Canadian War Memorials

Our Finest Hour

The Second Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Ypres is one
remembered for its demonstration of
will. Beginning on April 22, 1915, and
ending a month later, the battle saw the
first use of poison gas, which cleared
French trenches. As the Germans
attempted an advance, it was the "The Brooding Soldier"
Canadians who prevented it, all as they
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watched men drown outside of water
while still holding the line.
The Second Battle of Ypres
Meaning and Location

The brooding soldier is a statue of a

Canadian soldier with folded arms
looking down. The soldier has a resolute
expression. Designed by a past soldier,
the statue is intended to represent the
feelings soldiers must have had for their
fallen, while they still fight.
The Battle of Beaumont-Hamel
Newfoundland, which at the time of
WW1 was separate from Canada would
scrape together a small fighting force of
men. This fighting force would be
deployed to help in the Somme
offensive by fighting further north in
A Bronze Caribou
Beaumont-Hamel. On July 1st, 800 men
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prepared for battle; they did not know
the Germans would be ready; as a
result, only 68 of those brave 800 would
see the next day.
The Battle of Beaumont-Hamel
Meaning and Location

The Bronze Caribou was the emblem of

the Newfoundland Regiment. The statue
sits in an open field, overlooking where
many men have fallen before.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
On April 9th, Canadian forces would be
attack Vimy Ridge, a hill that was well
fortified and held by Germans. The hill
had been failed to be broken by both the
French and the British, however, the
Canadian forces would not fail. After
Multiple Stone Statues
multiple days of fighting, the Canadians Veterans.gc
would be triumphant.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
Meaning and Location

The two main concrete pillars represent

Canada and France, both of which
fought for defense of a peaceful nation.
There are several other statues, all of
which have their own individual
meanings. The large pillars also have
inscriptions of 11,285 Canadian
soldiers who died in France, and who
had no resting place.
 The Battle of Passchendaele
The battle of Passchendaele was a
major allied campaign to liberate some
amount of Belgium. It was started on
July 31st and was quickly successful
until rain. The unfavorable weather led
to the offensive stalling, and the
A Large Inscripted
formation of trenches. The Canadians Block of Granite
and the British would suffer horrible Veterans.gc
conditions and 310,000+ casualties.
The Battle of Passchendaele
Meaning and Location

The memorial stone is simple and

without any major design. It has
inscribed "THE CANADIAN CORPS IN OCT.-
NOV. 1917 ADVANCED ACROSS THIS VALLEY -
THEN A TREACHEROUS MORASS - CAPTURED
AND HELD THE PASSCHENDAELE RIDGE"
The Battle of Cambrai
The battle of Cambrai was an allied
offensive against the Hindenburg Line.
The attack, taking place on November
20th, 1917, used tanks to break the line.
This break the led to an over extension
of tanks, and 88th brigade, consisting of
A Bronze Caribou The Monument is a Bronze
many Newfoundland soldiers. These Caribou, the symbol of the
Veterans.gc men who originated from
soldiers would face a brutal Newfoundland during the war.
counterattack, pushing them back to
the original Hindenburg line.
The Second Battle of Arras
The second Battle of Arras was an
extension of an allied offensive in
Amiens. Canadians were tasked with
making the initial break, and on August
26th, Canadians would begin an attack
through multiple bridges and towns
An Inscripted Stone The stone is inscribed "THE
CANADIAN CORPS 100,000 STRONG
towards the Hindenburg line. The initial
Veterans.gc ATTACKED AT ARRAS ON AUGUST 26TH
1918, STORMED SUCCESSIVE GERMAN
attack succeeded, and, aided with
LINES AND HERE ON SEPT. 2ND BROKE
tanks, the Canadians broke the AND TURNED THE MAIN GERMAN
POSITION ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Hindenburg line. AND REACHED THE CANAL DU NORD"
 My Opinion
Monuments and Cemetaries dedicated
to soldiers and their achievements are
inherently necessary. This is because,
especially in WW1, the deaths of men in
war tend to be pointlessly painful and
useless. In my opinion, the soldiers of
now, and the soldiers of then who have
put their life on the line deserve respect
even if their person does not deserve it.
To put your life up for something is the
highest bet any person can put, to not
respect that in perpetuity is wrong.
Bibliography
All links in hyperlinks next to images.