The Battle of Vimy Ridge marked "the birth of a nation" for Canada, says Gov. Gen. David Johnston.
Johnston and a Canadian delegation of politicians and 5,000 students gathered at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France Monday afternoon to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the surprising and striking victory for Canada's military. The brutal Easter Monday battle killed more than 3,500 Canadians and wounded scores more, according to Veterans Affairs Canada, but was a turning point for the Allies in the First World War and a key moment in Canada's military identity.
"In many ways it was the birth of a nation. It was the first time Canadians fought together shoulder to shoulder," Johnston said Monday from Vimy, France. "Not as a subordinate unit in the British army, but on our own."
The Canadian victory at Vimy Ridge - the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps worked together as one formation - also gave Canadians a heavy-hitter reputation for breaking through the centre of the seemingly impenetrable German defence.
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