Hundreds of Londoners will join thousands of Canadians coming together to remember an important part of the country’s history.
Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Representatives for Vimy Legion Branch 145 and the Thames Valley District School Board are heading to the memorial in France for the ceremony this weekend. Approximately 500 students are making the trip.
School board spokesperson Stacey Oliver said the trip gives young people the opportunity to be a part of history.
“Their toes are going to be on the soil making history through a historical moment that they’re going to be able to say, ‘we were there,’ and so that was really neat to see the kids really put that together,” she said.
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Randy Warden, the president of the Vimy Legion Branch, said approximately 12,000 Canadians are registering for security passes and around 10,000 residents of France will be in attendance on Sunday.
He said earlier this week that a delegation of 45 Legion members is preparing to head over for the ceremony.
“We all served so we have a veteran’s perspective when we are there,” he said. “We’re going with a blend of those that had served, and those that are still serving.”
He said it is important for Canada to take pride in their success on the ridge, but also to remember the 10,000 people who were killed or wounded in the battle.
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Warden and the delegation is meeting up with London-based company Canadigm to explore the tunnels under the memorial and use technology to record the etchings from soldiers on the walls for further research.
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Londoners will begin their trek back to the Forest City on April 15.