VIMY VOICES
THOUSANDS OF CANADIANS SERVED — AND SACRIFICED — AT VIMY RIDGE.
The victory at Vimy Ridge, France, one hundred years ago, remains Canada’s most storied attack of the First World War. Beginning on April 9, 1917, along the entire length of the ridge, all four Canadian divisions advanced side by side for the first time in a single attack.
But the victory came at a cost. During four days of fighting, 3,598 Canadian soldiers were killed. This was in addition to the several thousand lost in the four months leading up to the attack.
While the battle itself did little to change the course of the war, it cemented the Canadians’ reputation as fierce attacking soldiers, a reputation they would carry forward over the remaining eighteen months of the Great War.
Here, from Canada’s Great War Album, are stories of some of the men who fought at the sharp end of the battle. We invite you to read even more stories at GreatWarAlbum.ca.