Vimy ceremony a thoroughly Canadian moment
DOUG SAUNDERS
Globe and Mail Update
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070409.wvimy0409/BNStory/International/home
VIMY, France ― Beneath the warm sun of northern France, it was a thoroughly Canadian moment.
On the crater-pocked slope where 3,598 Canadians died 90 years before, a sun-baked crowd of their compatriots gathered Monday to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The crowd of 25,000 people ― the largest since the looming memorial to the April 9, 1917, battle was opened in 1936 ― contained a scattering of French citizens, and the figures on the podium included French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. They were part of the official party.
But otherwise, this was a Canadian day, marking a battle barely remembered outside Canada, one that many here see as the birthplace of our modern nation.
Aerial view of the people attending Monday's 90th anniversary ceremony marking the World War One Battle of Vimy Ridge. Eric Pollet/Reuters
“Those who seek the foundations of Canada's distinction will do well to begin here, at Vimy,” the Queen, dressed entirely in white, told the crowd. In rededicating the restored Vimy Memorial, she said the capture of the German-held ridge by Canadian troops was “a stunning victory. She said that in achieving their formidable objective, the Canadians “transformed Vimy Ridge from a symbol of despair into a source of inspiration.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Vimy Ridge is one place in the world where Canadians can feel at home while they are abroad.
Mr. Harper said the thousands of Canadians attending the ceremony were a long way from home. “But there may be no place on Earth that makes us feel more Canadian, because we sense, all around us, the presence of our ancestors.”
The ceremony concluded with the Queen rededicating the Vimy Memorial. Four French jetfighters flew over the monument after the Queen's address.
The ceremony was overshadowed by the awareness that Canadians are giving their lives in another controversial war. The deaths of six Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan this weekend loomed over the day's events.
Mr. Harper did not draw an explicit link Monday between the sacrifices of Vimy and the Canadian contribution to the NATO campaign in Afghanistan, as he did on Sunday night.
But the Afghan war was not at all distant from the commemorations. The Queen and Mr. de Villepin mentioned it in their speeches as an example of Canada's commitment to democracy.
The Queen and Mr. Harper, joined by Mr. de Villepin and Canada's military leaders stood at attention on a podium beneath the 10-storey white limestone monument crafted by Canadian sculptor Walter Allward to the sound of bagpipes and 21-gun salutes fired on First World War guns.
Just before the dignitaries arrived, two military paratroopers sailed onto the site of the Vimy Memorial ― one trailing a Canadian flag, the other the French flag.
Thousands of Canadians were part of the holiday throng on the high shoulder of land still pock-marked with the scars of what is known as the Great War.
Three flags flew on flagpoles to the right of the main stage: the Canadian flag flanked by French Tricolour and the Red Ensign.
Elsley Foulds, an 86-year-old veteran of the Second World War, had not been back to France since arriving in 1944 in the Normandy invasion.
Asked how he felt attending the anniversary, the former medic paused and his voice shook. “It's a feeling of ... anxiety, I guess you'd call it,” he said.
“I'm not sorry I came. I'm really enjoying it, it's not something I'd want to miss. [But] some things are very difficult. We try to forget. It's still back in our minds.”
Tim Campbell, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student from Mississauga, Ont., said he was filled with pride.
“Having Canada win the battle here that was supposedly unwinnable, it just makes me proud.”
“I've never felt more Canadian than I do here,” said a retired Vancouver school teacher.
With a report from Canadian Press
DOUG SAUNDERS
Globe and Mail Update
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070409.wvimy0409/BNStory/International/home
VIMY, France ― Beneath the warm sun of northern France, it was a thoroughly Canadian moment.
On the crater-pocked slope where 3,598 Canadians died 90 years before, a sun-baked crowd of their compatriots gathered Monday to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The crowd of 25,000 people ― the largest since the looming memorial to the April 9, 1917, battle was opened in 1936 ― contained a scattering of French citizens, and the figures on the podium included French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. They were part of the official party.
But otherwise, this was a Canadian day, marking a battle barely remembered outside Canada, one that many here see as the birthplace of our modern nation.
Aerial view of the people attending Monday's 90th anniversary ceremony marking the World War One Battle of Vimy Ridge. Eric Pollet/Reuters
“Those who seek the foundations of Canada's distinction will do well to begin here, at Vimy,” the Queen, dressed entirely in white, told the crowd. In rededicating the restored Vimy Memorial, she said the capture of the German-held ridge by Canadian troops was “a stunning victory. She said that in achieving their formidable objective, the Canadians “transformed Vimy Ridge from a symbol of despair into a source of inspiration.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Vimy Ridge is one place in the world where Canadians can feel at home while they are abroad.
Mr. Harper said the thousands of Canadians attending the ceremony were a long way from home. “But there may be no place on Earth that makes us feel more Canadian, because we sense, all around us, the presence of our ancestors.”
The ceremony concluded with the Queen rededicating the Vimy Memorial. Four French jetfighters flew over the monument after the Queen's address.
The ceremony was overshadowed by the awareness that Canadians are giving their lives in another controversial war. The deaths of six Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan this weekend loomed over the day's events.
Mr. Harper did not draw an explicit link Monday between the sacrifices of Vimy and the Canadian contribution to the NATO campaign in Afghanistan, as he did on Sunday night.
But the Afghan war was not at all distant from the commemorations. The Queen and Mr. de Villepin mentioned it in their speeches as an example of Canada's commitment to democracy.
The Queen and Mr. Harper, joined by Mr. de Villepin and Canada's military leaders stood at attention on a podium beneath the 10-storey white limestone monument crafted by Canadian sculptor Walter Allward to the sound of bagpipes and 21-gun salutes fired on First World War guns.
Just before the dignitaries arrived, two military paratroopers sailed onto the site of the Vimy Memorial ― one trailing a Canadian flag, the other the French flag.
Thousands of Canadians were part of the holiday throng on the high shoulder of land still pock-marked with the scars of what is known as the Great War.
Three flags flew on flagpoles to the right of the main stage: the Canadian flag flanked by French Tricolour and the Red Ensign.
Elsley Foulds, an 86-year-old veteran of the Second World War, had not been back to France since arriving in 1944 in the Normandy invasion.
Asked how he felt attending the anniversary, the former medic paused and his voice shook. “It's a feeling of ... anxiety, I guess you'd call it,” he said.
“I'm not sorry I came. I'm really enjoying it, it's not something I'd want to miss. [But] some things are very difficult. We try to forget. It's still back in our minds.”
Tim Campbell, a 17-year-old Grade 11 student from Mississauga, Ont., said he was filled with pride.
“Having Canada win the battle here that was supposedly unwinnable, it just makes me proud.”
“I've never felt more Canadian than I do here,” said a retired Vancouver school teacher.
With a report from Canadian Press
