The legendary First World War success of the Canadian Armed Forces at Vimy Ridge is going to be remembered at the St. Albert Legion here next weekend, just in time for the centennial of the victory.
The special anniversary will also include a rededication ceremony for the plane monument in front of the Legion on Taché Street and will end with a dinner and guest speaker.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a critical victory during the start of the Battle of Arras. The Canadian Corps was able to capture the German-held high ground on the escarpment using both innovative military tactics and new technologies. The forces succeeded where those of other countries had failed, leading to the event becoming a symbol of Canadian military greatness on the battlefield and national pride. A 100-hectare area of the former battleground now serves as the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. A total of 10,500 Canadians were killed or wounded in the assault.
The day of celebration will be Sunday April 9 on the 100th anniversary of the day the four-day battle started. The assault ended on April 12, 1917.
The events will start at 9:30 a.m. with the plane rededication ceremony at the Legion. Afterward, the public is invited to come into the Legion for an open house, including First World War displays and speakers. It will be free of charge.
The Lockheed T-33AN Silver Star 3 (T-Bird) trainer jet was originally donated by the St. Albert Lions Club in honour of the St. Albert Air Cadets. It had been located on a concrete pedestal at the Taché Street Circle in front of the Royal Canadian Legion No. 271 since October 1978. It was subsequently damaged almost exactly four years ago by a still unknown vehicle.
The jet served as a training aircraft from the mid- to late-1950s. It has been restored somewhat and now features working wing lights, but some work is still coming including the addition of new decals for the plane’s exterior, said Legion president Gerry Vercammen.
“We’ll have a large number of historical artifacts that relate to World War One, some specific to Vimy,” Legion member Bill Dickson said. “There will be a couple of video displays ongoing constantly … military emphasis but largely First World War stuff.”
The displays of artifacts will also include some military vehicles courtesy of Reg Hodgson, another local militaria collector who restores the vehicles as a hobby. Doug Styles, whose collection of antique war memorabilia and military documents will be shown off at this weekend’s Wild Rose Antique Show and Exhibit, will also bring a Vimy display to the Legion. Retired Lt-Col. Shane Schreiber, who has written a book about the Great War and recently hosted a History Channel show on tunnel etchings below Vimy, will speak at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. along with a video to accompany the talks.
“One of our executives, his grandfather who died in the war at Vimy… they’re bringing some very personal artifacts – letters back home, stuff like that. It’ll be a nice little sampling of something to see,” said Vercammen.
Dickson himself is bringing a small but interesting collection of his own grandfather’s belongings, including photos of him posing at Vimy landmarks, many of which are bombed out. Dickson showed off a piece of shrapnel along with his grandfather’s wallet. The wallet bore the brunt of the impact, although the shrapnel still injured him, and took him out of battle.
“On the second of November 1918, he was wounded with a piece of shrapnel. That’s the piece of shrapnel,” Dickson said, showing a small chunk of metal in a plastic bag. “That’s the wallet he had in his chest pocket. It probably saved his life. The shrapnel went through his tunic.”
He also has the telegraph his grandfather sent back to his family from the hospital where he was recuperating, saying all was well.
A semi-formal Vimy dinner for members and veterans will begin at 6 p.m. The special guest speaker for that event is Ian Edwards, local military researcher and historian, as well as a collector of militaria.
“He researches a lot of the Alberta history. He’s also interested in other areas in relation to where Alberta units were,” Dickson said. “In this case as it relates to Vimy … there were a number of Alberta units. Ian’s a really knowledgeable guy when it comes to this.”
Tickets are $25 for members only. People should call the Legion at 780-458-3330 or visit www.stalbertlegion.com for more information.
