Canadians marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge on the weekend.
Some were lucky enough to be at the Vimy Memorial that stands on the site where the battle took place in 1917. Others attended ceremonies in their community or region.
The activities for Estevan actually took place on April 8, the day before the 100th anniversary of the start of the famed battle. But when you consider the Royal Canadian Legion鈥檚 Estevan branch has its annual Vimy Night the Saturday before the start of the battle, it made sense to have events a day early.
The Estevan Army Cadets and the local legion deserve credit for the great events they hosted. Army cadet commanding officer Craig Bird provided lots of information and showed an old National Film Board of Canada on the battle.
A ceremony at the downtown cenotaph was a poignant tribute to those who fought in the battle.
And the annual Vimy Night at the legion was not only a chance to present awards to longtime Legion members, but it was an opportunity to give another tribute to those who fought in the battle.
Captain Robert Rooks deserves credit for the speech he gave about his uncle, Lester, who died at Vimy Ridge. And Angela Clements鈥� video of her visit to Vimy Ridge gave viewers a closer look at the design of the Vimy memorial.
For those who couldn鈥檛 make it to the Vimy memorial itself, the local efforts were great.
Hopefully we won鈥檛 wait until the next Vimy anniversary milestone to reflect on the battle鈥檚 significance in Canadian history.
The Vimy Night at the local legion branch had seen dwindling numbers for years. This year鈥檚 dinner was the largest crowd they have had in well over a decade.
The army cadets鈥� activities were also well-attended, and Bird is hopeful they can start to host a public event on an annual basis.
It would be nice to give local people the chance to learn more about this battle.
Vimy Ridge should be recognized as one of our nation鈥檚 defining moments. A mission led by Canadians dislodged the Germans from the ridge, after repeated failed attempts by the British and the French.
It is quite incredible that a country that was a couple of months away from its 50th birthday could do what the Brits and the French couldn鈥檛 do. And it鈥檚 incredible that Canada was a country of eight million people at the time.
It was a rare victory for Allied nations in 1917, and it returned possession of a key strategic point to the French.
It showed the combat abilities of our soldiers, and it reflected Canada鈥檚 ability to plan out and execute an attack.
At the same time, Vimy was tragic. More than 3,500 Canadian soldiers were killed. Another 7,000 were injured. Was it a victory? Absolutely. Did it change the way the rest of the world viewed Canada鈥檚 military? Definitely.
When Canadians arrived at Vimy, the Germans erected a sign that said 鈥淲elcome Canadians.鈥� A few months later, after the Canadian victory, the Germans weren鈥檛 taking Canada lightly any longer.
The cost of victory was steep.
I didn鈥檛 realize that 11 soldiers from the Estevan area were killed at Vimy. Seven more died due to the injuries they sustained during the battle.
The events held on the weekend, at the Vimy memorial and in Estevan and other communities in Canada, were worthy of this Canadian victory. And they were also worthy of the soldiers who gave their lives to win the battle.
