Vimy Commemoration

[Terry Denham]

Check this website to see live commemoration of every man who died at Vimy over Easter.

http://www.vimy1917.ca/

[Chris_Baker]

That's a super piece of work. Very well done, isnt it?

[delta]

Superb

[Borden Battery]

Here is the short abstract from the CEF Study Group's list of Recommended Great War Websites. This is a novel manner to present the names of these men.

Vimy 1917 Memorial Vigil – Real Time Webcast

Beginning at 7:53 pm on April 8, 2007 the name of every Canadian soldier who fought and died at Vimy. France in the Great War will be projected on the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada. This vigil is the product of Veterans Affairs and private citizens. There is a database to search for a specific soldier and the time his name will be projected onto the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada. This is a unique and personal tribute to these fallen soldiers. [CEF Study Group – April 2006]

http://www.vimy1917.ca/index.cfm?method=ma...amp;language=en

[KONDOA]

Excellent, a really effective tribute.

Roop

[Tom Morgan]

An excellent Act of Remembrance, and made even more so by the opportunity to see it happening, worldwide. Thanks to the Web, we were able to watch the last half-hour or so this morning, and see the dawn breaking in Ottawa.

Tom

[stiletto_33853]

What a great tribute and act of rememberance.

Andy

[Nathan Greenfield]

Although I live in Ottawa (due to a trip to NY), I was unable to attend the Vimy commemoration in Canada's capital. I have been told by friends who were there, however, that it was very moving.

I urge anyone interested to go to www/cbc.ca to see clips of it.

While driving back to Ottawa, my wife and I heard the speeches given by the Prime Ministers of Canada and France, and Queen Elizabeth. They were all worth listening to -- Queen Elizabeth's, however, was close to perfect.

Nathan M. Greenfield

[bencasto]

I was at the commemoration with my wife on monday. We had a very emmotionnal day together. So many Canadians have done the journey to France just to be there to remember the sacrifice of there relatives. The commemoration was very emmotional as i said ,we were so impressed to see all the 5000 young canadians comming all together to join us at the beginning of the ceremony. To see that Canada can associate his youth to his history ,make sure that they would come back later with their kids , what an example !

Our first minister had spoken for all the french peoples charing that ceremonie ,he had just said :Merci Canadians.

The "musique" was so beautiful (i had a few tears ) , the young speakers talking of the soldiers were very emmotional.. We were just at the first rank chairs behind the VIPs and to be honest that was my first time that i saw your Queen, and for a french its a long time we haven't seen a Queen, i was as curious as my wife...

.At the end of the ceremony i have shake hands with my neybours Canadians, and i told them that we were very proud to share that day with all of them. A so long trip for so many canadians. On that special easter day every the French had a Canadian fag in his hart .

[Bernard_Lewis]

A super tribute.

Bernard

[garydeighton]

I brought forward my annual school trip from May so that we could visit Vimy Ridge on Monday for the anniversary. Our whole party had been excited but really began to get a buzz about it when on the Ferry from Dover. (full of Canadians)The atmosphere was electric. Monday was an incredible experience. My students said that they felt really honoured to be a part of it. They loved meeting Mounties and WW2 vets and everyone was happy to talk to them. The Commissioner of the Mounted police(Top Police person in Canada) was happy to speak to them and pose for photo's (I couldn't imagine the Chief of the Met being so accomodating)

I don't know how far this Canadian theme had influenced our party but whilst we were away a number of students commented on how much the Canadian contribution to WW1 stands out (Newfoundland Park, VimyRidge, Brooding Soldier, Essex Farm and it's John McCrea links to name a few) and it got me thinking a bit.

A school trip of 3-4 days obviously limits the amount of places one can visit and as such one visits the more commonly trodden sites- the priority is to give the students as concise a view of the war as is possible in the time available.

I know it's not about keeping score or a tally of who has the most memorials- all of the sites record the incredible contribution of all of the men of all nationalities who were involved but is it not important to ensure that all of those contributions are seen- by visiting the sites listed above and Delville Wood and the Ulster Tower and the Australian memorial at Pozieres do I lesson the role played by men of the British Isles? Because our main monuments commemorate the men of the Empire (as they should) I feel a little bit that the men of the UK lack their own distinctive memorial- apart from individual regimental ones obviously. I hope that nobody thinks that I'm being a little Englander here.

[Alan Tucker]

Although Vimy on Monday was a terrific commemoration no plaudits go to the gendarmerie once again - see the Somme July 1st 2006. The planning to get c20000 people away from the 'arena' below the memorial out along one narrow track was abysmal as was getting people away on shuttle coaches to where their own coach was parked.

A minority of Canadian youth were I thought disrespectful during their own national anthem or is standing to attention not recognised as a mark of respect in Canada! I was standing right behind them!

[ragamuffin]

I don't know how far this Canadian theme had influenced our party but whilst we were away a number of students commented on how much the Canadian contribution to WW1 stands out (Newfoundland Park, VimyRidge, Brooding Soldier, Essex Farm and it's John McCrea links to name a few) and it got me thinking a bit.

do I lesson the role played by men of the British Isles? Because our main monuments commemorate the men of the Empire (as they should) I feel a little bit that the men of the UK lack their own distinctive memorial- apart from individual regimental ones obviously. I hope that nobody thinks that I'm being a little Englander here.

I couldn't agree with you more. After many years touring the battlefields I had come to the same conclusion. This was affirmed last weekend in Arras. It was all about the Canadians and that was it. We struggled to find the British influence anywhere over the weekend. That's why we attended the Arras memorial instead of Vimy, but you wouldn't find the Queen doing a speech at Arras, oh no! She opted for Vimy, which is fair enough, but she could of just dropped in for the boys lying in Arras. They would of appreciated it, I'm sure!

