Vimy Ridge Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about The Battle of Vimy Ridge

Since 2003, Vimy Ridge Day has been observed on April 9 in Canada to honor and commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which took place during the First World War at Vimy Ridge, France, in 1917. The Canadian flag on Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower in Ottawa is required to be lowered to half-mast by law. Wreath-laying ceremonies are held at the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, and other locations around the country.

The background of Vimy Ridge Day

The Victory of Vimy Ridge Battle was considered a historic moment in the country’s history. The victory was not easy to attain, as years of failed attempts, strategic planning, and preparation to regain Vimy Ridge were endured. The Ridge was under Germany’s control since 1914. Since then, around 150,000 British and French soldiers were sacrificed in the attempt to retake the ridge. The Germans secured their position with machine gun fires, barbed wires, and deep bunkers, making it difficult for any country to take over. Because of their remarkable achievements, Canadian troops gained a reputation as formidable and effective troops. However, the victory came at a horrific price, with over 10,000 people either murdered or wounded.

In April 1917, the Canadian Corps was given the order to seize Vimy Ridge. The heavily constructed seven-kilometer ridge in northern France provided a superb view of the Allied lines. Because earlier French attacks had failed with over 100,000 dead, the Canadians would be attacking over an open graveyard. Canadian and British artillery blasted German positions on the ridge before a week to the battle, killing and torturing defenders. With almost 1,000 artillery pieces putting down withering, supporting fire, the Canadian soldiers would be strongly backed when they went into the fight.

The four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought bravely together for the first time during the Vimy Ridge Battle. Around 15,000 soldiers initiated the battle at 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917, marching under a slow-moving bombardment of almost 1000 heavy guns. Most objectives were met on time, and by afternoon, most of the ridge had been taken, except for ‘The Pimple’, a high position on the ridge’s north end, where defenders held out until April 12. By the 12th of April, the Canadians had captured all of their objectives as well as 4,000 prisoners. Vimy Ridge was captured by the Canadians. During the four-day combat, 3,598 Canadians died and 7,000 were injured, making this victory a costly one.

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5 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT THE BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE

The French government awarded the people of Canada perpetual use of the land for the battlefield park that houses the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in 1922.

Walter Seymour Allward, a Canadian artist and architect, constructed the Vimy memorial — he once told a group of friends that the design’s form came to him in a dream.

On July 26, 1936, it was dedicated by King Edward VIII, in the presence of President Albert Lebrun of France and 50,000 or more Canadian and French soldiers and their families, after an eleven-year construction period costing $1.5 million.

Sheila Copps, then Minister of Canadian Heritage, recognized the Canadian National Vimy Memorial as a Canadian National Historic Site on April 10, 1997.

The National Vimy Memorial overlooks the 1917 battlefield in Canada and is located on Hill 145.

VIMY RIDGE DAY DATES