At daybreak on April 9, 1917 all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fighting together for the first time stormed the Ridge which the Germans had held since 1914 and because of its strategic position had fought hard to keep it.
They were commanded by General Currie from British Columbia who had initiated a new plan of attack. He had drawn up the plan, showed it to his men and they had practised over and over all the scenarios for the attack. This type of preparation had never been done before and his British superiors were not impressed with it. However he prevailed and because of the extensive preparations was able to take the Ridge.
One of his strategies was to build elaborate tunnels from the front lines into Vimy Ridge. Huge underground storage spaces were made and long " subways" were dug to bring in supplies without the knowledge of the Germans. We were able to go into one of these before we visited the monument.
Descending into the tunnel
Where the runners slept
Being a runner was a prestigious job since it took you out of the trenches and into the relative safety of the tunnels. It also gave you the freedom to move around the area as you carried messages from camp to camp. However it was a very dangerous job as the average lifespan of a soldier once he became a runner was one week!
There were also the series of trenches that were used to move through No Mans Land...
How they look today...
How they looked then, a horrible place full of mud, water, lice and disease.
This area during the war was full of trenches since each side dug in to protect themselves. The sides were often only a few feet apart and the area in between the trenches was called No Mans Land. Once the men left the trenches many of them were killed as they tried to overtake the other side. This was truly the time of trench warfare.
The battle of Vimy Ridge was called a success but the victory came at a high cost. The Canadians suffered over 11,000 casualties and nearly 3,600 died.
However, in the wake of Vimy, Canadians became well known for their offensive skills and the momentum from this battle carried the Canadian Corps successfully to the end of the war. In the last 100 days of the war Canada earned its place as a signatory on the Treaty of Versailles, the agreement that officially ended the war.
Vimy Ridge is the largest monument in this area and the most imposing, standing on top of Hill 145 surrounded by large open fields. This point is the highest point of the 14 kilometre long Vimy Ridge. As we walked up to the monument we were awestruck with the beauty of the place.
The monument was designed by Canadian sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward and took 11 years to build. It contains almost 6000 tonnes of limestone from a quarry in Croatia.
A cloaked figure stands on the front of the monument overlooking the Duval Plain. This sorrowing woman represents Canada, a young nation mourning her dead.she is often called Mother Canada by the local residents.
There are other figures as well around the monument all beautifully sculpted...
The Male Mourner
The Female Mourner
Carved on the walls of the monument are the names of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died in France and whose resting place was then unknown.
It is quite high from the memorial stone to the top of the towers.
Standing on the steps we could see the broad fields and rolling hills of Northern France where the Canadians fought and died. More than 7,000 are buried in 30 war cemeteries within a 20 mile radius of the Vimy Memorial. Altogether more than 66,000 Canadian service personnel died in the First World War.
Us,so glad that we came to this place.
Poppy on the grass.
Location:Iper Belgium
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