My VAC Account
My VAC AccountCanada's national war memorial in Europe stands as a tribute to all Canadians who served during the First World War, particularly for those whose final resting place was then unknown.
On this page, find historic and current photos of the memorial at Vimy Ridge.
The site of Vimy Ridge was a memorial long before the actual monument was built.
Long before Walter Allward created the Vimy Monument, those who served their country in uniform understood that battlefield memorials should not glorify war. Instead, they should convey a great sense of loss, and honour the dead who sacrificed their lives for the living. Long before the fighting ended, ceremonies like this one were commonplace at Vimy Ridge and the surrounding battlefields.(Memorial Service to men of 87th Battalion who fell at Vimy Ridge. September 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)
But the military did not only honour its dead with ceremonies, it erected monuments to their fallen and lost comrades.(Canadian Artillery Memorial at <em>Les Tilleuls</em> Crossroads, Vimy Ridge. January 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
Some were simple crosses...(Memorial to men of the 58th Canadian Infantry Battalion killed on Vimy Ridge. July 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
... with an almost eerie yet comforting presence.(Graves of two officers of the Canadian Railway Troops killed while laying a railroad over Vimy Ridge. August 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)
They were meant not only to remember fallen comrades but to remind everyone who would come in the following years...(Grave of Pte. Brebner, 43<sup>rd</sup> Battalion Vimy Ridge. July 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
...that this place, like all great battlefields, is haunted by the spirit of the dead.(Canadian graves on Vimy. July 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)
There is a palpable sense of sanctity on Vimy Ridge that once inspired William Lyon MacKenzie King – Canadian Prime Minister when the idea for the Vimy Ridge Memorial was conceived – to refer to the ridge as consecrated, hallowed ground."The real memorial being the ridge itself, one of Earth’s altars, on which Canadians sacrificed for the cause of humanity." Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King And, indeed, it is.(Memorial to men of a Canadian Division who fell on Vimy Ridge, at "<em>La Folie</em>" Farm. It bears the inscription: 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Division. Library and Archives Canada.)
The four-day assault in April 1917 cost the lives of 3,598 Canadian soldiers and officers. When one starts counting all those who died trying to take or defend the hill – British, French, Moroccans, as well as Canadians – the numbers become staggering... overwhelming... mind numbing.(Memorial erected to the soldiers of the 1<sup>st</sup> Canadian Division who fell during the taking of Vimy Ridge. February 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
(Detailed view of previous photo. Memorial erected to the soldiers of the 1<sup>st</sup> Canadian Division who fell during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. February 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
The same sense of sorrow and obligation to the dead that prompted the Canadian government to fashion a memorial park out of a scarred battlefield, often inspired the military to build memorials right where Canadians fell or close to important captures and targets (as seen here – a monument erected at an important crossroads and beside a dug-out entrance).(Memorial in the north of crossroads. Library and Archives Canada.)
Some of the early memorials at Vimy Ridge, considering the conditions in which they were erected, were monuments in their own right...(General Sir Arthur Currie, Canadian Corps Commander, unveiling the Memorial erected by Canadian Artillery in memory of artillery men who fell during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. February 1918. Library and Archives Canada.)
...and some, like this one built in a mine crater, were overpowering testimonials of care, love, loss and regret.(Memorial to men of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division who were killed at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada.)
King Edward VIII took time to pay his respects at even the most humble of these memorials, for each one was a powerful reminder of why we simply should not and cannot forget.(His Majesty the King reflecting upon a Canadian grave at Vimy Ridge. July 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)
In 1920, the Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission started planning for the construction of the eight Canadian battlefield memorials. The first step was a competition for memorial designs, which would be open to all Canadian architects, designers, sculptors and other artists.
