Commemoration

The Supreme Sacrifice

Title: Canadian War Memorial. Location: Ottawa, Canada. Order No.: A1-1198.

Canadian National War Memorial, Ottawa

The Great Response of Canada

In 1926, British sculpor Vernon March won the competition for Canada's First World War memorial in Ottawa. The sculpture to commemorate "The Response." of Canadians in the First World War, has, over the years, come to symbolize the sacrifice of all Canadians who have served Canada in time of war in the cause of peace and freedom. The dates 1939-1945 and 1950-1953 have been added in bronze numerals on each side of the memorial.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the base of the war memorial in May 2000.

Rising 21 metres from its base, the memorial consists of twenty-two larger-than-life bronze figures, including infantrymen, an airman, sailors, gunners, cavalrymen, a nursing sister and others advancing through an arch of granite bearing the allegorical figures of Peace and Freedom.

The allegorical figures of peace and freedom at the top to the monument are 5.33 metres in height. The figures are one-third greater than life size, each standing about 2.44 metres tall. In the faces of the marching figures there is character and purpose, sincerity and good intent. The figures are not shown in fighting attitudes, but rather express movement and the enthusiasm and eagerness of the people.

King George V1 unveiled the National War Monument in May 1939, just over three months before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Title: Uniformed Figures, Canadian War Memorial. Order No.: A1-0184 Country: Ottawa, Canada

Title: War Memorial at night. Order No.: A1-9716. Location: Ottawa

Atlantic Charter Plaque Dedication Held at Toronto City Hall, Churchill Square in the presence of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Her Honour, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, August 14, 2017

Atlantic Charter Plaque Dedication, Toronto City Hall, Churchill Square, August 14, 2017.

Atlantic Charter Dedication Plaque, Churchill Square

THE ATLANTIC CHARTER

The President of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, representing HIS MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT IN THE UNTED KINGDOM, being met together, deem it right to make known certain common principles in the national policies of the respective countries on which they base their hopes for a better future for the world.

1. Their countries seek no aggrandizement, territorial or other;

2. They deserve to see no territorial changes that do not accord with the freely expressed wishes of the peoples concerned;

3. They represent the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live; and they wish to see sovereign rights and self government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them;

4. They will endeavour, with due respect for their existing obligations, to further the enjoyment by all States, great or small, victor or vanquished, of access, on equal terms, to the trade and to the raw materials of the world which ae needed for their economic prosperity;

5. They desire to bring about the fullest collaboration between all nations in the economic field with the object of securing, for all, improved labor standards, economic advancement and social security in safety within their own boundaries, and which will afford assurance that all the men in all the lands may live out their lives in freedom from fear and want;

7. Such a peace should enable all men to traverse the high seas and oceans without hindrance;

8. They believe that all of the nations of the world, for realistic as well as spiritual reasons must come to the abandonment of these of force. Since no future peace can be maintained if land, sea or air armaments continue to be employed by nations which threaten, or may threaten, aggression outside of their frontiers, they believe, pending the establishment of a wider and permanent system of general security, that the disarmament of such nations is essential. They will likewise aid and encourage all other practicable measures which will lighten for peace-loving peoples the crushing burden of armaments.

August 14, 1941 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT - WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

Sir Winston Churchill on Canada

Prepared by the International Churchill Society Canada.

Title: Original WW 1 Flag of Newfoundland. Order No.: A1-1999. Location: Botswood Seaplane Museum, Newfoundland.

Canada Remembers the 101st Anniversary of the Battles of Beaumont-Hamel and the Somme

Commemorative Ceremony, National War Memorial, Ottawa
Saturday, July 1st, 2017 - 08:00 hrs

The Great War 1914 - 1918

Of the 650.000 Canadians that served on the battlefront in The Great War, 60,000 never came home and nearly 200,000 were wounded.

