The Belleville Veteran’s Council has announced it will mark the 100th anniversary of the World War One Battle of Vimy Ridge, in a special ceremony this spring.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge in France began at 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, 100 years ago.
Soldiers from across Canada, including from the Quinte region, were in the forefront in the charge up the Ridge, a major battle of the war.
Chair of the Belleville Veteran’s Council, Mel Burnett, says the Canadians made their mark.
Burnett says for the first time the regiments were fighting as a Canadian force, not just part of the British army.
#2 VIMY RDGE
The public is invited to the commemoration on Sunday, April 9, at the Belleville Cenotaph.
Major ceremonies will be held in Ottawa and at Vimy Ridge in France.
Due to heightened security in France, anyone planning to attend the 100th anniversary ceremony at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial site in France, April 9th, must register online by February 28, 2017.
Go to: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/vimy-ridge/100-anniversary
The Battle:
The Battle of Vimy Ridge began at 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917. The first wave of 20,000 Canadian soldiers, each carrying up to 36 kilograms of equipment, attacked through the wind-driven snow and sleet into the face of deadly machine gun fire. Battalions in the first waves of the assault suffered great numbers of casualties, but the Canadian assault proceeded on schedule….most of the heavily-defended ridge was captured by noon. Hill 145, as the main height on the ridge was called, was taken on the morning of April 10. Two days later, the Canadians took “the Pimple,” as the other significant height on the ridge was called. The Germans were forced to withdraw three kilometres and the Battle of Vimy Ridge was over.
