Delegation will help mark Vimy anniversary
CBRM’s District 8 will be twinned with Givenchy-en-Gohelle
A delegation from France will be in Sydney Thursday for an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
The delegation will arrive at the downtown civic centre Thursday and will go on to visit several Cape Breton communities including Cheticamp, Glace Bay, Port Morien and Louisbourg, following in the footsteps of Canadian solider John Arsenault, killed at Vimy in 1917.
Their visit also recognizes the contribution of Percival Anderson of Big Baddeck, who served as commanding officer of Companies C and D of the 85th Battalion of Overseas Nova Scotia Highlanders who took Hill 145, where the Canadian Vimy Memorial now stands.
The battle of Vimy Ridge claimed the lives of 3,598 Canadian troops and wounded 7,000.
The public is invited to the civic centre beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday. A proclamation will be made to twin Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s District 8 with Givenchy-en-Gohelle, the French municipality that is home to Canada’s Vimy Memorial.
A town crier will proclaim the resolution and municipal members in Givenchy-en-Gohelle will watch the event’s livestream. Following the ceremony, the flag of France will be raised outside the civic centre.
The delegation is attending several events during their visit, including a community breakfast in Baddeck on Wednesday at Royal Canadian Legion branch 53 and a visit to the Ashby Legion in the afternoon. They will tour the Cape Breton Miners’ Museum in Glace Bay, the oldest mine site in Port Morien, the Fortress of Louisbourg and the Main-a-Dieu Coastal Discovery Centre.
The Port Morien Legion will host a dinner on Thursday for the visiting group and the public is invited to a meet and greet at 7 p.m.
Dist. 8 Coun. Amanda McDougall is working with the delegation and encourages residents to welcome the group by attending one of the public events.
“Our regions have an incredible shared history,” McDougall said in a news release. “As we mark the 100th anniversary of Vimy, we can ensure the next generation continues to learn about the transformative events that shape who we are today.”
The Battle of Vimy Ridge will be officially commemorated, nationally and internationally, on April 9, with ceremonies in Ottawa and at the Vimy Memorial in France.