Prime Minister to travel to France for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
March 24, 2017
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced today that he will travel to France from April 8 to 10, 2017, to attend commemorations for the 100thanniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He will join His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, as well as Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, and General Jonathan Vance, Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Quotes
“The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a turning point in the First World War and for Canada, when Canadians acted – and fought – as one. At Vimy Ridge, we will mark this great victory, and pay tribute to every Canadian who answered the call to serve. Canada enjoys peace and freedom today because of their sacrifices, for which we are forever grateful.”
— Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“The victory at Vimy Ridge was made possible through the combined efforts of Canada and its allies. It is fitting 100 years later to walk side-by-side with our allies to reflect on our victory, commemorate this milestone, and renew friendships as we continue to work together to defend freedom and democracy around the world.”
— Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Quick Facts

More than 650,000 Canadians served in the First World War, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.
The Canadian assault on the German positions at Vimy Ridge began on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge lasted four days, ending with an impressive Canadian victory. This was the first action in which all four divisions of the Canadian Corps – representing every region of our country – fought together side-by-side on the same battlefield.
Of the more than 10,600 Canadian casualties at Vimy Ridge, some 3,600 soldiers lost their lives.
Four Victoria Crosses were awarded to Canadian soldiers for their bravery at Vimy Ridge.
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial was designed by Canadian sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward. It was unveiled on July 26, 1936, by King Edward VIII. Inscribed on the base of the memorial are the names of 11,285 Canadians who lost their lives in France during the First World War and then had no known graves.
Canadians are encouraged to follow the commemorations via social media by using #Vimy100.

Associated Links

The Canadian Corps at the Battle of Vimy Ridge Click map and images to enlarge

Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917. Source: Canadian War Museum.

Vimy Ridge Memorial, Northern France

Canadians wanted to honour the sacrifices of the Great War and in 1919 the Memorials Committee in Canada was created to decide on where Canada would commemorate her victories and honour the fallen. The report to the Canadian Parliament selected eight sites and a competition for Canadian architects and sculptors was held. Finally, it was decided one distinctive memorial should be built to mark Canada's greatest victory.

Canadian Monument sculptor and architect
The monument was designed by Canadian monument sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward (1875-1955). When asked about the design, Allward said he took if from a dream, his vision of the two pylons, one for Canada and the other for France, acting as a heavenly gate.

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial stands on Hill 145 on Vimy Ridge near Arras, France and is Canada's largest and principal overseas war memorial. It was unveiled in 1936 by King Edward V111, in the presence of President Albert Lebrun of France.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917 (being part of the larger offensive of the Battle of Arras in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region) has considerable significance for Canada. It was the first instance in which all four divisions of the Canadian Corps, made up of troops drawn from all parts of the country, fought as a cohesive formation against three divisions of the German Sixth Army.

The battle was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary attack for the French Nivelle Offensive. The objective of the Canadian Corps was to take control of the German-held high ground along an escarpment at the northernmost end of the Arras Offensive. This would ensure that the southern flank could advance without suffering German enfilade fire.

Supported by a creeping barrage, the Canadian Corps captured most of the ridge during the first day of the attack.. The town of Thelus fell during the second day of the attack, as did the crest of the ridge once the Canadian Corps overcame a salient of considerable German resistance. The final objective, a fortified knoll located outside the town of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, fell to the Canadian Corp on 12 April. The German forces then retreated to the Oppy-Mericourt line.

Historians attribute the success of the Canadian Corps in capturing the ridge to a mixture of technical and tactical innovation, meticulous planning, powerful artillery support and extensive training, as well as the failure of the German Sixth Army to properly apply the new German defensive doctrine.

The image of national unity, achievement and sacrifice is what gives the battle importance for Canada. Vimy Ridge was the most significant and deadly battle for Canadians in WW1.

Title: View of Vimy Ridge Memorial overlooking the Douai Plain.

Construction of the monument

It took Walter Allard two years to source the limestone an abandon Roman quarry on the Dalmation coast, which is now part of Croatia. Six thousand tons were quarried and shipped. The work started in 1923 and the first job was to clear the site of unexplored shells, trenches, dugouts and mine craters. The network of tunnels used by the troops to reach the front line had to be filled and each part in the construction site had to dug by pick and shovel, resulting in many men injured and killed.

War and Peace Ever Linked Together
In the base foundation, 15,000 tons of concrete and steel bars were used to support the pylons. On and around the memorial are 20 double life-sized statues, all carved on-site. The most noticeable is the main statue facing the Douai Plain, "The Spirit of Canada Mourning Her Fallen Sons, ", sculpted from a single 30-ton block of limestone.

In the centre of the bastion is the tomb of the Fallen Canadian Soldier and around the base in scribed the names of 11,169 missing Canadians with no known graves, lost during the fighting in France.

Restoration of the Monument 2005-2007
The restoration of the Vimy Memorial took place over a two-year period and was completed in 2007.