A few months after the November 11, 1918, Armistice (end of the First World War), it was agreed that Canada would be awarded eight battle sites for commemoration by the governments of Belgium and France as a sign of thanks for our help in liberating their countries. Each of these sites represented significant Canadian engagements. For that reason it was originally decided that each battlefield would be treated equally; all eight of them would be graced with identical monuments. With that in mind, the newly created Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission (CBMC) launched a national architectural and design competition in December 1920. (CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.) *Belgium: Saint-Julien, Passchendaele, Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) *France: Hill 145 (Vimy) Dury, Bourlon Wood, Courcelette, Le Quesnel
The competition took place in two stages. In the first stage, only drawings were submitted. Here are a few of the 160 designs placed before the jury.(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
Close up and details of previous entry.(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
The jury submitted its report on April 21, 1921. Out of the 160 submissions from all around the country, 17 were chosen for the second phase of the competition and each artist was given $500 to prepare a plaster maquette (a 3-dimensional model for sculpture or architecture projects).(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
Look closely – you will recognize some of these plasters from the earlier drawings...(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
Walter Allward's entry, however, was so striking and original that the jury quickly suggested it not as a model for all eight battlefield memorials, but as Canada's one and only national war memorial in Europe.(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
Hill 145 – the highest point on Vimy Ridge and the Canadian Corps' main objective on April 9, 1917 – was arguably the site of one of Canada's greatest military achievements. It was for that reason that the government approved the idea of a single national war monument at that location.(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
The only other design that did become a monument was F.C. Clemesha's second place entry (left). It was intended to grace the other seven battlefields but, once unveiled in St. Julien on July 8, 1923, it proved so impressive that many believed that repeating it would detract from its importance.(CBMC Competition. Veterans Affairs Canada.)
The commission was so overwhelmed by his design, that it changed its own plan and opted instead for one national memorial. The other seven sites limited to a simple granite block to not distract from his design for Vimy Ridge.
His true genius was to draw meaning out of carnage, light from darkness, and to put into tangible form the depth of the sacrifice and the sense of loss felt by those who survived. 'Let it go out of your heart and into the stone.' Spoken by the character of Walter S. Allward in Jane Urquhart's Canadian best seller 'The Stone Carvers'.(Walter Allward. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
Born in Toronto on November 18, 1876, Walter Seymour Allward's style as an artist and architect was well established by 1921... (Portrait of a young Walter Allward in his studio. Circa 1914. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
...when his was chosen as Canada's tribute to its dead and lost on French soil. (Maquette of the Vimy Monument – plaster. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
But none of his previous endeavours completely explained the overwhelming scale and power of what he had in mind for Vimy Ridge.(South African Monument. Toronto. Copyright of D.S. Richardson.)
The First World War had disrupted traditions, and many artists who had lived through it experienced a strong sense of rupture in history.On a more personal level, Allward, who had lived through the war years, suffered its consequences and truly understood the toll taken on the nation and its citizens.(Walter S. Allward. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
The Vimy Monument reveals Walter Allward as an emotional individual burdened by sadness and a deep sense of obligation to never forget those who had died so that the living may secure a better life.(Walter Allward Portrait. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
The Canadian National Vimy Monument, according to many, is Allward's greatest work.(Showing one of the reclining figures at rear of Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)
He dedicated 14 years of his life to its completion. (Allward in Seget limestone quarry. Croatia. Library and Archives Canada.)
Allward with block which will be carved to become the female mourner sculpture.
Before construction on the Vimy memorial could begin, Allward made half actual size plaster models of every sculpture.
(The Defenders, Sympathy of Canadians for the Helpless. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
Don't be fooled by the term 'half scale'! Canada Bereft, or The Figure of Canada. Vimy Memorial Plaster. National Gallery of Canada.)
(The Defenders, The Breaking of the Sword. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
Though these plasters are half the size of the monument's statues, their presence still inspires a certain awe and calm.(The Spirit of Sacrifice, Sacrifice. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
(The Spirit of Sacrifice, The Torch Bearer. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
(Hope. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
(Charity. Courtesy Canadian War Museum. William Kent.)
Constatez vous-mêmes la magnificence des modèles en plâtre en vous rendant au Musée canadien de la guerre à Ottawa, en Ontario, où plusieurs de ces personnages ornent l'imposante Salle de la Régénération.En observant les modèles, on arrive à discerner les traces laissées par l'artiste et à imaginer ses mains travailler le plâtre – une expérience unique que le monument lui-même ne procure que partiellement, la plupart des statues étant hors d'atteinte.(La Foi. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
(L'Honneur. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
Après leur création, les modèles en plâtre étaient expédiés à la crête de Vimy... (La Justice. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
... et déposés à côté du bloc de pierre qui allait servir à leur sculpture.(La Paix. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
Puis, le travail de finition a été exécuté à la main par les sculpteurs. Ce travail colossal a été réalisé sur place.(La Vérité. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
La transformation des blocs de pierre Seget (une sorte de pierre calcaire) en reproduction double grandeur des modèles en plâtre a été réalisée en deux phases. D'abord, on a utilisé un appareil appelé pantographe (retour) pour reproduire les modèles et graver leur forme brute dans la pierre.(La Connaissance. Avec la permission du Musée canadien de la guerre. William Kent.)
