The 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge is an important part of Canada 150 celebrations and a defining event in the history of our nation. Although Confederation occurred 50 years earlier, it has been said that in 1917, Canada was transformed from colony to nation on the slopes of Vimy Ridge. Less well recognized is the important service of Canada’s legal professionals in that part of our history. This year will be different.
In April, Canadians will commemorate the uncommon service and sacrifice of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who left their families and occupations to serve in WWI generally and at Vimy in particular. For the first time, in recognition of the remarkable service and leadership of Canada’s legal professionals, the Chief Justice of Canada and the Judge Advocate General of Canada are invited to participate formally in the Vimy commemoration at the national cenotaph in Ottawa. This recognition has been well earned.
The most senior Canadian military officer ever to die in combat is Malcolm Mercer, a lawyer
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Charles Holland Locke, a lawyer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, served as a Captain in the artillery at Vimy Ridge. Perhaps as significant as their service in war is the leadership these great Canadians provided to the profession and to the country when they returned home. After the war, Locke returned to practice law in British Columbia and in 1947, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Service and leadership are inter-generational principles. Mr. Justice Locke’s son, Charles Conrad Locke became a lawyer in British Columbia. Locke the younger served as an artillery officer in WWII and went on to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and later, a Justice of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia. Charles Conrad Clarke also served as President of the British Columbia Law Society and President of the Federation of Law Societies of
One of Canada’s largest military endeavors was the battle of Vimy Ridge during World War One. It was a fierce battle between Germans and Canadians. Canada was trying to take over the German controlled ridge, which ran from northwest to southwest between Lens and Arras, France. Its highest point was 145 feet above sea level, which was exceptionally helpful in battle because of the very flat landscape. Already over 200,000 men had fallen at Vimy, all desperately trying to take or defend this important and strategic ridge. As a result of its success in taking the ridge, Canada gained a lot more than just the strategic point. Canada was united as a nation, and the victory changed the way other counties viewed them. Canadians no longer
The Battle of Somme had a significant impact on Canadian nationalism by uniting people under a shared identity. This battle brought Canadians together against a common cause despite the intensity of the war and the heavy death toll. The majority of the deaths were young men from Newfoundland. The Battle of the Somme was a significant event in the First World War. The bravery and accomplishments of Canadian soldiers there helped establish their growing reputation as skilled defensemen who could face opposition in the face of heavy fire. Before WW1, Canada was merely a Federation that did not have the soul and unity of a nation. Residents did not identify themselves as “Canadians” until this momentous occasion in the war that helped cement the
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest military battles ever fought. This battle contributed to Canada’s coming of age as a nation. The taking of Vimy Ridge claimed more than 200,000 lives during the first World War and will forever remain in the history as one of the worlds great military triumphs. The Canadian Military used extensive planning, new innovative weaponry and relied on the tremendous courage and sacrifice of its soldiers in order to claim victory.
When one thinks of Canada, he/she is most likely to stereotypically comment on a subject regarding hockey, beavers, maple syrup, and cold weather. However, not many stop and wonder about how Canada became the peaceful nation it is today. Throughout Canada’s relatively short and brief history, it has managed to flourish into a strong and powerful nation. Canada’s peaceful identity has been formed with meaningful historic events that have occurred throughout our history.It’s identity has been characterized by Lester B. Pearson's role during the suez canal, their involvement in the Vietnam war, and its engagement in peacekeeping missions around the world.
