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9 April 1917 - the Battle of Vimy Ridge

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  • 9 April 1917 - the Battle of Vimy Ridge

    Today marks the 93rd anniversary of the Battle for Vimy Ridge.

    The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 1917

    Vimy remembered

    Ninety-three years ago, the battle for Vimy Ridge began, an incredible bloody affair even by the bloody standards of that war.

    On the morning of April 9, 1917, four Canadian army divisions moved out of their trenches and towards the ridge, marking the start of one of the most significant battles of the war.

    It is also a battle that is credited with being the birth of Canada as a nation distinct from the British Empire of which it was once part.

    About 100,000 Canadians, from battalions raised across the country but fighting together, retook Vimy Ridge, a 14-km-long escarpment controlled by the Germans.

    Earlier attempts by 150,000 French and British troops had failed.
    Je Me Souviens
    "On the plains of hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who on the very dawn of victory, laid down to rest, and in resting died.

    Never give up!!"

  • #2
    Just one of many reasons why Canada should be proud of it's Army

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    • #3
      It is an impressive place, definitely worth a visit. Most striking is the pride the guides, who are all students taking a year or so out to work at the battlefields, take in the maintenance of the area, as well as the pride in their history. Working on the battlefield is highly compeditive, and only the best applicants get the position.
      Their counterparts both here, and in the UK could learn a lot from them.


      Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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      • #4
        [
        QUOTE=sofa;296089]Just one of many reasons why Canada should be proud of it's Army
        [/QUOTE]

        Sofa,

        I fully agree - my earlier point is that, given the history of the Western democracies, it is incumbent on every single man or woman who wears the uniform that nothing is ever done to besmirch or dishonour those fine men. To me that is beyond questioning.

        Speaking as one who had numerous relatives serving in the old Royal Munster Fusiliers , the old and new Army, The Palestine Police, The Sudan Defence Force etc.

        I have never served alongside Canadian Army personnel but I did meet some Canadian Air Force personnel during the ceasefire in Rhodesia when we secured a small bush airfield for one of their (Caribou?) aircraft.

        Another great battle where the Canadians distinguished themselves was at Dieppe. If you walk the old town you will see plaques commemorating the spots where Canadian soldiers died- one particular poignant spot is within a few metres of the Cathedral overlooking the town. They almost made it.

        So, anyone wearing a Canadian uniform has only the highest standards to live up to. We expect no less.



        Tim Horgan
        Last edited by timhorgan; 10 April 2010, 10:23.

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        • #5
          The Canucks (from what I' ve read) got the worst of it, in terms of casualties,
          on D-Day aswell, in the beach landings
          "Well, stone me! We've had cocaine, bribery and Arsenal scoring two goals at home. But just when you thought there were truly no surprises left in football, Vinnie Jones turns out to be an international player!" (Jimmy Greaves)!"

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Truck Driver View Post
            The Canucks (from what I' ve read) got the worst of it, in terms of casualties,
            on D-Day aswell, in the beach landings


            My father in law escorted them across aboard HMS Lawford

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Truck Driver View Post
              The Canucks (from what I' ve read) got the worst of it, in terms of casualties,
              on D-Day aswell, in the beach landings
              Same for Afghanistan; from 2006 to 2008 we were losing more people, statistically, then anyone else.
              "On the plains of hesitation, bleach the bones of countless millions, who on the very dawn of victory, laid down to rest, and in resting died.

              Never give up!!"

              Comment


              • #8
                I worked with Canadian medics over in Camp Bastion, they are a very good bunch of lads.....and lasses.

                A good friend of mine is working with US and Canadian medics in Kandahar at the moment.

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                • #9




                  The memorial to the missing on Vimy Ridge. One of the most impressive memorials on the Western Front.



                  The view towards Lens. This is why Vimy Ridge was so important. Those pyramid type structures on the horizon are actually the slag heaps from the coal mines. That's Groundhog by the way.



                  The ground around the memorial is still out of bounds.



                  A CP in the tunnels underneath Vimy Ridge. The tunnels were cut out of the chalk underneath initially by the French and were added to over the course of the war. Battalions of troops lined the tunnels prior to the attack and had cover unique to the Western Front.
                  Last edited by WES; 12 April 2010, 11:58.
                  The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.
                  (George Bernard Shaw, Playwright, 1856 - 1950)

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by WES View Post

                    I never knew Groundhog was a blackface

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                    • #11
                      If it was any other thread I would have done something completely different but out of respect he gets issued with the common black square.
                      The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity.
                      (George Bernard Shaw, Playwright, 1856 - 1950)

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