General

Ceremonies in Canada and France mark 95 years since the battle of Vimy Ridge

Five thousand Canadians are expected today in France for the ceremonies marking the 95th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge in the First World War. Governor General David Johnston and Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney are in France today to participate in the ceremonies at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, near Vimy in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France.

Coincidentally on an Easter Monday, April 9 1917, all  four divisions of the Canadian Corps, fighting side by side for the first time, stormed Vimy Ridge to roll out a victorious four-day battle that ended up costing more than 3,500 lives and thousands of others wounded.

“The lessons of the First World War are many, and we must always remember the enormous sacrifice of Canadians who served and fell in the fields of France and Belgium,” said the Governor General in a statement.

Other ceremonies marking the anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge will all also be held in Toronto and Ottawa today.

 

 

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