Vimy Ridge Day 2023: Since 2003, Canada has observed Vimy Ridge Day on April 9 to honour and commemorate the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, which occurred in Vimy Ridge, France, during the First World War. The Canadian flag must be lowered to half-staff on the Peace Monument atop Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, and other locations across the country host wreath-laying ceremonies.
HISTORY OF VIMY RIDGE DAY
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was regarded as a significant event in the country’s history. Years of futile attempts, strategic planning, and preparation to retake Vimy Ridge were required to achieve victory. Since 1914, Germany has controlled the Ridge. Since then, approximately 150,000 British and French soldiers have died attempting to recapture the ridge. The Germans fortified their position with machine gun fire, barbed wire, and underground bunkers, making it challenging for any nation to seize control. Due to their extraordinary accomplishments, Canadian personnel earned a reputation for being formidable and effective. However, the triumph came at a terrible cost, with more than 10,000 people killed or injured.
The Canadian Corps was issued the order to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The seven-kilometer, fortified ridge in northern France afforded a magnificent view of the Allied lines. Because previous French assaults resulted in over 100,000 deaths and were unsuccessful, the Canadians would attack over an open graveyard. A week before the conflict, Canadian and British artillery bombarded German positions on the ridge, killing and torturing defenders. When the Canadian soldiers entered the battle, they would be supported by nearly a thousand pieces of artillery firing savage, supporting fire.
During the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps battled valiantly together for the first time. At 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917, approximately 15,000 soldiers began the conflict under a slow-moving bombardment from nearly 1,000 heavy guns. The majority of objectives were met on schedule, and by the afternoon, the majority of the ridge had been captured, with the exception of ‘The Pimple,’ a high position at the northern end of the ridge where defenders held out until April 12. The Canadians had captured all of their objectives and 4,000 captives by the 12th of April. The Canadians captured the Vimy Ridge. During the four-day battle, 3,598 Canadians were killed and 7,000 were injured, making this victory expensive.
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5 INCREDIBLE FACTS ABOUT THE BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE
In 1922, the French government granted Canadians perpetual use of the land for the battlefield park containing the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
Walter Seymour Allward, a Canadian artist and architect, built the Vimy memorial; he once told a group of acquaintances that he had a dream in which he saw the design.
It was consecrated by King Edward VIII on July 26, 1936, in the presence of French President Albert Lebrun and at least 50,000 Canadian and French soldiers and their families, after an eleven-year, $1.5 million construction period.
On April 10, 1997, then-Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps designated the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as a Canadian National Historic Site.
On Hill 145, the National Vimy Memorial overlooks the Canadian battlefield of 1917.
VIMY RIDGE DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 9 | Sunday |
| 2024 | April 9 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | April 9 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | April 9 | Thursday |
| 2027 | April 9 | Friday |
