Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Vimy-90 years later.

To the ghosts of the 97,000 Canadians who won our nation at Vimy Ridge, 90 years ago today, thankyou, some of us do remember.

"Never have so many, owed so much, to so few."

I heard from "Coaches Corner" in the last hockey game that Don Cherry was applauding Steven Harper's decision to fly the Red Ensign at the Vimy Ridge service, along side Canada's newer flag out of respect for those men who fought under that flag.

Regardless of any of the other wrongs our Prime Minister may commit - he got that one right!

Thank you, veterans - for my freedom.

I think we need a guy like Don Cherry to run the country, I think he would really kick some ass and throw lots of scum into the penalty box, he doesn't mind roughing in the corners either or few riots the take down a few that need taking down.

I watched the ceremony this morning. I could only think of how many men died for what we have today. Thankfully my grandfather made it back with a gunshot wound and mustard gas. Wife's grandfather not so lucky. Makes you think pretty deep/

Gentlemen - thanks and tribute to your countrymen who sacrificed for all of us. Best, John

My Salute to your men who paid the ultimate price in the hellish battlefields of WWl.

The week prior to the battle was called the "Week of Suffering" by the Germans because of the 1,000,000 shells fired at the German lines.

Did the Germans come to the ceremony?


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The Vimy battle showed what Canadians were made of. I am proud of those who fought and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for what you did!

And a salute to H. R McBride, an American who joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force (to get into the war before it was over) fought valiantly, and wrote: "A Rifleman Went To War." Quite a good read in which he writes of the Canadian Soldier's willingness to fight, and to fight well.

BMT

And some of us will never ever forget. The ceremony was very nice from what I could gather while traveling and hearing bits and pieces.

I was struck by the irony of 6 of our best dieing in Afganistan the day before. I watched a special on our forces in A-Stan a couple of weeks ago. It was unedited complete with more foul language than a fly in logging camp. The story was mostly just the soldiers talking about their work and footage from an imbedded jounalist. Ninety years after Vimy the current mission obviously much much smaller, but there sure are a lot of similarities to my mind.

Hmm, more irony. I almost just hit the send button but the radio caught my ear. It was just announced that two more Canadian soldiers are confirmed dead with several wounded in an attack in Afganastan today; two days after the anniversary of Vimy Ridge.

Yeah, people don't change or learn, the carnage goes on, look at Darfur. That was a very nice simile about the language and logging camp, I enjoy original thought and writing.

Thanks kutenay.

The lads that survived the great war came up with a "Never Again" mantra that was a big part of original Remeberance Day ceremonies. Looks like their work isn't quite done yet.

Just to let you know, Vimy will be taught tomorrow in my World History class. Will it matter? I don't know. However, kids need to know, be they American or Canadian. The English speaking world owes a debt to these men. A thank you to those brave Canadian's who went before us.

Good on you Red. I hope a lot of the kids get something out of it. Actually I'm pleasantly surprised that the Vimmy Ridge story makes the curriculum down there.

Vimy Ridge was the first time our troops fought as a national army,we had fought as parts of the British army. The high point was the key to the German lines. The Germans beleived it couldn't be taken. We lost almost four thousand dead.

After Vimy Ridge we were a nation.

BTW the lowland campaigne of WWII was even bloodier for Canadians per day of fighting.

The Canadian Corps, under Lt.-Gen. Sir Julian Byng and, subsequently Lt.-Gen. Sir Arthur Currie, ALWAYS was a conponent of The Royal Army and fought as such from Festubert and Second Ypres until the "Hundred Days" of Aug.-Nov. 1918. This was when we smashed the Hindenburg Line between Douay and Cambrai; this magnificent achievement, costing 30,000 casualties, the most of any WWI battle, largely convinced German commander Von Ludendorff that further fighting was useless, so, he told Kaiser "Bill" that it was time to end the war.

When the German High Command took stock of their shattered armies, who were mutinying, killing officers and refusing to advance, they decided to accept the humiliating surrender terms offered by the Triple Entente. With the obvious high morale of the British and our willingness to continue the war PLUS the ever-increasing numbers of healthy, aggressive and increasingly effective Yanks coming to France, they FINALLY decided to quit, at least until 1933........

The Battle of the Rhineland, in WWII, was the single most dangerous, bloody fight per day for Canadian armour and infantry, the Scheldt Delta and Ortona were not picnics, either.

It's amazing that such a tiny population in such an enormous, almost totally wilderness country COULD produce such fighting men and, Afganistan demonstrates that we STILL do! NOW, we are getting GERMAN tanks for crushing the Taliban; wish they would buy American MI-A Abrams modern tanks plus A-10 close support jets and REALLY smoke those camelhumpers!!!

In World History right now we are in the 1915-17 time frame. Due to the type of school I am at(I have more freedom on subject content), the fact that I am a former infantry officer and military history buff, the kids get more of the nuts and bolts than in some general survey class. I think it is important to teach and illustrate the values of courage, valor, honor and sacrifice. Vimy, the Somme and Ypres battles do that well. Plus, as I explain, we owe a debt to those that have gone before: US, Britsh and Canadian.

Red ,Nice of you to say that .Thank's

My grandfather would be honoured by the comments so far, he survived Vimy, Ypres, and Paschendale, to come home with shrapnel in his chest, and an aluminum knee cap.
He didn't like to talk about the battles, he lost many good friends.
He died in 1971

Thankyou.