Canadian Expeditionary Force

The battle was the first occasion when all four divisions of the Canaidan Expeditionary Force participated in a battle together and thus became a Canadian symbol of achievement and sacrifice

A 250 acre portion of the former battleground serves as a preserved memorial park and site of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial

The majestic and inspiring Vimy Ridge Memorial overlooking "consecrated ground"

THIS LAND IS THE FREE
GIFT IN PERPETUITY OF
THE FRENCH NATION TO
THE PEOPLE OF CANADA

- Plaque of the Government of France erected at the Vimy Ridge Memorial site.

CE TERRAIN À ÉTÉ CONCÈDE
GRATUITEMENT ET À PERPÉTUITÉ
PAR LA NATION FRANÇAISE
AU PEUPLE CANADIEN

Title: Grieving Figure #1. Order No.: A1-3650 Location: Vimy, France

Title: Passing the Torch, #2. Order No. A1-3686. Location: Vimy, France

Title: Grieving Figures #3. Order No.: A1-3740. Location: Vimy, France

Title: Sympathy of Canadians for the Helpless, #4. Order No.: A1-3563. Location: Vimy, France

Title: The Defenders and Breaking of the Sword. Above, on the north pylon, are the figures Charity, Honour and Peace, #8. Order No.: A1-3602. Location: Vimy, France.

Grieving Man Figure with carved names of Canadian soldiers, #7. Order No. A1-3692. Location: Vimy, France

Canadian National Plaque - Vimy Ridge and Canadian During the First World War.

"The Spirit of Canada Mourning Her Fallen Sons"

Tite: "Canada Bereft" with figure of Peace atop the pylon of Knowledge. Location: Vimy Memorial, France, Order No.: A1-3587.

Canada Bereft mourns forever her fallen sons. #6. Order No.: A1-3620. Location: Vimy, France.

Title: Remembrance Markings. Order No.: A1-3647. Location: Vimy, France

Visit to Vimy Memorial, France, 2011. Luc Carbonez, Belgian Ambassador to Canada & David Clendenning, Canadian Diplomat & Trade Commissioner.

"Canada entered the war as a junior partner of Great Britain and emerged as an equal given her own seat and vote at the League of Nations."
Canadian author Pierre Berton

Canadian War Art - Legacy of the Conflict

Alfred Bastien, Canadian Gunners in the Mud, Passchendaele, Canadian War Museum, Ottawa

War artists who served in the First and Second World War included prominent Canadians like Arthur Lismer, A.Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley, Alex Colville, Lawren P. Harris, Pegi Nicol MacLeod, and Jack Nicois.

Canadian War Graves

Title: Graves, Canadian Cemetery No 2. Order No.: A1-3784. Location: Vimy, France

More than 7,000 Canadian soldiers are buried in 30 war cemeteries within a 20-kilometre radius of the Vimy Memorial.

Canadian Cemetery No. 2
Vimy Ridge was stormed and captured by the Canadian Corp in April 1917. Cemetery No. 2 was started during the battle and contains the graves of 2214 British, 693 Canadian, 2 Nefoundland, 19 Australian, 7 New Zealand, 2 South African and 1 Indian soldiers and airmen. Some of them fell in the assault on the Ridge and others on the surrounding battlefields.

The names and burial locations of 118,000 Canadians (61,000 in WW1) who fell in military service, from the days of the Boer Wars to the Afghanistan mission can be found on a new digital map, part of The Fallen, a free computer application that a Toronto software firm, Good Digital Culture, released on Remembrance Day, 11 November 2013.

…Only the poppy survives.

A War of Inches

This war over land was fought in trenches. The area known as Flanders in western Belgium is low-lying agricultural land supported by a system of canals. It was important to both sides of the conflict because it offered access to the North Sea. It was here that Major John McCrae was sent as the 42 year old surgeon to First Brigade Artillery. The area contained a very large contingent of Canadian military, providing back up to the French and Algerians.

Canadians' gallantry in the trenches of Flanders

"It was hell all the time. We really expected to die in our tracks. We never had our boots off, much less our clothes."
Major John McCrae, MD

Appointed in January 1918 as Consulting Physician to the British Armed forces with rank of colonel, McCrae moved away from the front lines. Contracting pneumonia and suffering from cerebral meningitis, he died on January 18. He is buried with full military honours in Wimereux, France.

“In Flanders Fields”

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scare heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

First published in December 1915, McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields” remains to this day one of the most memorable war poems ever written.

