Vimy Ridge Research Paper

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Topic: To what extent did the Battle of Vimy Ridge or Beaumont-Hamel affect your community? Use primary sources to support your answer.

Premise to the Battle of Vimy Ridge as well as immediate effects
The Battle of Vimy Ridge has been quoted as “one of the defining moments in Canadian history”, and there are reasons as to why this is. The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9, 1917(Good Friday), however, there were months of training and planning that led up to this attack of a main German line. Britain and France had both failed to capture Vimy Ridge and ended up losing around 1,500,000 men in the process, causing there to be a lot at stake for the Canadians, the last of the Allies to try to take Vimy Ridge. Canada’s planning included …show more content…

It was only by the suggestion of the Prime Minister at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King, that the World War I monument be built at Vimy Ridge. To this day, the Vimy Memorial is remembered as a monument that shows Canadian spirit and that displays the true extent of our soldiers’ courage. The Vimy Memorial is pictured on the $20 bill, has been commemorated in song, and it is symbolic as one of the greatest victories that Canada has ever had. It is one of many true displays of what it means to be Canadian. There are also many people in my community who recognize the sacrifice of the Canadian men who went to fight at Vimy Ridge. One very recent example of this is a march that was performed by the Burlington Air Cadets of the 715 Mohawk Squadron. This group led a 3600 metre march across some parts of Burlington to honour the 3600 men who gave their lives to take Vimy Ridge. This march started at their legion and it ended at City Hall and it wasn’t only the Cadets who were marching, many people took the time that day to go and march with the Cadets. There is also a Burlington Cenotaph where the lives of those who fought at Vimy Ridge and other World War I battles are inscribed. Though my community recognizes the sacrifice of the Canadian soldiers, the extent of the effects of this battle were rather miniscule in comparison to other parts of Canada. Of the 620,000 Canadian men and women who enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force(CEF) during the war, just 300 of them came from the Burlington-Aldershot

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