With the right supervision, the elegant and simple main body of the monument could be built by contractors and stone cutters from architectural drawings. However, the 20 allegorical figures would only keep their true classical character and Allward's unique styling if touched by the master himself. So Walter Allward handcrafted half scale plaster models of each one of them. (Female Mourner. Vimy Memorial Plaster. National Gallery of Canada.)
(Male Mourner. Vimy Memorial Plaster. National Gallery of Canada.)
After winning the 1921 Canadian Battlefields Memorial Commission's design competition with etchings of his now famous masterpiece, Walter Allward had to find a way to bring his vision to life by turning concept into reality. He had to bridge the gap between relatively small reference drawings and the monumental limestone carvings found on Vimy Ridge today.(Maquette for the Vimy Monument c.1921 plaster. Walter S. Allward Collection. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
It took fourteen years of dedicated work by a group of artists and labourers to build the memorial. This massive foundation was required because the base and the twin pylons contain almost 6,000 tonnes of a limestone brought to the site from Croatia.
The twenty sculptured figures were carved where they stand from huge blocks of this limestone.
... which were hand finished by master carvers under the watchful eye of Allward, who took part in every aspect of the monument's creation.(Sympathy of Canadians for the Helpless, Finishing touches, October 18th, 1932. Library and Archives Canada.)
In 1924, the Canadian Battlefield Memorials Commission hired Dr. Oscar Faber (a young Danish structural engineer) to prepare foundation plans and to provide general supervision on the foundation work for Walter Allward's creation. This was no easy task given the many tunnels, barb wires, unexploded shells and bodies under foot. In 1925, work began. Slowly, with picks and shovels, the ground was dug in, cleared of war debris and leveled.(Excavation for Vimy Memorial. National Gallery of Canada. Gift of Peter Allward, 1986.)
Soon after, the foundation work began.(Foundations of Vimy Memorial. National Gallery of Canada. Gift of Peter Allward, 1986.)
For years men toiled... (Men working on concrete reinforcements for foundations of Vimy Memorial #1. National Gallery of Canada.)
Moving 65,000 tons of chalk and clay and even more building materials on horse drawn light railway cars... (Horses pulling 'cart' on tracks for excavation of foundations of Vimy Memorial. National Gallery of Canada. Gift of Peter Allward, 1986.)
... putting up 285 tons of steel rebar... (Men on steel reinforcements for concrete for central pylons of Vimy Memorial. National Gallery of Canada.)
... et coulant manuellement 6 300 verges cubes de béton...(Des ouvriers travaillent sur l'armature de béton des fondations du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
... jusqu'à ce qu'une fondation assez solide pour supporter le monument soit en place.(Fondations en béton du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
En 1928, après trois années de travail, voici comment apparaissait la plate-forme. Elle était presque prête à recevoir le doux calcaire blanc de Seget choisi par le créateur du monument.(Construction du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée Royal du 22e Régiment.)
Ces pierres avaient été extraites d'une carrière voisine de Split, aujourd'hui en Croatie. Particulièrement difficiles à extraire, les pierres furent transportées en bateau, non sans mal, jusqu'en France. De fait, il leur fallut une année entière pour faire le voyage!(Le port (carte postale). Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
Une fois sur place, tous les blocs furent inventoriés... (Blocs de pierre taillée dans la cour de triage. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
... et alignés en groupes en fonction de leur position finale sur le monument.(La crête de Vimy, février 1928. W. et M. le Chat. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
De vastes hangars furent construits pour abriter les tailleurs de pierre et les sculpteurs chargés de dégrossir les blocs bruts...(Ouvriers au travail sur des blocs de pierre équarris et numérotés dans un hangar. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
... et de sculpter des pièces décoratives plus détaillées comme celles-ci.(Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
Débutèrent ensuite les travaux de couverture de l'immense socle de béton par les dalles de belle pierre blanche qui allaient bientôt dominer le paysage, visibles à des kilomètres à la ronde.(Installation du revêtement en pierre. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
Progressivement, les travailleurs commencèrent à poser avec soin les blocs dans lesquels seraient sculptées les 20 statues allégoriques.(Montage sur rampe d'un gros bloc de pierre, Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
La Figure représentant le Canada serait taillée dans le plus gros bloc de calcaire utilisé pour le monument.(Mise en place d'une grosse pierre au Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
Tandis que progressait la construction des pylônes (à gauche), un studio de bois fut construit (à droite) autour du bloc de deux mètres de profond par quatre mètres de haut pour abriter les sculpteurs des intempéries.(Vue rapprochée d'une face du monument, premier niveau avec abri. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
Quand les pylônes de 30 mètres furent en place, il fallut sculpter le groupe des huit statues formant le Choeur. Il est intéressant d'observer les blocs bruts et asymétriques, presque suspendus aux pylônes, attendant les coups de ciseaux du sculpteur.(Vue latérale des pylônes centraux avec couverture renforcée. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
Par conséquent, un studio suspendu plus grand fut construit au-dessus de la structure.(Pylônes centraux encloisonnés, vus de la gauche. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada)
Sur cette photo aérienne, on peut voir que tous les groupes de statues ont fini par être recouverts de studios provisoires dans lesquels les sculpteurs allaient pouvoir travailler.(Vue aérienne du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.)
