Research Notes

AGAINST: Canada came of age on the battlefield of Vimy Ridge

Sarah Chan Partner: Joanne Wong

Mr. Melnyk Period 2

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

- Vimy Ridge battle: April 9 1917, during WWI

- Rain, sleet, cold, suffering, hardship

- During battle, 3598 soldiers kills, 7004 were injured1

- Four day battle

- “The stench of death was everywhere. There were holes and rats, I tried to erase these pictures from my memory, but I never could. War is ugly.”2 (Paul Metivier, 100 yr old WWI veteran)

- Believe no specific thing that made Canada whole, takes time for country to mature

- Many more events that made Canada come of age, rather than Vimy Ridge

- Confederation itself 1867

- The actual act of making Canada

- W/out it, no Canada at all

- Trudeau’s treaty of Constitution Act

- Allowed Canada control of their Constitution, not needing Brit. approval

- Showed independence as nation,, gave freedom, no discrimination, offered something everyone wanted, everyone accepted it

- All battles of WWI had their individual effects, cannot say Vimy Ridge was most important

- Most of Canada’s children killed in battle, how could country come of age

- Canada was forced into war because its mother country was Britain, meaning their victory was won for British rather than for own nation

- When Britain was involved in WWI, entire Empire (includes Canada) involved

- Some believe Canada has not become independent yet, they are dependent of US

- When US went to war with Iraq, Canada helped US, so that they could remain dependent on the country

- “We all spent the night in a tunnel about forty feet in the earth. It was the only safe place around Vimy Ridge then for it was about as much a hell hole as one would want to be in.”³ (Private Leo Kelly; taken from his letter addressed to his father)

- “…it was horrible physically more than anything else, because if you went over the top and you got shot or killed that was the end of it.”4 (Private Frederick Lewis; interviewed by Tom Oates)

- Years after Vimy battle, Canada still not able to take care of themselves

- Great depression in 1930; Canadians suffered from unemployment rate

- October Crisis: 1970; bombing, crisis everywhere, Labour Minister and British trade commissioner kidnapped (Labour minister later murdered)

¹ “Vimy Ridge Memorial Unveiled” CBC Archives. http://archives.cbc.ca/index.asp?IDLan=1 (12 Oct. 2002)

² “Canada’s Unknown Soldier Leaves World War I Killing Fields.” POW-MIA Canada. http://www.martock.ca/powmia/ reference/unknown1.html (13 Oct. 2002)

³ “Private Leo Kelly’s Letter Home.” http://www.interlog.com/~fatjack/vimy/page3.htm. (15 Oct. 2002)

⁴ The Colonel’s Runner.” http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/runner.htm. (16 Oct. 2002)

- Many more dying during Dieppe and other wars (1942-Dieppe laid sees 2700 Canadians killed/captured)

The Battle5

- Four Divisions of Canadian Corps attacked together for first (and last) time

- About 100000 men took part of battle

- Ridge important part of Germans’ defences

- Previous attempts to capture Ridge made by Allied failed

- All thought Ridge was impossible to ever be taken over

- Much preparations for battle made, very detailed

- Built full scale version of ground for units chance to practice attack mvts

- Gathered info from aerial photos (records of German changes in defences

- Tunnels dug under ridge (five km), lets attacking troops move closer w/safety

- During battle, tunnels allowed wounded be brought back

- Provide unseen and safe lines of communications

- Dug roads and light railways, signals and supplies ready

- First had infantry attacks w/powerful artillery bombardment (last almost 3 weeks), first 2 weeks, no guns fired, so Germans could not locate them

- Allowed Canadians familiarize with where 80% of German gun-positions were

- April 9, bad weather conditions (cold, freezing rain and sleet), muddy

- First Canadians journeyed thru no-man’s land, avoiding shell-holes

- Advance behind barrage

- Middle of afternoon, three of Canadian divisions captured most of Vimy Ridge except for two spots known as ‘Hill 145” and the “Pimple”

- By next day, all but few spots were in Canadian hands

- By April 12, Canadian’s victory = complete

- Vimy victory came quickly, not come w/out cost, many injured and dead

- Vimy was key to German defence system6

- Rose 61 metres above plain, slopes favoured defenders6

- Force Canadians attack on open ground, easy targets6

- Had intervals of new troops to advance6

- Four members of Corps won Victoria Cross, Major-General Arthur Currie knighted on battlefield7

⁵ “Vimy Ridge – 80 years on …” Tom Morgan’s Hellfire corner. http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/vimy.htm (12 Oct. 2002)

⁶ “The Battle of Vimy Ridge” Veterans Affairs Canada. http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/vimy/vimy3 (12 Oct. 2002).

⁷ “Historical Background: Vimy Ridge, France” Canada: National Defence. http://www.marpac.dnd.ca/new/training/BRT/historical_bground_2.htm (11 Oct. 2002)

1867-Confederation

1870-Manitoba Act; Dominion Notes Act

1871-British Columbia enters confederation

1872-Doninion Lands Act is passed

1875-construction on CPR transcontinental line begins

1876-Intercolonial Railway is completed, linkin Saint John, Halifax, and Montrea

1881-Boundaries of Manitoba enlarged

1885-CPR transcontinental train finished

1899-Canada sends volunteer troops to South Africa War(Boer War)

1914-Canada and NFL enter Great War

1915-battle of Ypres

1917-Victory at Vimy; conscription crisis

1918-WWI ends

1925-Pacific coast hockey league folds

1930-Great Depression

1936-Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

1939-Canada declares war on Germany

1942-Dieppe laid sees 2700 Canadians killed/captured

1949-Asbesto strike –Quebec, NFL joins confederation

1950-Canada joins Korean War

1953-transmountain oil pipeline: Edmonton-Vancouver

1957-Lester B Pearson-Nobel Peace Prize, Canadian council

1964-New Canada flag is adapted

1965-Simon University and York University opened

1967-Canada centennial York celebration new national anthem

1969-official Languages Act passed

1970-October Crisis

1976-Montreal Olympics held

1982-revised Constituion approved by British

1992-Blue Jays win world series

2002-Canadian Hockey – Female and male win Olympic Gold

Waite, Peter. Years of Struggle 1867-1896 Toronto: Golier Limited. 1985

Bumsted, J.M. A History of the Canadian Peoples Toronto: Oxford University Press. 1995

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