The Baille of Vimy Ridge

Memorial stands on Hill 145, the highest point of the 14 kilomètre long Vimy Ridge. In the First World War, the Ridge was a vital part of the German defence system. It was so well fortified that all attempts to take it by Allied forces during the first three years of the war had failed. Superb planning and training ensured that the Canadian Corps would achieve its goal.

At daybreak on April 9, 1917, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps, fighting together for the first time, stormed the Ridge. Preceded by a perfectly‑timed artillery barrage, the Canadians advanced and, by midafternoon, had taken the whole crest of the Ridge except Hill 145, which they captured three days later. The victory was swift, but it did not corne without cost. Out of 10,602 casualties, 3,598 Canadians gave their lives.

The victory at Vimy Ridge was a turning point for Allied forces in the Pirst Warld War. Back home in Canada, the victory at Vimy "Ridge united Canadians and brought honour and Aride to the yotlng nation.

The Monument

Today, the Vimy Memorial does more than mark the site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It is a monument to all Canadians who died or risked their lives for freedom and peace in the First World War.

Designed by Canadian sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward, the monument took 11 years to build. It rests on a bed of 11,000 tonnes of concrete, reinforced with hundreds of tonnes of steel. The towering pylons and sculptured figures contain almost 6,000 tonnes of limestone brought to the site from an abandoned Roman quarry on the Adriatic Sea. The figures were carved where they now stand from huge blocks of this stone.

A cloaked figure stands at the front, or east side, of the monument overlooking the Douai Plain. It was carved from a single, 30‑tonne block and is the largest piece in the monument. This sorrowing figure of a woman represents Canada ‑a young nation mourning her dead. Below is a tomb, draped in laurel branches and bearing a helmet and sword.

On each side of the front walls at the base of the steps are the Defenders: two groupings of figures known as the Breaking of the Sword and Sympathy for the Helpless. Above each grouping‑ is a cannon, silent now and draped in laurel and olive branches ‑ a symbol of Victory and Peace.

Carved on the walls of the monument are the nomes of 11,285 Canadians who were killed in France and whose final resting place is unknown. Standing on the monuments wide stone terrace overlooking the broad fields and rolling hills of France, one can see other places where Canadians fought and died. More than 7,000 are buried in 30 war cemeteries within a 16‑kilometre radius of the Vimy Memorial. Altogether, 66,655 Canadians died in the First World War.

The twin white pylons, one bearing the maple leaves of Canada, the other the fleur-de‑lis of France, symbolize the sacrifices of both countries. At the top are figures representing Peace and Justice, with Truth, Knowledge, Gallantry and Sympathy below them. Around these figures are shields of Canada, Britain and France. Large crosses adorn the outside of the pylons. In the centre, at the base of the pylons, a young dying soldier, the Spirit of Sacrifice, throws the torch to his comrades. 'Iwo other mourners ‑ a man and a woman ‑ recline on each side of the steps on the west side of the monument.

The Park

The 100‑hectare park surrounding the Memorial has been largely reforested to prevent erosion. Today's visitor will find the ground pock‑marked with shell holes from artillery bombardent. Trenches and subways have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made.