... fut ensuite utilisé pour produire, à partir de modèles en plâtre à l'échelle 1:2, des ébauches équarries des statues... (Reproduction de La Femme en deuil. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
Le Tombeau a aussi été créé de cette façon.(Un sculpteur taille le Tombeau du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy, en France, 1935. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.)
... et après tout ce labeur, la tâche la plus importante et la plus laborieuse put enfin débuter. Soigneusement passer au jet de sable...(Homme portant un masque protecteur passant au jet les noms sur la face du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy, accompagné d'un homme vêtu d'un manteau et tenant un livre. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
... les noms de 11 285 soldats canadiens portés disparus après la guerre furent enfin ciselés sur les parois d'un blanc immaculé, témoignage permanent du coût de la liberté. Après plus de 16 ans de planification et de construction, le monument put enfin être dévoilé!(Deux hommes en train de graver des noms sur une face du Monument commémoratif du Canada à Vimy. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.)
Tout en haut de leur pylône, toujours à l'abri de leur studio de protection, les statues terminées de la Justice et de la Foi attendent la sculpture de l'Espoir.(Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.) Passer au contenu principalPasser à la version HTML simplifiéePasser à la version HTML simplifiée Sélection de la langue Sélection de la langueEnglish Gouvernement du CanadaGouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca MenuMainMenu Mon dossier ACC / My VAC Account Vous êtes ici : Accueil Commémoration Mémoriaux Mémorial national du Canada à Vimy Table des matières Le Canada pleure ses morts Un hommage aux sacrifices Propositions de conception La construction commence Conception et symbolisme Une place d’honneur Tranchées préservées Inauguration de 1936 National Historic Site Cimetières Information pour les visiteurs Visiter le mémorial La bataille de la crête de Vimy Galerie de photos Renseignements connex
Sur cette photo, la Paix et l'Honneur, au-dessus des blocs dans lesquels sera reproduite la Charité.(Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
Éventuellement, des statues comme Les Défenseurs : Compassion des Canadiens pour les faibles (ci-dessous) furent prêtes au dévoilement.(Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.) Passer au contenu principalPasser à la version HTML simplifiéePasser à la version HTML simplifiée Sélection de la langue Sélection de la langueEnglish Gouvernement du CanadaGouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca MenuMainMenu Mon dossier ACC / My VAC Account Vous êtes ici : Accueil Commémoration Mémoriaux Mémorial national du Canada à Vimy Table des matières Le Canada pleure ses morts Un hommage aux sacrifices Propositions de conception La construction commence Conception et symbolisme Une place d’honneur Tranchées préservées Inauguration de 1936 National Historic Site Cimetières Information pour les visiteurs Visiter le mémorial La bataille de la crête de Vimy Galerie de photos Renseignements connexes Mémorial national du Ca
Des travailleurs s'activèrent tout autour du monument pour les touches finales... (Photo de l'arrière de la Figure représentant le Canada avant la mise en place de part et d'autre des pierres de couronnement. On aperçoit la plaine de Douai à l'arrière-plan. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada.) Passer au contenu principalPasser à la version HTML simplifiéePasser à la version HTML simplifiée Sélection de la langue Sélection de la langueEnglish Gouvernement du CanadaGouvernement du Canada / Government of Canada Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca MenuMainMenu Mon dossier ACC / My VAC Account Vous êtes ici : Accueil Commémoration Mémoriaux Mémorial national du Canada à Vimy Table des matières Le Canada pleure ses morts Un hommage aux sacrifices Propositions de conception La construction commence Conception et symbolisme Une place d’honneur Tranchées préservées Inauguration de 1936 National Historic Site Cimetières Information pour les visiteurs Visiter le mémorial La
À cet endroit, un appareil appelé pantographe (tige et pointe de métal noir suspendues depuis le haut de la photo)... (Blocs de pierre de taille dans le chantier de travaux. Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, don de Peter Allward, 1986.)
