Many Historians believed that the victory of Vimy Ridge was a memorable and unreal moment for Canadians. At that time, Canada was known to be a part of the British Empire. This meant that if Britain was to go to war, then Canada would automatically have to go to war as well.1 The Battle took place on April 9, 1917 and it was a huge victory for the Canadians.2 The significance of the battle of Vimy Ridge to Canadian history was that Canada became famous for its heroic soldiers, its large sacrifice and it was the birth of Canadian patriotism.3
To begin, the battle of Vimy Ridge was not just considered to be the greatest achievement for Canadians, but it became famous for the clever tactics which the Canadian troops used during the war.4 To start off with, The Battle of Vimy Ridge was the first battle in which Canadians from all over the land fought as a united team.5 This gave them an advantage and brought them much success during the war because they outnumbered the Germans.6 This is witnessed when Brigadier General A.E.Ross announced, "In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation."7
Furthermore, the carefully thought out attacks of the
…show more content…
Furthermore, Vimy also became symbolic of Canada's overall sacrifices in the First World War, especially its 60,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in war.10 As the sun rose out, nearly 100 000 Canadian soldiers were ready to fight the Germans.11 Frankly only one out of four Canadian divisions failed to conquer all of the goals by noon.12 Then on April 12th a telegram was sent from one of the brigade commanders saying "I am the king of the pimple".13 This told the Canadian commanders that the job was finished.14 This persuaded Prime Minister Robert Borden to step out of Britain's shadow and become a separate representation for Canada and the other countries at the Paris Peace talks after the war.15 Vimy then became a symbol for the sacrifice of the young country and also a symbol of the birth of Canadian
Canadian lives changed drastically during the early 1900s as their alliance with Britain forced them into the first world war. When it was first introduced men were ecstatic to enlist and join the Canadian military. Many young men considered this to be a great opportunity to be adventurous and heroic individuals and show their nationalism towards Canada. After the first two years their excitement to join the war began to dwindle. Wounded men would come back from the war and tell horrible stories about what life was like and the terrible conditions they were forced to live in.
Julian Byng became the commander of the Canadian corps on May 1916 and he finished in late 1917. Julian Byng forged Canada to be elite fighting group that enemy would be scared to fight, he led Canada through 3 battles. He came from a long line of military forebears his grandfather had been a senior officer at Waterloo in 1815. After about two months following the battle of Byng was promoted to the role of commanding the third British army so his previous position as commander of the Canadian corps went to Arthur Currie. Sir Arthur Currie was considered as a brilliant Canadian military commander during the Great War during the battle of vimy ridge he carefully planned and reformed to protect his men throughout the war to reduce the amount of
This huge accomplishment earned Canada more respect from other countries and proved that they could be trusted to carry out important tasks. Lastly, Canada’s sacrifice to the freedom of the Netherlands saved many innocent lives. During the WWII, many citizens of the Netherlands were dying of starvation, as food supplies had been exhausted and the Nazi’s occupation in the country prevented supply reinforcements. Thus, when Canada liberated the Netherlands, it allowed them to parachute or trucked in food for the starving Dutch population. (The Liberation of the Netherlands, 1944-1945, www.warmuseum.ca)
2014 Borden Vs King: Conscription Before World War I and World War II, Canada had the reputation of a small colony that was controlled by the British Empire. Being a member of the Empire, Canada had to participate in the wars because when Britain is threatened so is Canada. With Canada participating in the wars, men had to volunteer to partake in the military. However, the number of casualties exceeded the number of volunteers.
Thanks to our amazing General Wolfe who came up with the brilliant idea to send up his soldiers to scale the steep cliff and attack Quebec on the western side. We might not Britain’s Victorious have won the war. Until the French decided to not wait for their reinforcements and fought Britain. Since we had trained men, who knew how to fight and the French had militia. They
Canadians designed new skill tactics, which improved their chances of winning. Winning the battle of Vimy Ridge awarded Canada with world recognition, and pride. The battle of Vimy Ridge was truly one of the most defining moments in Canadian
First of all, Canada was the only Allied country whose armed forces were successful in capturing Vimy Ridge. This showed the other Allied countries that Canada was able to succeed while being independent from the other nations. It also proved that Canada could manage themselves on their own without the help of the British Empire. In addition, the incredible victory helped create a larger sense of Canadian identity in our countries and in the World War. Vimy Ridge was also a valued strategic point that allowed Allied forces to move ahead into German lines.
Many people were involved in the battle of Vimy Ridge since two countries tried to take over the Ridge. Hundreds of thousands of casualties and deaths of German, Canadian, British and French deaths combined. Led to other main future events, such as the battle of Passchendaele and the granting of the battlefield to Canadians from the French. Finally the battle of Vimy Ridge was significant because we are taught about it today and it affected soldiers for a long time regarding the sicknesses they came back with. The battle of Vimy Ridge included lots of self-determination, courage, faith and collaboration which are important factors in making a war
Before this conflict, Canada was nothing but a small British colony, living under the control of England, incapable to be brave and victorious. After this war, Canada came out as a bright and strong nation of its own; it received its own signature in the Peace Court, more autonomy from England, and the unification of all Canadians. At that moment of victory, every soldier was for once, proud to be
The day before to the battle of the Ypres commanders of the Allies forces had been warned of an attack with poisonous gas that the Germans were planning for the next day but they decided to ignore the warnings. On the 13th of April of 1915 the German troops released a chlorine gas attack over no man’s land that dispersed the French troops and killed many of them; the Canadian troops were positioned meters behind the battle front and, when the saw the French troops running away from the gas, they stood their ground and with just a cloth over their mouth as protection against the gas the Canadians fought the German soldiers. That day the Canadians proved themselves as strong capable forces but many of the soldiers on the field that day died due the effects of the chlorine gas in their system. Another of the battles were a bad plan resulted on unnecessary bloodshed of Canadian troops was on the Somme, where the reckless attitude of General Haig resulted on the death of thousands of soldiers on the hands of the enemies’ troops and where, once again the Canadian regime of Newfoundlanders proved their military value and were the Canadian troops earned the name of
The way of life for the common man in Canada had changed drastically. It was a major interest on Canada’s side; civilians were using this war to prove their points, thousands died to save their families from shame. Things changed socially as well Canada was an
Canada has been defined by its contributions at home and abroad in WWI, WWII, and peacekeeping. World War I played an important role in Canada’s history. It shaped Canada by giving women suffrage and by the war creating a greater divide between French and English Canadians. By the end of WWI, the Canadian government
World War 1 was a historic event which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This bloody conflict took the lives of more than 17 million people who were fighting for their countries. Being a British colony at the time, Canada was dragged into the war that did not impact the country in any way, yet thousands of Canadians volunteered to devote their lives for their nation. The first World War had the greatest impact on Canadian history during the 20th century, as this event helped Canada gain more independence from Britain, it helped introduce women in the workforce, and also introduced non-white Canadians in the army. For the longest time, Canada had been under British control, however, this changed a bit after World War 1 took place.
One of Canada’s strengths was its major contributions to the war such as soldiers, supplies and victories that helped Canada gain a new sense of maturity. After gaining their own Commander of Canadian Corps. in 1917, Canada was seen as being less dependent on Britain, because it was slowly starting to become its own separate nation. Canada was invited to the Paris Peace Conference and given two seats. Canada signed the Treaty of Versailles in its own right as an independent country, and the identity of Canada had changed as a result of WW1.
“We have shown that even in trench warfare it is possible to mystify and mislead the enemy.” -Sir Arthur Currie (World War 1). The most vital and important battle that gained Canada respect was The Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada played the biggest part in taking this area since they fought alone.