Vimy Ridge memorial unveiled

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This article was published 08/11/2017 (2909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayor Brian Bowman joined federal officials from Ottawa Wednesday to unveil a refurbished monument to the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the park that bears its name.

The outdoor event drew a couple dozen dignitaries, including service members, who observed a reading of the Act of Remembrance and a moment of silence under a grey sky and scattered flurries.

During the past three years, the city restored the monument in Vimy Ridge Memorial Park, keeping the original cross that had been erected on the battlefield in France during the First World War and adding a number of new features.

The new work includes a small, latticed brick plaza directly in front of the memorial and a raised stone circular flower bed, shaped to resemble the mound from the actual battlefield known as the Pimple.

There is also a processional walkway marked by four limestone pillars and flag poles.

The memorial is a central site for Remembrance Day services every Nov. 11.

The City of Winnipeg contributed $300,000 of the $350,000 cost of the upgrades, with the remaining $50,000 covered by Veterans Affairs’ commemorative partnership program.

Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan was supposed to make the trip from Ottawa for the unveiling ceremony, but those plans were altered when the minister suffered a medical issue last week. The nature of the condition wasn’t made public, but an assistant deputy minister who attended in his place said the minister is recovering following emergency surgery.

“It’s an absolute honour to be here to commemorate our past,” Bowman said in remarks, noting the Battle of Vimy Ridge is remembered a century later as a symbol of the birth of Canada as a nation, separate from its colonial past.

“While history often says Canada emerged from the battle as a nation, it came at a great cost,” the mayor said. “We will forever be grateful for their sacrifice.”

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One of the most significant battlefield victories, Vimy was also among the country’s bloodiest. More than 3,500 Canadians died and more than 7,000 were wounded during the offensive, which took place from April 9 to 12, 1917.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was victorious and marked the first time all four of Canada’s divisions were united and led under Canadian command in war time. The memorial is dedicated to the 44th Battalion.

First erected in 1926, the memorial has been restored several times over the years, but the current work is the most extensive to date.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca