SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Vimy Ridge Day

Honourable senators, I rise today to mark Vimy Ridge Day. This is in remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and has been held annually since 2003 to commemorate that famous battle.

In past years, I have spoken about the bravery of the Canadians at Vimy Ridge: people like Captain Thain MacDowell of Ottawa, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions. But today, I would like to speak about the monument itself: its creation, construction and unveiling.

After the war, the governments of France and Belgium offered Canada various sites for the purpose of building monuments to the fallen.

In 1920, the government called for designs, and of the 160 received, one stood out: the one by Walter Allward. Allward’s design was so striking and so unique that the government decided that, rather than building various monuments across Belgium and France, it would build only one: the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge, which began at 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, was the first time that the four infantry divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together. The battle itself lasted four days. The monument would take much longer to build.

The construction began in 1924, and over the next 12 years, the monument would rise above the site of a battle that is now part of our national consciousness and our history. I want each of you to imagine, if you can, what that monument looks like as it stands today.

Imagery abounds on the monument. Carved into the base are the words “In Flanders Fields.” Along its walls are the names of those 11,285 Canadians who fell across the battlefields of France and have no known grave.

Two tall pylons, representing Canada and France, forever joined by the crucible of war, rise above the ridge. But the most striking feature is the statue Canada Bereft, a solitary female figure who grieves for the fallen sons of Canada. This is a monument not to the glory of Canada but a tribute to sacrifice.

The monument was unveiled in July 1936 by King Edward VIII; interestingly enough, it was the only major public act he undertook as the King of Canada. Among those present that day was the 8-year-old boy Don Wood, who is with us in the gallery today. He travelled to Europe with his parents.

Don’s father, Henry Wood, a British veteran of the Royal East Kent Regiment, immigrated to Canada in 1906 and joined the reserves of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada.

In August 1914, Henry Wood volunteered for active service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, serving as Company Quarter Master Sergeant with the 13th Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada, The Black Watch, at Vimy Ridge.

Henry’s son, Don Wood, who is now 98 years old, is recognized as the last living Canadian to have attended the unveiling of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. He is our last living link not just to that ceremony but, in a way, to the battle itself. That is why I am so pleased he could join us here today.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr. Wood and his family for being here with us today. Please know that we see you and, if I may paraphrase from John McCrae, we are here to receive from your hands the torch of remembrance, and we promise to hold it high.

“Lest We Forget.”