We do not commemorate as we should, why is this?

Danke

[Norrette]

We do not commemorate as we should, why is this?

Probably because no-one in the UK bothered to set up an event. I have to say I get a bit cheesed off with everyone complaining about Vimy - Vet affairs in Canada took the trouble to put the event on at their memorial, it's not their fault that the Brits didn't bother.

In any case, most "Canadians" at Vimy were recently emigrated Brits!

Norrette

with an ancestor who emigrated in 1911.

[Chris Martin]

A minority of Canadian youth were I thought disrespectful during their own national anthem or is standing to attention not recognised as a mark of respect in Canada! I was standing right behind them!

Standing at attention during the National anthem is recognised as a sign of respect in Canada as it is most other places among military and para-military organizations. Standing at attention in the drill sence of the word however, is not inate in non-military influenced canadian school children, as I'm sure it is not in children in other countries. If you look at the crowd or participants of any nationality at such events you can find people being disrespectful. Nine times out of ten it is not intentional.

[ragamuffin]

I have to say I get a bit cheesed off with everyone complaining about Vimy - Vet affairs in Canada took the trouble to put the event on at their memorial, it's not their fault that the Brits didn't bother.

I did not complain about Vimy, nor was the intention there. I enjoyed my nights out with the Canadians and my trip to Vimy Ridge. All good.

I was there.

My concern was about the lack of British interest in Arras, as throughout I ever only saw one British flag. The question was ,why wasn't there more effort on the British part to commemorate this event? Why in Arras did we only see French and Canadian flags?

I know its not Canada's fault, I never blamed them!

Danke.

[Norrette]

I know its not Canada's fault

Thanks Afkay, Sorry to attribute to you some of the feelings I got when I visited. I had a problem with my coach tour in that they seemed to want to avoid Vimy as it wasn't "British" even though VIMY ridge was plastered over the front of the bus, we only were allowed 3 and a half hours there - not enough time to see both the park (tunnels/trenches/memorials) AND the ceremony. A video of the documentary was shown on the bus, and I think that many on board were moaning about Canada with comments such as "you'd think they won the war single-handed" and such like, so they didn't even bother showing the second part of the program.

My sorrow is that many of these "Canadian" fallen are great granduncles to many Brits today - they just need to do a bit of research. If I check out a random handful of names from the attestation papers website I find, for a large percentage, their next of kin live in the UK.

I suppose the equivalent of Veteran Affairs is the British Legion. Or is it some other organisation? They should consider designating a location on the front that is central for the British effort, perhaps. The sculpture and memorial had been completely restored for this year and thus needed an offical re-opening - not so the Arras memorial? We'll need to bring pressure to bear now - for the 100th anniversaries are starting soon!

[Derek Robertson]

My concern was about the lack of British interest in Arras, as throughout I ever only saw one British flag.

Arras is very much the "forgotten" British battlefield of the Great War but, to a number of us here, it is equally as important, if not more so than the likes of the Somme and 3rd Ypres.

And I can't see anyway to change attitudes.

[Alan Tucker]

We Brits have collectively allowed the Great War to be hi-jacked by two words - Somme (first day only of course) and Passchendaele.

There were much greater casualties per day during the Battle of Arras than either of the above and, even worse, the great military triumph of the Battle of the 100 Days is likely to get the Arras treatment in 2008.

[susanhemmings]

What a superb site.

Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Remembering always.................

[ragamuffin]

Thanks Afkay, Sorry to attribute to you some of the feelings I got when I visited. I had a problem with my coach tour in that they seemed to want to avoid Vimy as it wasn't "British" even though VIMY ridge was plastered over the front of the bus, we only were allowed 3 and a half hours there - not enough time to see both the park (tunnels/trenches/memorials) AND the ceremony. A video of the documentary was shown on the bus, and I think that many on board were moaning about Canada with comments such as "you'd think they won the war single-handed" and such like, so they didn't even bother showing the second part of the program.

My sorrow is that many of these "Canadian" fallen are great granduncles to many Brits today - they just need to do a bit of research. If I check out a random handful of names from the attestation papers website I find, for a large percentage, their next of kin live in the UK.

I suppose the equivalent of Veteran Affairs is the British Legion. Or is it some other organisation? They should consider designating a location on the front that is central for the British effort, perhaps. The sculpture and memorial had been completely restored for this year and thus needed an offical re-opening - not so the Arras memorial? We'll need to bring pressure to bear now - for the 100th anniversaries are starting soon!

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

The thing is a lot of British who aren't in the know, mix the Canadians with the Americans and therefore lies the problem.

As in my previous posts on other threads, I had a marvellous time with the Canadians and certainly an experience I wish to obtain again.

I spent a good part of the 10th April with my PDA (Linesman), with a Canadian, tracing his Grandfathers footsteps at the Pimple. We pinpointed the actual place in where he fought.

So I do and try to be helpful.

Danke.

[turenne]

Can anyone explain why there are a not inconsiderable number of soldiers listed on the Vimy Memorial as "X served as Y" (where X and Y are two different surnames)?

[Norrette]

Can anyone explain why there are a not inconsiderable number of soldiers listed on the Vimy Memorial as "X served as Y" (where X and Y are two different surnames)?

It's interesting - there are also many names on the CWGC website at the VIMY graves/memorial who have a regiment marked as ALIAS. I've no idea myself.