Vimy Ridge

In Northern France there is a beautiful park, very popular with joggers and cyclists, that is land granted to Canada in perpetuity.  On the land is an enormous monument – a memorial to the lives lost by so many young Canadians in the defense of France during the First World War.  The monument is located on Vimy Ridge, which was a strategic location for the German military, and which the French had tried to retake twice and failed.  On Easter Monday, 1917, all four divisions of the Canadian Army, working together for the first time ever, advanced on the ridge methodically and with the support of a “creeping barrage” of artillery.  Within a day, most of the objective was met, and within a few days, Vimy Ridge was liberated for the French by their Canadian allies.  Over 3500 young Canadian men lay dead in the fields, and many more young German men.  This battle was a defining moment in our young country’s history.  In April, 2017, there will be a massive memorial service at Vimy Ridge –  I'll be there with kids from our school, and of course with the Prime Minister of Canada, the Queen of England, and the President of France.  

Off the bus

Behind the monument

The woman in morning, symbolizing Canada, faces to the East.

Cole checks one of the names on the monument.

There are over 11 000 names carved on the monument - each representing a life lost, a soldier whose remains were never identified.

The wreath was left by students from a school in Toronto.  We always see fellow Canadians at Vimy Ridge.

The flags had just been raised.

Rens greets us warmly all the time.