Vimy
Ridge
Today
In
1922, a portion of Vimy Ridge
was given to the Canadian
people in recognition of their sacrifice.
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial was dedicated and unveiled
on July
26, 1936, by Kind Edward VIII. During the Great Depression, over 6,400
Canadians managed to pay their way to Europe
in order to be present for this unveiling.
This is Canada’s
most impressive overseas tribute to the Canadian soldiers of WWI and
was
designed by Walter Allward. Click here
to hear the CBC Radio Archives of King Edward VIII dedicating the
monument.
Vimy Memorial in France
Image Courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada, 2005.
The sign "Silence Et Respect" stands at
the entrance to the Vimy Memorial
Image Courtesy of Veterans
Affairs Canada, 2005.
At
the base of the memorial, the
following words are
inscribed in both English and French:
To
the valour of their
Countrymen
in the Great War
And
in memory of their sixty
Thousand
dead this monument
Is
raised by the people of Canada
Also
inscribed on the memorial are the names of the 11,285
Canadians who were reported as “missing, presumed dead” (39).
The
trees and shrubbery around
the memorial were planted to
resemble those in Canada.
The trenches and “subways” have
been restored and are open
to visitors.
To
learn more about the 85th Aniversary of Vimy Ridge in 2005, click
here
Read about one
Canadian's journey back to Vimy Ridge
Vimy Ridge
Memorial in France
designed by Canadian sculptor Walter Allward
Image
Courtesy of Veterans Affairs
Canada, 2005.
