Canadian National Vimy Memorial

Background

Vimy Ridge is a gradually rising escarpment on the western edge of the Douai Plains, 8 km northeast of Arras. It rises gently on its western side and drops more quickly on the east, extending about 7 km in length and 700 m at its narrowest, with a summit 145 m above sea level, or 60 m above the plains, offering an unobstructed view for tens of kilometres. The ridge came under German control in October 1914 during the Race to the Sea. The French Tenth Army attempted to dislodge the Germans in May 1915 during the Second Battle of Artois, briefly capturing the ridge's height but failing to hold it due to lack of reinforcements.

Another attempt in September 1915 during the Third Battle of Artois also failed. The French suffered roughly 150,000 casualties in these efforts. The British XVII Corps relieved the French in February 1916. On 21 May 1916, German infantry attacked along an 1800 m front, capturing several British tunnels and craters; Temporary Lieutenant Richard Jones received a posthumous Victoria Cross for his defense of Broadmarsh Crater.

British counter-attacks on 22 May did not change the situation. The Canadian Corps relieved IV Corps on the western slopes in October 1916.

History

In 1920, the Government of Canada announced that the Imperial War Graves Commission had awarded Canada eight sites—five in France and three in Belgium—for memorials, each representing a significant Canadian engagement. The Canadian government initially planned identical monuments for each site. In September 1920, the Canadian Battlefields Memorials Commission was formed, and in November 1920 it decided to hold an open architectural design competition for Canadian architects, designers, sculptors, and artists.

The jury included Charles Herbert Reilly, Paul Philippe Cret, and Frank Darling. From 160 design drawings, 17 finalists were selected to produce plaster maquettes. In October 1921, the commission chose the submission of Toronto sculptor Walter Seymour Allward as winner; Frederick Chapman Clemesha's design was runner-up. Allward had previously designed Canada's national memorial for the South African War.

The complexity of Allward's design prevented duplication at each site, countering the preference of architectural advisor Percy Erskine Nobbs for smaller monuments. The commission revised its plans, deciding to build Allward's and Clemesha's distinctive memorials plus six smaller identical ones.

Site

The site lies about 8 km north of Arras, surrounded by Vimy, Givenchy-en-Gohelle, Souchez, Neuville-Saint-Vaast, and Thélus. It is one of the few preserved First World War battlefields where trench lines and terrain remain in a natural state. The 100 ha area is largely forested and off-limits to visitors due to unexploded munitions; sheep graze the open meadows. The site honours the Canadian Corps but also contains memorials to the French Moroccan Division, Lions Club International, and Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Watkins.

Two Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries are present: Canadian Cemetery No. 2 and Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery. The site is popular for battlefield tours and important for battlefield archaeology due to its preserved state. An interpretive centre helps visitors understand the memorial, the battlefield park, and the Battle of Vimy within Canada's First World War participation. Together with the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, the site comprises close to 80 percent of conserved First World War battlefields and receives over one million visitors annually.

Sociocultural influence

The site holds considerable sociocultural significance for Canada. The idea that Canada's national identity and nationhood emerged from the Battle of Vimy Ridge is widely repeated in military and general histories. Historian Denise Thomson suggests the memorial's construction represents the culmination of an increasingly assertive nationalism in interwar Canada. Hucker argues the memorial transcends the battle, serving as an enduring image of the First World War and expressing war's impact, and views the 2005 restoration as evidence of a new generation's determination to remember Canada's contribution.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recommended its designation as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1996, one of only two outside Canada, the other being the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial. Remembrance also includes the Vimy Foundation, established to preserve Canada's First World War legacy symbolized by the Vimy victory, and Vimy Ridge Day to commemorate casualties. Local resident Georges Devloo spent 13 years until his death in 2009 offering free car rides to Canadian tourists as tribute.

The memorial has critics: Alana Vincent argues its constituent parts conflict, noting a visual dichotomy between triumphant figures atop the pylons and mourning figures at the base, and a textual contrast between the victory inscription and the list of missing names.