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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 10 april 2017

Canada commemorates centenary of pivotal Vimy WWI battle

SYLVIE CORBET gathered at Vimy Ridge for and same country ... side
Associated Press the centenary of the day by side here in Vimy.”
PARIS (AP) — More than that outnumbered Cana- Canada lost 3,600 soldiers
20,000 people, most of dian troops succeeded in and had over 7,000 in-
them Canadians, attended taking the strategic posi- jured during the three-day
a solemn ceremony Sun- tion from the Germans. battle. Largely because of
day to commemorate a “They were, most of them, its military achievement in
World War I battle in north- young men in their late northern France, the North
ern France that remains teens, in their early 20s,” American country was a
indelibly etched on Cana- Trudeau said at the cer- separate signatory to the
da’s national identity 100 emony. “Going as far as treaty that ended World
years after it happened. sacrificing their lives, these War I.“In this sense, Canada
Prime Minister Justin men both ordinary and was born there,” Trudeau
Trudeau and members of extraordinary of the British said.It was first action in
the British royal family were dominion fought for the first which all four divisions of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, Britain’s Prince Wil-
among the dignitaries who time as citizens of a single the Canadian Corps — liam, Duke of Cambridge and Britain’s Prince Harry, right, stand
during the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Bat-
tle of Vimy Ridge at the WWI Canadian National Vimy Memo-
rial in Vimy, France, Sunday, April 9, 2017. The commemorative
ceremony at the memorial honors Canadian soldiers who were
killed or wounded during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
(Philippe Huguen/Pool Photo via AP)
representing every region avoid that senseless losses
of the country — fought happen again,” Charles
together side-by-side on said of the long-ago Ca-
the same battlefield. The nadians who lost their lives
troops prepared carefully, in France. “Let’s renew our
learning from the mistakes commitment to remember
made by British and French their heroism in the face of
troops that had tried and suffering and fear.”
failed to reclaim the ridge. French President Francois
To protect soldiers from Hollande said Vimy’s sol-
shelling, they built miles of diers “are still speaking
tunnels, one of the war’s to us.”“They are telling us
great engineering feats al- peace is the most precious
lowing troops to pop up gift and it’s the greatest
quickly into their positions. merit of Europe to have
The Germans would never realized that dream ... Yes,
regain the ridge. Vimy’s soldiers are telling
The battle and victory have us nationalism only leads
become an important part to war and fundamental-
of Canada’s identity, sym- ism to destruction. They are
bolizing the shift from a for- telling us the future of our
mer British colony to an in- countries is to be united.”
dependent nation. The site, Sunday’s ceremony, host-
which in 1922 became a ed by the Canadian gov-
piece of Canadian territory ernment, included official
on French soil, is a revered speeches, recitations of
national symbol, one fea- stories from soldiers and
tured on the back of Can- eyewitnesses to the battle,
ada’s $20 bill to this day. and performances by Ca-
Britain’s Prince Charles at- nadian artists such as singer
tended the commemora- Loreena McKennitt.
tion with his sons, Princes Earlier Sunday, Trudeau
William and Harry, who and Hollande unveiled
dropped boots symbolizing a separate “Poppy of
the dead soldiers and ce- Peace” monument in the
ramic poppies at the grand town of Arras, a few kilome-
war memorial that marks ters (miles) from Vimy. The
the site of the battle. monument consists of a red
“Their sacrifice must in- metallic base with sculp-
spire us to do everything to tures of soldiers’ feet.q