Thank you to members of the Bridgewater Legion, 14 Construction Engineering Squadron and of course the more than 70 students from Bridgewater Jr High who gathered today to mark the 108th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Vimy Ridge Day remembers Canadians who fought in the battle of Vimy Ridge during World War I. The battle of Vimy Ridge, which was part of the larger battle of Arras in northern France, began on Easter Monday, which was April 9, in 1917. About 30,000 Canadians fought at Vimy Ridge and claimed victory. However, this victory came at a high cost. The Canadians suffered about 11,000 casualties. Of these, nearly 3,600 Canadians were killed. At Vimy, regiments from coast to coast saw action together in a distinctly Canadian triumph, helping create a new and stronger sense of Canadian identity. After Vimy, the Canadian corps never looked back, and its success raised Canada’s international stature and earned a separate signature on the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war.
