Canada And The Battle Of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917, 1992 PDF
Preview Canada And The Battle Of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917, 1992
BRERETON GREENHOUS STEPHEN J. HARRIS JEAN MARTIN Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 2 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 1 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 3 BRERETON GREENHOUS STEPHEN J. HARRIS JEAN MARTIN Canada and the BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE 9-12 April 1917 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 4 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Greenhous,Brereton,1929- Stephen J.Harris,1948- Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge,9-12 April 1917 Issued also in French under title: Le Canada et la Bataille de Vimy 9-12 avril 1917. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-660-16883-9 DSS cat.no.D2-90/1992E-1 2nded.2007 1.Vimy Ridge,Battle of,1917.2.World War,1914-1918 — Campaigns — France. 3.Canada.Canadian Army — History — World War,1914-1918.4.World War,1914-1918 — Canada.I.Harris,Stephen John.II.Canada.Dept.of National Defence.Directorate of History.III.Title.IV.Title:Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge,9-12 April 1917. D545.V5G73 1997 940.4’31 C97-980068-4 Cet ouvrage a été publié simultanément en français sous le titre de : Le Canada et la Bataille de Vimy,9-12 avril 1917 ISBN 0-660-93654-2 Project Coordinator:Serge Bernier Reproduced by Directorate of History and Heritage,National Defence Headquarters Jacket:Drawing by Stéphane Geoffrion from a painting by Kenneth Forbes,1892-1980 Canadian Artillery in Action Original Design and Production Art Global 384 Laurier Ave.West Montréal,Québec Canada H2V 2K7 Printed and bound in Canada All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,or otherwise,without written permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (1995) Catalogue No.D2-90/1992E-1 2nded.2007 ISBN 0-660-16883-9 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors have a number of people to thank.At the National Archives of Canada, Barbara Wilson helped with official records and Tim Dubé made certain that we were aware of all relevant manuscript collections, while Joan Schwartz, Andrew Rodger, Peter Robertson, and particularly Les Mobbs, assisted with the selection and reproduction of photographs. We would also like to thank our colleagues at the Directorate of History who read, and commented upon, our initial drafts, and the Directorate cartographer, William Constable, for his painstaking work in revising and preparing the ancient negatives of maps from G.W.L.Nicholson’s official history of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War. Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 6 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 7 ‘A nation is a body of people who have done great things together in the past and who expect to do great things together in the future.’ F.H.Underhill The Image of Confederation (1964) Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 8 Bataille de Vimy-E.qxp 1/2/07 11:37 AM Page 9 Ninety years ago, Canadians defined who they were based on their region, province, culture and ethnic communities.Our national identity was little more than a vague notion.At that time, when Canada was still carving out its place on the world stage, our country was called to fight alongside the Allies during the First World War.History would remember the victories and courage of our soldiers, but if there was one battle that would forge our national identity, it was the Battle of Vimy Ridge. On Easter Monday 1917, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps lined up together and seized a commanding German position that had proven to be too much for the French and British.But victory had not come lightly: 3 500 Canadian soldiers fell during that mission.The account later told by the survivors was moving.They spoke of the horror, of course, but also of the feeling that they had achieved something of great importance.Standing atop Vimy Ridge, looking down in victory over the Douai Plain, they knew that they were forever bound to one another.When that terrible war ended, each would return to their homes with a new awareness and a desire to call themselves, more proudly than ever, Canadians. On the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, we honour those men who fought so courageously for their country in the name of freedom and justice. Michaëlle Jean November 2006
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