A special service was held at the Kamsack Legion Hall on April 9, the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which has been said to have been the birth of Canada.
“Even if we challenge that claim of Canadian military historians that Vimy was a milestone on the road to nationhood and even if we doubt how the slaughter of a whole generation could be ennobling to anyone, we can still reflect in awe on the experience of the volunteer infantrymen from every nook of Canada who conquered the strongest fortress on the Western Front,” said information from the Kamsack branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the host for the service.
“More than any, the Great War was the infantryman’s war and rarely has so much been asked of such men and been done so well,” it said. “They earned the battle cry ‘Vimy Ridge.’
“It was a triumph, a major victory for the Allied side after a long, bloody stalemate, and a tragedy,” the information said. “In the four-day battle, 3,598 Canadians died and another 7,004 were wounded.”
“In those few minutes, I witnessed the birth of a nation,” said Canadian Brigadier-General A.E. Ross of the victory.
For the service, a cenotaph and many white crosses bearing red poppies, was erected next to a large Canadian Flag and the names of four Kamsack residents, identified as the four men whose names are listed on the Vimy Memorial in Europe, were prominently displayed. They are: Charles Gilbert Fletcher, William Robert Hendry, George Combe Lamb and Arthur Arrison Markle.
The program included the march on of the Colours, the playing of O Canada, The Last Post and Reveille, two minutes of silence, a prayer by Rev. Stephen Ruten, the singing of O God Our Help in Ages Past and the laying of wreaths on behalf of Canada, Saskatchewan, Kamsack and the Legion branch.
Speaking during the program were Jim Woodward, president of the Legion branch; Kathay Wagantall, Yorkton-Melville MP; Terry Dennis, Canora-Pelly MLA, and Kamsack Mayor Nancy Brunt.
John Welykholowa, the most senior member of the Legion branch, had the honour of laying the wreath on behalf of the branch.
“Vimy Ridge was captured by the Germans in the early months of the war,” Woodward said during the service. “A long, high hill that overlooked the surrounding plains, it was a key strategic positon and the Allies knew they needed this position to win the war.
“At 5:30 a.m. on April 9, 1917, all plans were put into play and the determination and sacrifices helped the Canadian Corps achieve this impressive victory.”
Many names are posted on the Vimy Ridge Memorial and to this day many have yet to be identified, Woodward said. “When you go overseas and witness the magnitude of the graves of fallen Canadians, you cannot appreciate the many who came home damaged. I personally have searched our zone for the final resting place of many veterans and I believe I have only scratched the surface.
“We as Canadians can learn a lot from the ones caring for our fallen overseas,” he said. “History hasn’t been written to address our future but today’s celebration can definitely give us food for thought for our next generations’ sacrifices, hence we say ‘we will remember them.’”
A century ago today, Christian church bells tolled, as they always did on Sundays,’ Wagantall said. “However, that day, all around the globe, the faithful rose with mixed emotions.
“It was not just any Sunday, but Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day, the day Christians celebrate the rising from the dead of a Saviour who turned the tide on the chokehold of the sin of mankind,” she said. “With spring just around the corner, it should have been a day marked by joy, no matter one’s faith.
“But for the previous two years, war against Germany had held the world in another type of chokehold; one that stole their joy and paralyzed many in the world with fear. The First World War had already robbed Canadian, French and British families of their husbands, brothers and sons and left their bodies lying in unmarked graves along the fault lines of the enemy’s thirst for power and sovereignty.
“Given the tenaciousness of the Germans, and the Allies largely ineffective assaults so far, top military officials among the British, French and Canadian forces predicted the war would grind on for several years.
“But a century ago, on April 9, 1917 all that changed. The Allied assault against Vimy Ridge – the German-held hill so well protected it was thought to be impregnable – proved to be a great and unexpected success.
“The British and the French had each lost 100,000 men on that hill. And it was now the Canadians’ turn. We didn’t’ want to face that challenge knowing what had happened in the past.”
Wagantall said she has spoken to a representative from Education First with the Young Ambassadors Program who had gone to a number of schools in the Yorkton-Melville riding to talk specifically about Vimy Ridge.
“He shared amazing things I didn’t know, like our Canadian troops decided that they would do the job under one condition: that they could all fight together for the very first time,” Wagantall said. “And we did things that had not been done before; some things that really make me proud as a Canadian on top of the sacrifices that so many made.
“For the first time aircraft were used to take down the balloons of the enemy that were looking down on our forces,” she said. “For the first time a young mathematician who was amongst our armed forces said ‘we can find out exactly where their guns are up on that hill using something called triangulation,’ and they watched with a stop-watch, starting it when they saw the light from the blast of the gun and stopped when it echoed, causing a nail hung on a string in a pail of water to stir the water, and with that they could tell the exact distance to the gun.
“This is something that had not been done before and they located 1,200 of the enemies’ large guns.
“And then our aboriginal soldiers who were so adept at going out at night and marking out an exact map of everything that laid between them and that ridge, all of the trenches, and this enabled them to create the exact same layout in front of them and behind them so that they could practice exactly what they were going to do that morning.
“There were so many things that were amazing that happened because Canadians worked together.
“And the Vimy Ridge Memorial that is on our $20 bill was a recommendation…because of how it represents the first time Canadians fought together and the troops from all regions of the country sensed our unity as a nation.
“April 9, 1917 proved to be a great and unexpected success and proved to the world then and still today, that great accomplishments can be made by working together and that success comes through co-operation and thorough preparation.
“As Critic for Veterans affairs, I have a special interest in events and notable days like this. Since my election as MP for the riding of Yorkton-Melville I’ve learned an incredible amount from the veterans I have heard from and spoken with over the telephone and in person, some of whom are here today.
“Vimy Ridge, though none of us were there, is as much a part of us and our history as any recent conflict. We must not forget the lessons learned there, nor give up praying against a repeat of what first made them necessary.
“Though no war is pleasant to dwell on, gathering to remember and give thanks provides us with another reason to celebrate Canada’s amazing defenders.
“I am so proud of our veterans and current members of the Forces. I stand with you in hoping for greater awareness of our history, so that in our present, so full of similar international motives and global crises, we will be reminded of the most important lessons from our past, and of how vital it is that we never forget them.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, and her Loyal Opposition, thank you for planning this event and for inviting me to join you as you celebrate this notable centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge,” Wagantall concluded.
Terry Dennis said that he had been moved watching television that morning regarding the service at the Vimy Ridge Memorial and reiterated that the battle had changed Canada.
“Over 400 people from Saskatchewan experienced that battle,” he said, adding that it was “heart wrenching.
“We are all thankful for the freedoms of today,” he said, adding that on behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan he thanks all the soldiers who fought and those who fight today.
“We can all be extremely proud of the Canadians who worked together and fought during the First World War which was the “war to end all wars,” Mayor Brunt said, before mentioning a seemingly never-ending list of wars since then including the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam.
“Today is Palm Sunday and we acknowledge those of the Coptic Church in Egypt” where disaster struck today, proving that war has still not ended.
“Until we decide war is not acceptable, we will not have peace,” she said, mentioning post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of military conflict.
“Reach out to veterans, RCMP, paramedics and firefighters who are people we deal with on a daily basis,” she said, adding that the Legion is a place for hope and strength for these people.”
After the march off of the Colours, the parade was dismissed. The three guest speakers had the honour of cutting a special Vimy Ridge commemorative cake and everyone was served a piece along with tea and coffee.
