“Remembering Vimy” Story

Over one hundred years ago, in the First World War, Canadian soldiers were at a place called Vimy Ridge in France.  At Vimy Ridge, the soldiers trained. They marched for hours each day carrying a rifle, a heavy sack, food, shovels and more. 

They were strong young men, but they needed help to get much needed supplies to the front lines. The supplies were heavy —about the weight of several elephants! ­Thankfully hard-working pack horses helped ease the load.

Thousands of horses were shipped from Canada over the ocean to France to help. With so many horses around, sometimes there were even baby animals born on the battlefield. One little horse was born on Vimy Ridge, and the soldiers named the cute foal Vimy. It is neat to be named after something so important like the Canadian Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Looking after Vimy must have been a welcome break from the hard life training and fighting in the trenches. Having a young animal to care for helped keep their minds off their worries, even if it was just for a moment.

The Canadians bravely fought and won.  Sadly, many soldiers died on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1917, the first day of the battle. Today, at Vimy Ridge in France, there is a very large white monument that towers above the area where the Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought more than 100 years ago. It is a special way to remember all the Canadians who served and died there.