XAVIER DUMONT

The Great War witnessed many battles. The battle of Vimy Ridge was supported by the Canadian people. Between April 9th and April 12th 1917, 4 Canadian divisions would manage to conquer the ridge. The Canadian victory cost the nation 3,598 killed and 7,104 wounded. Taking the ridge was more than a simple victory; the Brigadier-General A.E. Ross declared after the war, "in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation."

In tribute to these Canadians, in 1922 the French government assigned forevermore Vimy Ridge and the surrounding lands to Canada. The memorial of Vimy created by the Canadian sculptor Walter Allward recalls the memory of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died for France. This memorial is surrounded on the neighboring lands by trees; these trees represent Canadian people.

2017 will not only be the centenary of this victory but also the centenary of the birth of the Canadian nation