Less than an hour later, we were eating again at Café du Pays in Arras (coffee, omelette and frites). We took a taxi to Vimy, which is a very small farming community about 20 minutes from Arras. The weather was awful – rain and fog – but somehow appropriate, given our quest. We met Brianne from Niagara Falls at the front gate. She explained the layout of the grounds and suggested we visit the memorial first before heading to the visitor’s centre. We walked down a short road, flanked on both sides by maple trees in full fall foliage. Once we cleared the trees, we looked to our left and saw the monument in the mist.
I had seen photos and news footage of the Vimy memorial but nothing prepared me for being in close physical proximity to it. It was breathtaking and heartbreaking. I will let my photos do most of the talking about this sight because words cannot describe it. There were a few people milling around the monument with us but after awhile, we were left alone with it.
The land surrounding the monument was granted by France to Canada “in perpetuity” after the war. The monument is built out of white stone from Croatia (the mine had closed but they re-opened it to refurbish the monument). The lawn immediately surrounding the monument is well-tended but beyond that, most of the area is roped off with warnings about live ordnance. The rolling hills were unnaturally built from craters of exploded mines and weaponry. The lip of the ridge could be seen through the trees and the drop off was steep. No wonder the area was coveted by both sides -- it would give the occupier a definite visual advantage and act as a natural barricade. The herd of sheep quietly grazing off to the side were our only companions, along with four large crows cawing loudly as they circled overhead. The mist dampened all sound and we found ourselves talking in low voices as we walked around the memorial.
Designed by Canadian sculptor and architect Walter Seymour Allward, the Vimy Memorial stands on Hill 145, overlooking the Canadian battlefield of 1917, at one of the points of the fiercest fighting. It took 11 years and $1.5 million to build and was unveiled on July 26, 1936 by King Edward VIII, in the presence of President Albert Lebrun of France and 50,000 or more Canadian and French veterans and their families. In his address, the King noted, "It is a memorial to no man, but a memorial for a nation."
At the base of the Memorial, in English and in French, are these words: "To the valour of their countrymen in the Great War and in memory of their sixty thousand dead this monument is raised by the people of Canada"
In fact, more than 66,000 Canadians died in action or of their wounds after the war; more than one in ten of those who had worn uniforms. Among the dead are many who have no known grave. Inscribed on the ramparts of the Memorial are the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers who were "missing, presumed dead" in France.
(courtesy of Veterans Affairs Canada)
I was loathe to leave this special place . . .
Finally, we pulled ourselves away from the monument and made our way to the Visitor’s Centre. Inside, we were greeted like visiting royalty by the young Canadian staff. The Centre is totally manned by Canadian bilingual university students who apply in Canada for the opportunity to live and work in France for four months. We watched a video on how the monument was refurbished. We decided to go visit the onsite cemeteries before taking a scheduled tour of the underground trenches at 3PM. There was a large flagpole with a Canadian flag and the sun came out just as I was about to take the photo.
In the cemeteries, we met three guys from Sheffield who were on a one week tour of different battlegrounds in France. They gave us a ride back for the tour of the Grange “subway”. The five of us went down with Scott, our tour guide from Whitby Ontario, along with 25 English school kids. Being in the trenches and the underground human “subway” was a harrowing and humbling experience. As Reg, one of our fellow tourists commented, “Every Canadian needs to see Vimy.” For a history of Vimy Ridge and Canada’s amazing contribution to this battle in World War I, please refer to the Veterans Affairs Canada website.
Sarah, another one of the Canadian students, ordered a taxi to take us back to Arras where we stopped for a Croque Monsieur (toasted cheese sandwich with ham) and a beer while we waited for the train. We were home by 7:45PM, and after a light supper with some wine, we were in bed for another early night.
Click here to see my photos of Vimy
2 comments:
I very much enjoyed reading about your day, Juliana --- It sounds like a day well spent! I know what you mean, when you say you had to "pull yourself away". Vimy is the sort of experience that keeps drawing you back.
I didn't want to leave the monument. It was a strange sensation ...
I would like to go back again someday. It was one of the most memorable days of my vacation.
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