After an emotional day at Juno, we spent a pretty quiet night at a small inn in Rouen. We had some great discussions with the girls about the World Wars. They asked some pretty good questions, such as, “Why would countries encourage their people to ship off to kill each other?” and “When we know so many people are going to be killed, why are they still fighting in wars today?
We answered as best as we could, but sometimes it really doesn’t make any sense to any of us. We can only hope that their generation does a better job than previous ones.
We continued our war tour by visiting Vimy Ridge. Vimy is located close to Arras, France.
The battle of Vimy Ridge is considered to be Canada’s premier on the world stage as it was the first time they fought as a unified country. The soldiers fought bravely to take the ridge from the German’s over a series of battles. It came at a great cost as over 10 000 Canadian soldiers were either wounded or killed.
We started our exploration with our Canadian guide Jordan who is a student from Gatineau, Quebec currently on leave from school for the semester. He brought our group through a deep set of tunnels located way beneath the ground. I couldn’t believe the series of rooms, offices and tunnels where the soldiers would receive first aid, develop plans as well as try to blow up the German set of underground tunnels.
Our next stop on the tour was both German and Canadian trenches. They are now cemented to preserve the battle site, but we learned that trench warfare was miserable for the soldiers and many of them suffered from trench foot, lice, and constantly being cold and wet. What surprised me the most was how close the trenches were to each other. They were maybe only 10 metres between the 2 sides.
Around the trenches are craters where explosives were used. Furthermore, part of the grounds are fenced off to the public as there are undetonated explosives that have yet to be found.
We made our way to the memorial and were amazed at the scale. It was moving and awe inspiring at the same time.
Up close, there are 20 statues of humans illustrating peace, fairness, justice and the end of war to name a few. The names of the dead soldiers from this battle are also inscribed.
The most powerful part of the monument for me is where the statue of a young woman, known as Mother Canada, mourns over her dead. She is however, facing East – to the dawn of a new day of peace.
Afterwards we visited the cemeteries and again were very moved at how well they are looked after. We have made it our goal to sign the Canadian visitor’s guest book at every monument and cemetery we visit because we want the soldiers to know we are thankful for their ultimate sacrifice, but also to the war graves commission for ensuring our Canadian soldiers continue to be well respected and remembered.
Again with the 100th anniversary of the Great War this year– every Canadian should visit this site at some point in their lives to truly appreciate all that we have in our wonderful country.
Comments
20 responses to “Victory at Vimy Ridge”
Whaauw, what a deep respect. if all people would have this kind of respect, there would be no more wars.
I honestly believe that you are a great teacher/principal, and that for your students it is an honour to have you in their school.
Hi Ingrid,
I certainly wish a peaceful world for my kids….if we all could just learn to get along….
This is such an important part of our history and the pictures really tell the story. Thanks for including them. I still have the same questions as the girls. It is really difficult to understand the reasons why war still happens today when governments know and understand that so many lives will be lost. AT times it is quite mind boggling. Enjoy !
Hi Annette,
Kids sometimes ask questions that we don’t really have answers for…but in this case we’re proud that Canada stood up for freedom and the rights of other citizens of Europe. It just comes at such a huge cost.
Thank you Katina and Oliver for making your children aware of and sensitive to the pointless circle that is warfare. Yes, everyone should see this. And, yes, we all must be thankfull for our Canada.
Herta
Hi Herta,
We really wanted the kids to have a better understanding of WWI and WWII so that they could learn about why we need to have Remembrance Day. Since we’ve never been an occupied country, I think a lot of Canadian kids cannot really appreciate all that we have in our country. We just wanted to make sure our kids learn to appreciate peace and the freedom we have – and never take it for granted.
Thank you for this very moving tribute and also for the photos,
It’s been a moving experience for all of us….
When in Europe we visited a lot of the Commonwealth memorials near Brugge and learnt about the Australian soldiers in WWI. The kids gathered left over pellets and unearthed a British shell as the ground was still littered with it. It was the best history lesson they had ever had. So worth while when in these areas.
Hi Tiffany,
We saw a number of Australian displays in all of the museums. It’s amazing to think of how many countries joined together and worked for peace. Living/Visiting history is the best way to learn it….I’m sure our kids have learned more than they ever would from a history text.
Thank you for a wonderful post. Phil and Harrison took some time to visit Vimy, but I have never been. I agree it is an important visit to make. I know it has made a difference in Harrison’s understanding when Memorial Day comes around. I’ m not sure if you will visit the Limousine region, but if you do another war memorial that as impactful to us was Oradour-sur-glane although quite a sad visit look it up to find out about what happened.
Hi Harriet,
Thanks for sharing the memorial in the Limousine region. I looked it up and was horrified. Mikhaila asked me – “how can people be so cruel to each other?” I’m not sure how to answer…..
This was a very touching tribute! Baba and Papou
Hi Mom,
Everyone should see these sights…we have so much to appreciate.
Katina, Oliver, Mikhaila and Zoe,
I’m glad you were all able to visit Vimy Ridge. I visited in August 2000 and found it to be an incredibly moving experience. Pictures do not do it justice. One of my classmates found the grave site of his neighbour’s relative in the Canadian cemetery. He took a picture of it so he could give it to her.
I hope you had a chance to enjoy a nice meal in Rouen. I remember the food being very delicious!
Lots of love,
Helen
Hi Helen,
It’s quite remarkable how the war graves commission can help locate a soldier at a battlesite. They now have QR codes to link a website to each soldier and their story. It’s a great way to make the soldiers come alive and see them as real people.
I read this to Thomas so he can have a better understanding about the Canadian soldiers who fought for our country.
Thank you
Thanks Doris,
It’s good to pass this information to kids so they have a better understanding of what happened to the people of the war.
While the question of war is not an easy one to answer, I do know that the people who were directly affected by the Second World War are grateful for those who chose to fight for their freedom. My parents were teenagers during WWII. They survived 5 years of occupation by the Germans in the Netherlands. To this day they still carry both physical and emotional scars from that time. When they got married, they made a decision to migrate to Canada looking for a new and better life. Coming to Canada was an easy decision. The Dutch people have always been grateful for all that Canada had done for them during the war. Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions, even when it places our life in danger. Thank you for sharing your lessons and reflections.
Hi Neil,
Yes – you are so right….although a tough decision, we must stand up and protect those who are being attacked. I shared your comment with my kids and they also agree that it was/is important to stand up and fight against those who are bullies/dictators etc…. The sad part is the loss of life and the impact for so many, and for so long (like your parents, my parents and Oliver’s too). It would be best if governments could work things out so that wars didn’t start in the first place.