A century after the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadians are still finding new ways to commemorate it.
The battle, which took place on April 9, 1917, was not only a military milestone – it marked a key turning point in Canadian history.
Vimy unites Canadians; a 2015 survey done on behalf of the Vimy Foundation found that three-quarters of Canadians agreed that the 100th anniversary of the battle should be one of the countryʼs most important celebrations during Canadaʼs sesquicentennial year.
It’s commemorated in ways both large and small – from the massive stone monument at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site in France to a special new $2 Vimy circulation coin released in October by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The successful battle to take Vimy, a seven-kilometre-long ridge, from German forces, came at a terrible cost to the Canadian Corps of more than 10,600 casualties, of which nearly 3,600 were fatal.
Previous attempts by Allied forces had been unsuccessful and resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties. The carefully planned Canadian Corps’ assault marked the first time four Canadian divisions attacked together, with soldiers from across Canada.
Their victory is considered “a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain and felt capable of greatness,” says Canadian War Museum historian Tim Cook. “Canadian troops also earned a reputation as formidable, effective troops because of the stunning success.”
Indeed, Brigadier-General Alexander Ross, who commanded the 28th Battalion at Vimy Ridge, was among the first to recognize the significance of the victory for Canada: “In those few minutes, I witnessed the birth of a nation.”
Many Canadians believe that our ideas about who we are and what we cherish were somehow crystallized in the victory at Vimy.
In recognition of the sacrifices made by Canadians, in 1922, the French government gave more than 100 hectares of land at Vimy Ridge to Canada, making it Canadian territory, and in 1936, a striking limestone monument was unveiled to honour and remember the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who were killed in France but whose bodies were never recovered.
Thousands of Canadian students visit Vimy each year. They are a fraction of the 700,000 people who pay their respects at the memorial every year.
The 100-year commemoration is especially significant, says Jeremy Diamond, executive director of the Vimy Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving Canada’s First World War legacy as symbolized by the victory at the Ridge, through education, events and support for commemorative symbols, such as the new $2 circulation coin.
This year, the foundation opened a permanent visitors’ centre at the site, thanks to $5-million it raised from donors and a matching amount from the federal government.
“We’re a young country, so we don’t have opportunities very often to commemorate centennials,” he says.
“We’re always committed to remembering forever those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the battle. [The] Centennial is an opportunity to reflect and remember, and also to ensure that 100 years from now we’re still talking about the importance of Vimy.”
The new $2 circulation coin is an additional way to remember Vimy and the soldiers’ sacrifice, Mr. Diamond adds.
“The Vimy memorial is already on our $20 bill, and now there’s an extra way for Canadians to carry a bit of Vimy in their pockets to remember,” he says.
“The Mint is proud to continue the long-standing tradition of crafting coins which honour the sacrifices of Canadians in war time,” says Sandra Hanington, president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.
“With this new coin, we remember every Canadian whose unconditional service in the First World War inspired the generations which followed to do their part in defending Canada and everything it stands for," Ms. Hannington said.
The Mint will issue five million of the new $2 commemorative coins. They will be made available in general circulation, through the Mint's boutiques and online in Canada only at www.mint.ca/vimy100.
Designed by Canadian artist Tony Bianco, the coin depicts the Vimy Memorial on the reverse, flanked by a First World War soldier and a contemporary veteran.
The word “Vimy” in capital letters is engraved beneath the memorial. The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Canadian artist Susanna Blunt in 2003, appears on the obverse.
The coin is simply the latest way Canadians can reflect on Vimy and its meaning, Mr. Diamond says.
“Right from the day, there was a sense of pride that something significant happened there.”
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