COURSE – VIMY RIDGE: BIRTH OF A NATION? – 07.1

The Battle of Vimy Ridge represents for many Canadians an important marker of Canadian nationhood and identity. It was the first engagement in the Great War in which the entire Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together. Certainly it was a stunning victory, but did it really represent Canada’s birth as a nation? The tragic yet successful battle is commemorated by the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Indeed, the magnificent soaring limestone memorial in itself has fueled the Vimy legend and perhaps in its symbolism exaggerated Vimy as the place where Canada came of age on the battlefield. Were there not many other significant steps on our road to nationhood?