It was 96 years ago today when the Battle of Vimy Ridge began in northern France during the First World War.
Four Canadian divisions of the Canadian Corps began the attack on the German-controlled ridge in the early morning of Easter Monday in 1917. The Germans had held the ridge since 1914. It was a key point of defence for the Germans. It was guarded with bunkers, caves, trenches and heavy machine guns and was also used by the Germans to attack the Allied-controlled town of Arras. Previous attempts by the French to regain control of the ridge resulted in about 150,000 casualties. But the Canadians executed a near-perfect battle plan that regained control of Vimy Ridge.
Over 30,000 Canadian troops fought during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Each soldier carried 32 kilograms of equipment with them across a muddy battlefield among sleet and snow. After three days of heavy combat, 3,598 Canadians were dead out of 10,602 casualties. But the success of the Canadians at Vimy Ridge was a major turning point for the Allies. The First World War was over about a year and a half later.
Canada earned itself increased international stature because of its contributions in the First World War. Canada also earned itself a separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles, the treaty that ended the First World War, largely because of its role at Vimy Ridge. Canada's triumph is said to have helped establish a new, stronger sense of Canadian identity.
In 2003, the Canadian government declared April 9 as Vimy Ridge Day. It is a day to honour and remember Canadians who fought at Vimy Ridge. A small ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Royal Canadian Legion in Innisfail this evening.
Most people have no idea what kind of courage it takes to take part in armed combat. A lot of what we know comes from television, movies and video games. For a lot of us the biggest battles we have to deal with are managing our bank books, facing the in-laws over the holidays or fighting traffic on the way to work in the morning.
As Canadians, we enjoy many freedoms and privileges. It's often easy to take these for granted. But we must remember that many of these freedoms and privileges come because of the sacrifices made by those in the Canadian military. Today, our hearts should be with those who fought at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Canadians defended the values of freedom and democracy at Vimy Ridge. Today, we pay tribute to those who fought at Vimy Ridge, those who helped form our great history and we honour those who continue to fight for our freedoms today.
