost Canada dearly, but it would become the cornerstone of the nation's image of its place in the world. In four days, 3,600 Canadian soldiers died, another 5,000 were wounded. But the ridge was taken, much of it in the first day.

Today, there's a large park at Vimy Ridge, dedicated to Canada. The striking memorial features a 30-tonne limestone figure carved from a single block, a hooded figure representing Canada herself, gazing down on a single tomb overlooking the Douai plain.

The twin stone pillars list the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died in France and whose remains were never found.

During the Second World War Hitler assigned special SS troops to guard Vimy Ridge -

Oddly enough the monument was Hitler’s favourite memorial from World War 1, no carved guns or helmeted soldiers it is a monument of peace not war – Vimy Ridge memorial still stands – saved by the infamous man Adolf Hitler
 
It is said that upon learning of the victory, a French soldier exclaimed, "C'est impossible!.", and upon learning it was the Canadians who had won it, replied "Ah! les Canadiens! C'est possible!."

I was at Vimy ridge with my brother Robert about 5 years ago, what drove it all home to me was the landscape...
If you threw a stone up in the air, no matter where it landed, there was a shell crater...how people survived there is beyond me.
We wandered the battlefield and after an hour of tears in your eyes walking we came to the Vimy Ridge memorial and from there we saw France laid out before us...so utterly sad...so utterly beautiful..I started with a quote when I decided to answer this..I'll end with that same quote, fitting words for magnificent heroes..

It is said that upon learning of the victory, a French soldier exclaimed, "C'est impossible!.", and upon learning it was the Canadians who had won it, replied "Ah! les Canadiens! C'est possible!."
 
Les what a beautiful sad account of your experience at Vimy Ridge you have written!

I did watch the very moving ceremony on T.V today! And even though I have never phsyically seen Walter Allwoods soaring monument -I was so overwhelmed I ended up in in tears!
 
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Birmingham's part in taking Vimy Ridge

Not many people know this, but during the taking of Vimy Ridge on Easter Monday, 9 April 1917, Birmingham men played a small part in the success.
Attached to the Canadian 2nd Division was one Brigade of British Infantry, i.e. the 13th Infantry Brigade from the British 5th Division. The 13th Brigade comprised of four infantry battalions. The 1st Royal West Kents and 2nd Kings Own Scottish Borderers were in the assault and successfully captured their objectives. Whilst the 15th Royal Warwicks (2nd Birmingham Battalion) were in support and helped consolidate captured German trenches. Meanwhile, the 14th Royal Warwicks (1st Birmingham Battalion) supplied carrying parties.

Terry
 
it was a visit to Vimy Ridge that led to my interest in the First World War,we had only stopped off because were to early to catch the ferry back home.The figure of the mother mourning her sons has the same effect every time I see it, deep deep sorrow and grief.
Maggie
 
I have never seen the monument. Like Beryl though I have seen TV programs and read about the exploits there. I feel a little distanced from the endeavors of WW1 Canadians, not being born here. Though the monument is dedicated probably to the dead in this and other battles of the first world war, it should be noted that this battle did more than any other to end a stalemate that consumed hundreds of thousands of lives. It was a turning point that started to roll back the enemy and though three and a half thousand men were lost here, the objective was gained and held by determined soldiers. In this battle the brilliant generalship of Canadian Arthur Currie played the key part in the victory. Surveying the battlefield himself, talking to the men in the trenches and listening to their advice, having models made to plan the attack and training the soildiers behind the lines on a full scale reconstruction of the battlefield must have made a difference in the outcome. Objectives were identified. Knowing where to run to avoid concentrations of enemy machine gun fire and towards possible weak points in the wire, advancing in groups rather than a broad line were all important factors. The artilllary fire was directed just ahead of the advancing troops and had to be co-ordinated and adjusted with great care. Currie it seems was not a carreer soldier; he learned on the job. A large man, who made the horse he sat on look small, he seemingly had an uncanny abillity in calculating the number of men that would die in attaining an objective and the balls to ask senior personnel the question "is this objective worth it". He was not a perfect person. He had flaws that would haunt the memory of him. Never the less, one has the impression that he had great ability in directing the Canadian forces. The results speak for themselves.
The men that were lost in this battle did not die in vain. The army did not advance to a point and then relinquish it in the counter attack; which was very much par for the course in preceeding battles. They stormed the ridge, cleared the enemy trenches and secured the objective for ever. When they looked out over the Valley beyond, they would have been watching the enemy retreat to reserve earthworks and Currie would have been planning a way forward from there. I am sure that this stunning victory did much to rally spirits for the Allies and in the aftermath, when the suns rays shined down on the valley below, the Canadian soldiers must have had a feeling of accomplishment. Possibly, for many, the first such feeling in the whole sorry mess.
The Canadian forces distinguished themselves in other actions in this war And you would have thought that their tallented leader Arthur Currie would have been a celebrated figure. Not so somehow. Mud slinging seemingly followed and that may be a topic for a further study.
I include a link below for those interested:

https://www.cfsj.forces.gc.ca/oic/e...Leadership_and_Ethics_Case_Study_Curry_en.pdf
 
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Did read your link about 'Arthur Currie' Rupert- What may have been lacking in his character - he more than made up for - by being among the most successful generals of the war - and he is still considered one of the finest commanders in Canadian Military history!

Under his capable leadership the Canadian Corps won a long series of battles, fighting as a unit for the first time in a major war. They soon earned a fierce reputation as some of the most effective troops on the on the Western Front!

It just goes to show - there is bad in the best of us and a lot of good in the worst of us yet!
 
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