Allward's Canada Bereft model, Vimy War Museum, Ottawa

The figures of Truth and Justice completed by monument sculpture Walter Allward was cast in 1923 and is now installed on the steps of the Supreme Court, Ottawa.

Title: Figure of Justice. Order No.: A1-8141. Location: Ottawa, Canada

Art Installation - Tower of London Poppy Garden

Some five million people visited the 'Blood Swept Lands And Seas of Red installation planted to honour every British or Commonwealth citizen who died during World War One.

Blood Red Field of Poppies.
The first of the 888, 246 ceramic poppies was planted in the Tower's dry moat in July, with the final one installed by Armistice Day, November 11, 2014. The poppy garden was dismantled shortly after the remembrance day ceremony.

Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2014

" Reconciliation is the peaceful end to conflict, and we were reminded of this in August when countries on both sides of the First World War came together to remember in peace. The ceramic poppies at the Tower of London drew millions, and the only possible reaction to seeing them and walking among them was silence. For every poppy a life; and a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind."

- Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11

Title: Ceramic Poppy Garden. Location: Tower of London, October, 2014

Major Battles for Canada

First World War

Battles of Gravenstafel Ridge and St. Julien, April 23 to May 5, 1915. - Second Ypres Canadian Casualties: 6,064 wounded and killed.
Vimy Ridge, April 9 to 12, 1917. - 10, 602 wounded and killed.
Amiens, August 8 to 12, 1918. - 9,074 wounded and killed.
Canal Du Nord and Cambrai, September 27 to October 11, 1918. - 13,672 wounded and killed.

The Great War 1914 - 1918
Go to: http://ww1.canada.com

The western front in the first world war and now - interactive
Go to: Guardian Newspaper, UK

Second World War

During WW11, 1,086,343 Canadian men and women enlist and 42,042 give up their lives in foreign fields, on the seas and in the air.

Dieppe, August 19, 1941. - 1,413 wounded and killed, 1,946 captured.
Assoro, July 20 to 22, 1943.
Juno Beach, June 6, 1944. - 1,200 wounded and killed
Breskens Pocket, October 6 to November 3, 1944. - 600 wounded and killed.
Groningen, April 14 to 18, 1945. - 209 wounded and killed.

Italian Campaign
Over 63,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the Italian Campaign. There were 25,000 casualties of which 6,000 lost their lives. These soldiers are buried in 19 military cemeteries throughout Italy. The Italian campaign was by fare the largest and most costly campaign for the Canadian Forces during WW11. The Italian campaign began with the landing in Sicily on July 10, 1943.

Korean War

Kap Yong, April 22 to 25, 1951. - 33 wounded and killed.

Cassino War Cemetery and Memorial, Italy

Title: Monte Cassino from the Polish War Cemetery. Location: Italy (October 2014)

Between January and May 1944, this region saw fierce fighting as the Allies attempted to break though the formidable Gustav Line by driving German forces from the town of Cassino and the heights which surround it. The Allies lost over 50,000 men killed and wounded at Cassino.

The capture of Monte Cassino opened the route to Rome, but German resistance would continue further north along the Gothic Line.

The Cassino War Cemetery is the final resting place to nearly 4,300 Commonweath serviceman who fought in Sicily and Italy.

Commonweath War Cemetery and the Abbey of Monte Cassino. - 2014

Title: Seven Grave Stones of the Irish Regiment of Canada (IRC). Location: Italy (Monte Cassino). There are 9 IRC headstones in this cemetery.

Peace and Remembrance

Glass Heritage in Canada

Stained Glass Detail from the Memorial Window commissioned by the Duke of Connaught in memory of the members of his staff lost during WW1. Unveiled by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, in 1919, Ottawa. Work by Wilhelmina Geddes, Irish Artist.

Title: Stained Glass War Memorial. Order No.: A1-0915 Country: Montreal, Canada

Memorial Plaque in the Canadian Rockies

United States

Title: U.S. National Cemetery. Order No.: A1-2997. Location: the Presidio of San Francisco.

US National Cemetery, Presideo of San Francisco

On December 12, 1884, the US War Department designated 9 acres (3.6 ha), including the site of the old post cemetery, as San Francisco National Cemetery. It was the first national cemetery established on the West Coast and marks the growth and development of a system of national cemeteries extending beyond the battlefields of the Civil War.

There are also three British Commonwealth service war graves here, a Canadian soldier of World War I, and a Royal Navy and Merchant Navy sailor of World War II.

The cemetery is enclosed with a stone wall and slopes down a hill that today frames a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

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