These men, who had fought so valiantly, were among the brightest and the toughest are land had to offer. No one soldier was spot lighted as an overall hero in the Canadian Corps, they instead worked as a strong unit; this was orchestrated by the Officer Corps to make sure that the fighting force was strong from the bottom up and not from the top down. This was a new concept and made the bonding between Officers and Men stronger than any other Army. Yes, we were a country, but what is a country? This was the first opportunity to rally together from all provinces in such great numbers since 1867, yes there was the Boer War but the numbers were small in comparison to WWI and Vimy and for the first time we were under command of a Canadian Brigadier General and not a British Field Marshall. For once united, from one end of the land to the other, brothers in arms we could nail down our Nationalism. Vimy was fought with Canadians, plans were devised by Canadians, and for once we took center stage in the world. To quote from Brigadier General A.E. Ross, “In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a
At the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadians gained self respect when they realized the greatness of their accomplishment. At the peace talks in Versailles, Canada earned its own seat. On top of that, Prime Minister Robert Borden signed independently. Canada’s nationalism became recognized in society. The link between Canada and Britain began to fade away but our link with the USA heightened. Canada located the national war memorial at Vimy after it was donated by the people of France. The memorial recognizing all who fought for our country placed where we were reborn as a
Francis Pegahmagabow, for example, is the most decorated Indigenous solider for World War I and World War II and was “one of only thirty-nine soldiers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force to be awarded the Military Medal and Two Bars for valour, yet he is not mentioned even once in the voluminous war diary of the 1st Battalion, the unit he served with for almost the entire duration of World War I” (Hayes, 2009: 124). The reasons Pegahmagabow received these awards are still being debated. Pegahmagabow, who was an activist in Indigenous rights during his life after World War I and throughout World War II was quoted writing the following in a letter to the Canadian government in May of 1914:
In my opinion, Vimy Ridge is a defining moment in Canadian history because it gave our whole country a sense of nationalism for one of the first times ever. This part of our history was all about World
The most important aspect of this proposal deals with the aftermath of the Canadian insurrections. This will be of extreme to significance to the reader as the aftermath of the rebellion would change the destiny of Canada. After learning of the uprisings in the Canadian colonies the British parliament sent a commission to study the causes. Lord Durham was named governor on May of 1839 and was in placed in charge of establishing an inquiry into the rebellions. From this inquiry came a list of recommendations submitted to the parliament in London (Outlett, 275). Two recommendations in this report became extremely significant to Canadian history.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
These battles fought by Canadians on water and in the air were significant contributions to the Allied air and naval forces.
Vimy Ridge is Canada’s most celebrated battle. Through immense preparation, dedication, bravery, loyalty, and devotion, our troops achieved the most significant victory of the first world war. This gave Canadians a sense of national pride, which united citizens. A strong feeling of real nationhood was established. Our troops were able to demonstrate their strengths in preparation and combat. This battle was a major turning point in WW1 for the Allies, and the war ended completely a year and a half subsequently. Vimy Ridge set Canada on the course to total sovereignty. It played a big role in defining our nation today, and led to the free country we now know. If Vimy Ridge had been lost, our country may not even exist right now. Numerous lives
Little recognized, outside of the 1812 war’s scholarly circles, the Canadian campaign of the War of 1812 was critical to the success of the then fledgling United States of America. While the initial battles of the Second War of Independence, an alternate name for the War of 1812, did not end positively for US forces, one could argue that the very defeats suffered contributed to our most successful policies in foreign policy throughout its history. Further, if the Canadian campaign has garnered little thought from the average American, it was most certainly a critical portion of the entire war effort. Standing in the opening of that campaign is the Siege of Fort Detroit and the initial defeat of American forces at the hands of the British.
The section continues on the trench raiding at the Vimy Ridge. It was also the first time that Xavier killed a human with his own hands rather than a bullet. Xavier and his comrades were relieved from the front lines for a few days after the unexpected victory. Xavier was depressed by Gilberto’s death before his eyes at Vimy Ridge. Xavier, Elijah, Fat, Graves and Grey Eyes are the only remaining original privates. Xavier has another moment; wondering why Elijah was getting all of the fame, while he remained unknown. During the relief, Xavier showed off his sniping skills by killing a duck that Elijah failed to hit with one shot. Xavier noticed that he was only a few miles away from where Lisette lives and planned to sneak out to reunite with
Furthermore, the Battle of Somme was the worst battle Canada fought. The Battle of Vimy Ridge lasted for 3 days and 13,400 soldiers were killed, the Battle of Passchendaele lasted 94 days and 15,564 soldiers were killed. Although Canadian soldiers waited for reinforcements to come and they never got their in time so a lot of them were killed but that wasn’t the worst. The Battle of Somme lasted 141 days Canadian soldiers endured the pain coming from the Germans, they unleashed attack after attack until the Canadians needed to rethink their whole plan. Canada still used the same plan as before. Was the plan thought out or was there just no other