July 28, 2026.  On July 26, 1936 the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, designed by Walter Allward, was officially unveiled – 90 years ago. In September 2017, we visited Vimy Ridge during our 6 week, 7,000 km (4,350 miles) war memorial journey in Europe that took us through 4 countries. Pieter placed flags at the known graves of men listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion in Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, and we stopped at many memorials during our visit.

I was reminded of the 90th anniversary as the most anticipated stop in 2017 was Vimy Ridge in France, where two WWI soldiers listed on the Cenotaph are also named on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial: John ‘Lymon’ WOOD and Patrick Raymond ARSENAULT.  (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2017/07/28/learning-about-the-two-names-on-the-vimy-memorial/)

The turn-off to the Vimy Ridge memorial and visitors centre is a tree-lined public road, with jogging and walking paths, that leads to the nearby villages of Givenchy and Vimy.

….The Canadian National Vimy Memorial took 11 years to build….

Although we were familiar with the memorial from seeing it on TV, it’s much larger and beautiful when seen in person.  While we knew that the land around Vimy Ridge was gifted to Canada by the French government in December 1922 as a mark of gratitude for Canada’s involvement in the defence of France during WWI, it wasn’t until we were there in 2017 that we understood why it took so many years to build.

The memorial sits on the highest point of Vimy Ridge, known during WWI as Hill 145.  The ground was littered with unexploded shells and grenades, rusted weapons and wire, and 91,440 metres (100,000 yards) of earth had to be removed by hand to prepare for the monument’s base.

Nearby dugouts and tunnels had to be emptied of explosives that were still stored there, and filled with wet chalk or concrete. Finding underground caverns hidden beneath the monument’s base was crucial, as the memorial weighs more than 50,000 tons.

Work on the monument itself finally began in 1925, took 11 years to build and cost 1.5 million dollars. The white limestone used for the memorial came from an ancient Roman quarry in Seget, Croatia, and didn’t arrive on site until 1927.

The familiar two tall columns represent Canada and France. The pillars together and the horizontal base also form the top half of a cross. The monument includes 20 figures representing honour, justice and peace.

One female figure, known as ‘Canada Bereft’, stands alone looking out over the slopes of the ridge. The base of the monument is engraved with the 11,285 names of Canadians who have no known grave in France.

….Previous stories about WWI soldiers listed on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial….

In 2017, we were aware of only the two names previously mentioned: John ‘Lymon’ WOOD of North Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Patrick Raymond ARSENAULT of Bedeque, Prince Edward Island.   Since then, we’ve also told the stories of two more soldiers whose names are engraved on the monument:  Merrill Augustus MARSHALL of Covehead, Prince Edward Island, and Lloyd Clifton SHORTLIFF of Barton, Nova Scotia.  Here below are links to their stories:

• Patrick Raymond ARSENAULT: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2017/08/07/ww1-soldier-private-patrick-raymond-arsenault-uncovered/
• Merrill Augustus MARSHALL: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2023/06/14/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwi-signaller-from-covehead-killed-during-the-battle-of-vimy-ridge/
• Lloyd Clifton SHORTLIFF: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2022/07/31/the-ww1-soldier-from-barton-whose-body-was-never-recovered/
• John ‘Lymon’ WOOD: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2019/09/16/the-parallel-ww1-experiences-of-john-lymon-wood-clifford-almon-wells/ and https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2018/06/02/wwi-soldier-john-lyman-woods-connection-with-acadia-university/

….Stories about our 2017 visit to Vimy Ridge….

Missed our stories about our 2017 visit?  You can read them here:

• https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2017/09/12/a-visit-to-vimy-ridge/
• https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2017/09/19/visiting-the-canadian-national-vimy-memorial/
• https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2017/09/14/visiting-the-tunnels-at-vimy-ridge/

Our visit to Vimy Ridge will never be forgotten.  Meanwhile, Pieter’s research efforts to find photos and families of soldiers continue. Do you have a story to tell? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw.

Never miss a posting!  Subscribe below to have each new story from the war memorial trail delivered to your inbox.