Monday, April 9, 2012

Vimy Ridge 95 years on...

It is one of the most beautiful memorials to The Great War, The War To End All Wars. I say this clouded by being a descendant of those who fought in the trenches of WW1 France, has travelled to more modern warzones, and seen the way others commemorate the past.

Exactly 95 years ago, on Easter Monday, 1917 - April 9 - an assault began on German positions in northwestern France that had previously proven unassailable by Allied forces. This time it would be led by Canadian troops, under Canadian commanders (not British), and it would succeed beyond anyone's expectations.
We Canadians - and many others - often forget we can a tenacious bunch of SOBs, your best friends, and worst enemy. Canadians put on a good show of civility. But trust me, there's a hornest nest we'll unveil if needed. What came from the Boer War, WW1, Ortona, Normandy or Bihac were the product of a nation created by so many people who had to live with war. We know it. Don't like it. But sometimes have to deal with it. Pacem ad omnes...