Today is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge which we are told established Canada as a country.
Just to establish my bona fides; my grandfather was in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Unfortunately he died in the 1930s and I never knew him; I only have one photo of him. He was wounded there which eventually along with being gassed earlier in the war lead to his premature death. He did meet my mother an English nurse who he married and brought back to Canada. It could be said that without the battle of Vimy Ridge, I wouldn't be here. In fact if you take into the fact the butterfly effect, the world might be very different without the battle of Vimy Ridge.
Vimy Ridge was the first battle entirely fought by Canadians. Not entirely, there was a British General Lord Byng. Lord Byng later became Governor General of Canada. Notwithstanding the battle of Vimy Ridge, it would be another 20+ years before a Canadian could be trusted to be Governor General. Lord Byng's wife, Lady Byng is much more famous: she donated the trophy given yearly to the most gentlemanly player in the NHL. Those of us interested in constitutional law will remember Lord Byng in another context.
I haven't read much about the Battle of Vimy Ridge but the underlying principle of the battle seemed to be that if you bomb the shit out of the other side and aren't terribly worried about casualties (a large reason why Canadian rather than English or French troops were in the battle) you will win more often than you lose. The battle was of questionable significance in the long run.
The thing is however.....
The First Nations have been in the territory which became Canada for 10,000 plus years. The first (non-Viking) European contact was in 1497. The first permanent settlement in the early 1600s. The boundaries essentially established after the American Revolution. A lot of history, a lot of people lived and died to create was is now Canada.
So can you really boil all that down to one battle even if my grandfather was there.
Just to establish my bona fides; my grandfather was in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Unfortunately he died in the 1930s and I never knew him; I only have one photo of him. He was wounded there which eventually along with being gassed earlier in the war lead to his premature death. He did meet my mother an English nurse who he married and brought back to Canada. It could be said that without the battle of Vimy Ridge, I wouldn't be here. In fact if you take into the fact the butterfly effect, the world might be very different without the battle of Vimy Ridge.
Vimy Ridge was the first battle entirely fought by Canadians. Not entirely, there was a British General Lord Byng. Lord Byng later became Governor General of Canada. Notwithstanding the battle of Vimy Ridge, it would be another 20+ years before a Canadian could be trusted to be Governor General. Lord Byng's wife, Lady Byng is much more famous: she donated the trophy given yearly to the most gentlemanly player in the NHL. Those of us interested in constitutional law will remember Lord Byng in another context.
I haven't read much about the Battle of Vimy Ridge but the underlying principle of the battle seemed to be that if you bomb the shit out of the other side and aren't terribly worried about casualties (a large reason why Canadian rather than English or French troops were in the battle) you will win more often than you lose. The battle was of questionable significance in the long run.
The thing is however.....
The First Nations have been in the territory which became Canada for 10,000 plus years. The first (non-Viking) European contact was in 1497. The first permanent settlement in the early 1600s. The boundaries essentially established after the American Revolution. A lot of history, a lot of people lived and died to create was is now Canada.
So can you really boil all that down to one battle even if my grandfather was there.
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