Vimy
Memorial stands on the highest point of Vimy Ridge. It was here
on Easter Monday, 9th April 1917, that the Canadians launched an
assault. It was an outstanding success and broke the Hindenburg
Line, but with appalling casualties.
The
site was chosen as the Memorial to the Canadians who died in France.
Designed by a Canadian, Walter Allward, the memorial is made of
limestone it commemorates not only more than 11,000 Canadians who
have no known grave, but also all 66,655 Canadians who travelled
across the Atlantic and died on the Fields of France.
Today
the area around the Memorial is pockmarked with shell craters, and
because of the still present danger of unexploded shells, the only
living creatures to walk the grass are peacefully grazing sheep.
There
is a reconstructed trench and tunnels which one can visit most of
the year.
The
250 acres of land which surround the Memorial were given by the
French to Canada in perpetuity. The area is planted with Canadian
trees - one for each of the dead.
For
a very interesting site, with lots of photographs and articles please
see
http://www.interlog.com/~fatjack/vimy/vimy.html