In the early hours of April 9, 1917, the bloody assault on German-occupied Vimy Ridge began and the ensuing four-day fight cost 3,598 Canadian lives and left 7,000 more wounded.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge has become one of Canada’s most celebrated skirmishes of the First World War and a supposed “turning point for the Allies” that has been lauded as a nation-building moment for the country.
With the 100th anniversary of the battle being commemorated on Sunday in both Canada and France, historians who spoke with Global News say it’s important to honour the soldiers who fought and died, but also to avoid the mythology that has clouded the horrors of Vimy.
READ MORE: Long-lost diary of Edmonton soldier sheds light on Battle of Vimy Ridge
Jamie Swift, co-author with Ian MacKay of The Vimy Trap, says the myths around Vimy, of “Vimyisms”, were only recently constructed in the last few decades.
Swift said while Vimy marked the first time four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together, the incredibly high casualties from the four-day battle on the muddy hill led to the imposition of conscription by Prime Minister Robert Borden and a bitter federal split.
Four people were killed and dozens more were wounded in the Quebec Riots after soldiers opened fire on a crowd in Quebec City in April 1918 — nearly one year after Vimy.
Swift says another fact often misremembered is the taking of the ridge was led by British Lieutenant-General Julian Byng and not Maj.-Gen. Arthur Currie, who was second-in-command. He adds that most of the men in the Canadian Corps at Vimy had been recent British immigrants to Canada, not the “rustic Canadians” referenced in Pierre Burton’s 1984 book Vimy.
WATCH: Searching for Vimy Ridge’s lost soldiers
Historica Canada, the organization that produced a famous Heritage Minute about Vimy, claimed the taking of the ridge “was considered the turning point of World War I.”
Historian Geoffrey Hayes says this just isn’t true, noting the war continued for another 19 months.
“The myth kinds of bumps into reality a little bit,” he said. “We can create a mythology by pulling something out of context. The idea that Vimy is not only an important point for Canada, but it tends to spin out in a certain kind of popular imagination.”
Hayes said the Vimy battle was actually part of a large British offensive on the Arras front, which is often forgotten. The success of the Canadian attack on Vimy, despite the high number of casualties, helped to fuel the legend surrounding the battle.
“The French hadn’t been able to take Vimy, the British hadn’t been able to take Vimy, but the Canadians could,” he said. “So there is a belief, or perhaps mythology, that Canada was a different country as a result of what happened there.”
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Both Hayes and Swift say Vimy often overshadows other important points in the First World War such as the Battle of the Somme and Hill 70.
The Battle of Hill 70: Canada’s forgotten Vimy Ridge
But for historian Anthony Wilson-Smith, the president of Historica Canada, Vimy has come to symbolize Canada’s overall efforts in the war.
“It was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together. Our troops performed with distinction — capturing most German positions and taking high points on the ridge,” Wilson said in an email. “The scale of Canadian engagement, the success of Canadian divisions fighting together for the first time, the extent of the losses — and the haunting imagery and words that have become attached to those memories.”
WATCH: Looking for the lost soldiers of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Mike Drolet reports.
And those who fought haven’t been forgotten. Celebrations are set to take place across the country on Sunday to commemorate the centenary of Vimy.
The tiny French town of Givenchy En-Gohelle — population 2,000 — has been covered in more than 500 Canadian flags to mark the sacrifice Canadians made during the battle.
“It’s a tribute to all of the Canadians who died for France,” Givenchy resident Richard Bouzen told Global News.
The village is home to Canada’s Vimy Memorial, where a ceremony is set to take place Sunday. Globalnews.ca will livestream both ceremonies in Ottawa and France beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
“Our troops… achieved their goals and did so with heroism, grace and at great cost,” Wilson said. “Those are qualities we’ve seen in evidence time and again from Canada’s military over the years. Our continuing respect and remembrance of all those who took part is very much justified.”
— With a file from Jeff Semple
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