This year marks the 100th
anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Early on a miserable, cold and
sleeting Easter Monday a century ago, all four divisions of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force, 100,000 strong, went into battle for the first time all together.
In the stagnant, entrenched warfare of the time, Vimy Ridge was a
well-fortified German stronghold. Over 100,000 French soldiers had already
given their lives trying to take the scarred crease of land seven kilometres long
and 60 meters high in northern France.
The well-organized Canadians conquered the Ridge in days, but at staggering costs. There
were over 10,000 Canadian casualties, including 3,600 killed in less
than four days. After years of losses, the
victory was hailed across Allied Europe and in newspapers all over Canada. Many
later declared that the ‘Canadian nation was born at Vimy Ridge’ as it signalled
to Great Britain and to our young nation that we could stand on our own as an
autonomous country. Others accurately point out that Canada was involved in
more significant battles as WWI raged on for another year and a half, and that
the victory at Vimy Ridge encouraged Prime Minister Borden to send even
more young Canadians into the fray with the introduction of the very divisive
policy of conscription.
The often harshly illuminating
light of time shows us that millions of young men from both sides were “sent
over the top” in this ‘war to end all wars’, knowingly sacrificed by commanders
who believed gaining a few hundred meters of bloodied ground was worth the loss. This
included men obliterated by artillery, men who froze to death, men who drowned
in trenches and men killed by poison gas. As Peter Mansbridge so poignantly
wrote, there is no glory there.
Today, a majestic monument rises
up from the fields at Vimy Ridge. It is not so much a shrine to war as it is to
sadness and mourning. The central figure among the twenty carved into the
concrete is called “Canada Bereft” and the messages of grief and sorrow
expressed in all of the figures are clear and profound. The two soaring figures
atop the spectacular towers represent justice and peace, and watch over the
names of 11,285 Canadians who died in France during the war, but were never
found.
 |
| The Vimy Ridge Monument |
 |
| Canada Bereft |
When I reflect on the Great War,
I am deeply humbled by the incredible sacrifice made so willingly by millions
of families, and young men. It remains
unfathomable that over 60,000 Canadians were killed and more than
170,000 were wounded. This list includes
my grandfather William B. Allison. A man
I never met, William was wounded twice in WW I and it fascinates me that in all the chaos, he
kept a small, leather bound journal. In neat
cursive, his entry for April 9, 1917 says, “Canadians over top - 5:30am – a drizzling
rain – Vimy Ridge (stand too).”
I know I would be scared out of
my mind if I was in a cold, muddy trench, preparing to go over the top to face
a formidable and deadly foe; indeed, I am not sure I could do it. I hold
the sacrifices of my grandfather’s generation (and Canadian troops who have followed) in the highest regard and fully appreciate the significance of their contributions to freedom, and to the
identity of Canada. Indeed, it makes the challenges I face and the things I worry
about seem insignificant. I also like to
believe William would be pleased to know that a son of his son thinks of him, and that he finds it worthwhile to write down his thoughts from time to time.
Lest We Forget
To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.
