Vimy Ridge Canada becomes a Nation

When war broke out in Europe in August 1914, Canada was a nation of fewer than seven million people. Because of her historical connection with Britain, when England declared war, Canada was automatically at war as well. At the time, Canada's military forces were very small and poorly equipped; the regular army was only 3,100 strong, and the part-time Militia was larger but was almost completely untrained. Despite this, the nation enthusiastically supported the "mother country", and within two months of the start of the war the First Canadian Division was on its way to fight in Europe.

During this period, the war in the west raged across Belgium and France, but the French and British succeeded in turning back the German advance. Both sides turned to trench warfare to increase the chances of survival for their troops. At this point the German Army took control of one of the few dominant features in the relatively flat area of northern France – an important hill called Vimy Ridge. It stood 61 metres above the plain, and from its heights the Germans dominated the area for many kilometres around and threatened French and British control of the entire region almost as far as the English Channel. The good guys needed to take this hill from the Germans.

Throughout 1915 and 1916, first the French troops and then the British troops tried to capture the Ridge. In 1915 the French almost succeeded, but were thrown back by the Germans with terrible losses. The British tried next, and in many places exploded huge mines under the German lines to clear the way for their troops, but they too did not succeed. The Germans held firm to the hill. After the British failed, the Germans built even stronger defences on the hill. It seemed that nothing could stop the Germans on Vimy Ridge.

While this was going on, the Canadian troops were learning important lessons as soldiers in their own battles. In each battle, they gained experience, confidence and a reputation as fierce and reliable soldiers. They were inexperienced, but they fought with bravery and loyalty. In many battles, more experienced soldiers from other countries ran off during the battle while the Canadian troops stayed and fought. One famous example was at the battle of Ypres. The Germans used poisonous chlorine gas for the first time. When the gas slowly drifted towards the good guys, many French and British soldiers turned and ran away. The Canadians stood firm – every one of them! They even spaced themselves out to cover the areas the other soldiers had run away from! The Canadians suffered greatly in this gas attack. When the Germans marched forward behind the gas, they were surprised to find the Canadians still in position, waiting for them!

After leaving the Battle of the Somme, the Canadians took over the front line at Vimy Ridge and started to prepare for a major assault scheduled for the next spring. But the Canadians knew that the French and the British had both tried to take the hill with heavy casualties. They would have to do things differently. And they did… First, the Canadian military leaders build a scale model of the hill and planned their assault. They marked areas on the model with tape representing where soldiers would march. Throughout the winter, the Canadians studied the hill and outlined major ways to ensure their success. How did they do that?

First, they dug tunnels under the hill and under No Mans Land that went very close to the German trenches. This allowed Canadian soldiers to get to the main fighting area safely avoiding the dangerous No Mans Land. Next, the Canadians built railway tracks right up to No Mans land. This allowed supplies to easily get to the front. The last thing they did to prepare for their attack was to bomb the Germans. On March 20 th, 1917, the Canadians began days of heavy long – range bombing. On April 2 nd, the Canadians increased their bombing. Today, German history calls this week ‘The week of suffering’. On Easter Monday, April 9 th, the Canadians attacked Vimy Ridge.

The Canadians used a new and very dangerous method of attacking called a Creeping Barrage. In this method, Canadian cannons bombed a German area as the Canadian troops walked just behind where the bombs were landing. As the bombs landed further and further ahead, the soldiers advanced just behind where the bombs landed. The advance was slow and dangerous. If the soldiers moved too quickly, they may be bombed by their own cannons. If they were too slow, their element of surprise on the enemy would be lost. But it worked! Bombed German soldiers were use to having 20 to 30 minutes after being bombed before the enemy attacked. Now, only minutes after bombing, Canadian soldiers were there to finish them off.

The creeping barrage Soldiers were slowly walking just behind the place where bombs were being exploded. It required great faith and trust in the men who were taking aim!

The Canadians swept up and over the ridge. By mid-afternoon, the Germans remained on only two features, known as Hill 145 and The Pimple. These were taken by the Canadians in hard fighting over the next few days. The Canadians had achieved a victory in a few days which neither the British nor the French had managed to do in years of trying. Vimy Ridge remained firmly in the possession of the Allies for the rest of the war. The Canadians went on to other battles and victories such as Amiens and Canal du Nord, but it was Vimy Ridge that cemented their reputation as outstanding soldiers.

It also was a turning point in their self- image. Many Canadians had joined up to help England, ‘the mother country’. But as the war went on, they became more and more conscious of being Canadian. This new Canadian identity took hold at Vimy Ridge. Brigadier-General Alexander Ross was a battalion commander at Vimy, and later recounted his feelings as he watched the Canadian troops advance that morning: "It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought then...that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation." But Vimy Ridge had not been gained without a terrible cost. Almost 3,600 Canadians were killed and more than 7,000 more wounded. As well, the fighting in the area during the months before and after added many more to the casualty lists. Cemeteries behind the lines grew larger as the Canadians buried their dead.

When the war ended, Canada's position in the world had changed. It was now more than just an unimportant nation- It was one of the major contributors to the victory. When the peace talks were held at Versailles in 1919, Canada had its own representative. When the League of Nations was formed shortly after, Canada had its own seat. In Canada after the war, the impact of Vimy Ridge did not decline. It became the symbol of Canadian ability on the battlefield and of Canada's contribution to the allied cause. Canada had come of age. In the 1920s, when it was decided to build a major memorial in France to mark Canada's sacrifice in the First World War, there was no question as to where it should be. A magnificent memorial was built in the Canadian park on Hill 145, the highest point on Vimy Ridge.

On the Memorial's walls are the names of more than 11,000 Canadians who died in France during the First World War and have no known grave. In 1922, France officially gave the land around Vimy Ridge to Canada. Today, this 91 hectares officially belongs to Canada and is considered Canadian soil.