In 1936, the monument was ready to be unveiled at a massive event with tens of thousands of Veterans in attendance and King George VI present for the dedication.
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial was finally ready to serve its purpose – to be a memorial commemorating the dead but for the living – 14 years after the French government granted Canada 290 acres of land on Vimy Ridge to use in perpetuity as a permanent memorial park, and 11 years after its actual construction began. (Unveiling of Canada's National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Pilgrims gather in front of the Monument after the ceremony. Library and Archives Canada.)
On July 26, 1936, the monument was dedicated and the Figure of Canada was unveiled by King Edward the VIII himself...(His Majesty unveils the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
... before a huge gathering of Canadian, French and British citizens.(His Majesty King Edward VIII unveiling the Figure of Canada on the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)
The black dots you see all around the monument are not trees (the area had not been completely rewooded in 1936), they are people!(Aerial view of the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)
There was great pomp and circumstance. During the ceremony, French and Canadian troops lined the broad pathway as the dignitaries approached the monument.(Unveiling of Canada's National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada.)
Among the thousands gathered for the event were more than 3,000 Canadian Veterans (who had arrived as part of an official pilgrimage from Canada). They stood in the amphitheatre with pride, their families surrounding them on sloped edges. Mr. Saburo Shinobu, a member of the Japanese Branch of the Canadian Legion Delegation, described the event :'At 2:15, the British monarch arrived. During the playing of the British national anthem and 'O Canada', he remained on the platform while guns emplaced in the valley beyond the Pimple thundered a salute... He then descended into the amphitheater and inspected the lines of veterans... speaking to those blind and maimed... The drone of aeroplanes to the west heralded the approach of two squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Flying low, they thundered past the memorial, dipping in salute. It was truly a thrilling spectacle.' (Flypast of military aircraft during the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)
Standing prominently in the crowd, were two women whose stories were testaments to sacrifice onto themselves: Mrs. Wood, who had lost 2 of her sons, and Mrs. Hall, who wore her dead son's Victoria Cross.(Mrs. Wood. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)
The King took time to meet the women, whose sons embodied what the ceremony and the monument itself were all about. He then concluded: 'Around us here today there is peace and the rebuilding of hope. And also in dedicating this memorial to our fallen comrades our thoughts turn rather to the splendour of their sacrifice, and the consecration of our love for them, than to the cannonade which beat upon its ridge a score of years ago. In this spirit, in the spirit of thankfulness for their example of reverence, for their devotion, and of pride in their comradeship I unveil this memorial to Canada's dead.' His Majesty King Edward VIII. 'The service lasted only an hour but never had anyone experienced one more solemn or moving.' Saburo Shinobu, Japanese Branch of the Canadian Legion. (His Majesty King Edward VIII greeting Mrs. Wood. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.) Skip to main contentSkip to simple HTML versionSwitch to basic HTML version Language selection Language
The military had long ago honoured its fallen members and Canadian civilians had honoured them in their own hearts as well. But, in Vimy they now had a powerful symbol to convey the extent of their true feelings of loss.(His Majesty King Edward VIII unveils the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.) Skip to main contentSkip to simple HTML versionSwitch to basic HTML version Language selection Language selectionFrançais Government of CanadaGovernment of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca Recherche sur veterans.gc.ca MenuMainMenu My VAC Account / Mon dossier ACC You are here: Home Remembrance Memorials Canadian National Vimy Memorial Table of contents Canada mourns A tribute to sacrifice Choosing a design Construction begins Design and symbolism A place of honour Preserved trenches Unveiling and dedication National Historic Site Cemeteries Visitor information Visit the memorial Battle of Vimy Ridge
