Royal tribute to the heroes of Vimy Ridge
Centenary of Great War battle marked
THE QUEEN has praised the courage and ingenuity of Canadian troops who fought in defence of peace and freedom at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War.
In a message to the people of Canada, the monarch – who is the Commonwealth country’s Queen – said it was everyone’s duty to remember the sacrifices of their countrymen who served in the 1917 battle in northern France and throughout the war.
The centenary of Vimy Ridge was commemorated with a major ceremony at the site of the conflict, attended by the Prince of Wales, France’s President Francois Hollande and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry – who both served in the Armed Forces – also joined their father alongside 25,000 young Canadians, descendants of those who fought and died in the four-day battle, and Canadian military veterans.
The Queen said in her message that as people on both sides of the Atlantic gathered at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial there would be “difficult memories of loss and of suffering, but also memories of many heroic acts of bravery and of sacrifice”.
She added: “On this day a century ago, thousands of Canadian soldiers stood far from home together with their allies in defence of peace and freedom. They fought courageously and with great ingenuity in winning the strategic high point of Vimy Ridge, though victory came at a heavy cost with more than 10,000 fallen and wounded.”
The Queen said as Colonel-inChief, Captain General and Air Commodore-in-Chief of Canadian Armed Forces units, she had often seen the “professionalism and dedication” as well as the sense of equality, respect, perseverance, sacrifice and hope that infuses the Commonwealth nation’s military.
She ended her message – sent to her representative in Canada, Governor General David Johnston – with the words: “It is our duty to remember and honour those who served so valiantly and who gave so much here at Vimy Ridge and throughout the First World War.”
Vimy Ridge, a decisive victory for the Allies against Germany, was important in the development of Canada’s national identity and pride as four military divisions from the nation fought together for the first time as the Canadian Corps.
The battle, which began early on April 9, 1917, was part of a larger British-led offensive, featuring Australian troops, known as the Battle of Arras which was a diversionary move to help a major French attack further south.
During the commemorations, the Prince of Wales and his sons walked in the footsteps of the soldiers who won a landmark victory at Vimy Ridge.
Charles was given a guided tour of the preserved French trenches where Canadian and British forces fought and died during the 1917 battle.
The Prince, joined by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, was taken down into a short section of the Allied front-line trenches with the German position just tens of metres away and no man’s land in between.
Surrounding them was an undulating landscape scarred with the remains of collapsed trenches and shell holes.
It was now covered with neatly mown grass but a further reminder of the legacy of war were the sections cordoned off by electric fences as unexploded ordnance lay buried beneath the surface.
Earlier Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the “power of Allied force” was as relevant today as it was in 1917. Sir Michael, who was also attending the Battle of Vimy Ridge commemorations, said national armies which worked together were “continuing to make the world a safer and more secure place.”
They fought courageously and with great ingenuity. The Queen’s tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought at Vimy Ridge.