Vimy Ridge

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I was up bright and early with my nose out the window to see what the weather would be like. It was grey and overcast, but I wasn't going to let that get me down.

This was a big day for me. One of the only two days on the trip that was pre-planned. Today I would be going on a guided tour of some World War I battlefields. Most important of them to me, as a Canadian, would be the site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. While it had little tactical value in the over all conflict, it had a significant impact on the morale of the Canadian people as a whole. Some would say that the recognition the Canadians garnered on that bloody hill is what fueled our national identity. It's impact on Canada cannot be overlooked.

There were a couple of different options as far as tours go, all offering roughly the same tour at around the same rate. I'd chosen Over the Top Tours, more or less at random from among them. The guide was Andre, who was also the proprietor of the Over the Top Bookstore a few doors down the block from the Menin Gate. A British ex-pat, Andre had moved to Belgium and taken up the bookstore and providing tours as a result of his love of the history. He was pleasant and patient and provided a good tour.

We got on the road as soon as I showed up, since I was the only person going on the tour that day. There was a fair drive ahead of us, about 10 minutes to the French border and then another 45 or so to Vimy. As we drove south through the Lille Gate it began to rain, getting worse the closer we got to the French border. I figured that so long as it wasn't raining hard enough to damage my camera I'd be happy.

Vimy Ridge was an important tactical feature in the region. Being the tallest point for miles in a number of directions, it offered the side which held an unrestricted view of enemy movements while at the same time being a difficult position to attack. After bloody attacks by the French and British were ultimately repulsed, the Canadians were tasked with taking the ridge.

The Canadian fought differently than most. Their leaders thought differently than most. Ideas that other nations would reject would be tried, tested, tweaked and perfected by the Canadian Corps, who would then use them to great effect. Nowhere was this more evident than at Vimy. It could easily be argued that no other major battle in the history of warfare went more perfectly to plan. It was a noteworthy achievement that if nothing else provided a significant morale boost to the Canadians and their Allies.

At the end of the war, France offered the land where the battle was fought to the people of Canada for a memorial park, which is now know as the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Rising up above the already dominant ridge, it creates an imposing sight. We stop near the base of the ridge, where there is a small visitor's center. It's a bit like a tiny museum. While it had some interesting artifacts, to someone from Canada who also has studied the topic of the battle it doesn't really have anything more to offer.

Of much more interest was the nearby entrance to the Grange Subways, an interlocking underground maze of passages that the British and Canadians built under the ridge for a variety of reasons. Offices, store rooms, clinics and living quarters were all built down here to ease the preparations for the attack on the ridge. Guided by Canadian student who act as volunteer docents, we were taken down into the passage ways and lead around. It was basically myself and a bunch of high school students from Great Britain. The docent kept asking the students questions and I had to bite my tongue because I knew the answers. After a little while we were lead up and back out. I thought my breathlessness was a sign of age and being out of shape, but just as I was feeling that way the docents explained that this was normal as there was far less oxygen down down in the clay and chalk tunnels.

I rejoined Andre and we got back in the van and drove to the top of the hill where the main memorial was located. The impressive view gave an idea of the size of the ridge and and the disadvantages that would have faced an attacker like the Canadians. The memorial towers above you, with each of the carved figures representing an aspect of Canada and Canadian ideals It was beautiful and moving and I felt lucky to see it so soon after the restoration and re-dedication. All in all, my visit to the ridge was very enjoyable.

We got back in the van and turned to the north towards our next destination, Notre Dame de Lorette, also known as Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery. The long flat patch of land, marked methodically with rows of cross makes the Basilica standing at its center seem all the larger. During the three Battles of Artois, this land was the front lines where many of the soldiers who lie here lost their lives.

The rain had stopped, so after visiting the cemetery for a time, we went to the 'museum' across the road. It was a field fenced off with a coin operated turnstile. We went inside and I found out that it was a section of the French and German front line trenches which had been preserved (or at least not destroyed.) Being able to see how far apart they were (or more accurately, how close they were) really drove home some of the conditions. Seeing the trenches half full of water as they were also reminded one of exactly how uncomfortable it would have been to live in them for weeks at a time.

There was also a small archaeological discovery made while we were there. Looking down on the ground upon crossing a small bridge over a trench, Andre noticed a bullet sticking from the ground. He pulled it out, identified it as French and gave it to me. I was tempted to keep it, but realized that I'd never been able to get it onto a plane so I gave it back to him. Still, it was something that hadn't been held since a French poilu had dropped it nearly a century earlier. Mind = blown.

We left the field museum and walked over to the on site restaurant, called 'Abri des Visiteurs'. Serving simple country dishes of local origin, I can arguably say it was one of the best meals I have ever had in a restaurant. I had a lamb steak... and I hate lamb, but it was absolutely magnificent. French country classics with farm fresh produce makes me a happy boy.

We left there and began driving south, with our destination being Cabaret Rouge Commonwealth War Cemetery. As one of the largest British cemeteries on the Western Front, it holds a special place for Canadians. It was in this cemetery that one of our unknown soldiers lay until 2000, when his remains were returned to Canada to lay in state in the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In all honesty though, given the choice (or the desire to make the choice after death) I would prefer to stay in Cabaret Rouge. It has a unique and very pleasant layout and it was very obvious from its state that the grounds keepers took great pride in their work. With rolling hills in every direction it was really beautiful.

We were back on the road again and on our way to the last site of the day, ending it out with a German cemetery (as we had already visited French and British). Neuville-St Vaast German War Cemetery is the largest German cemetery in France, with close to 45000 soldiers buried there, over 8000 of them sharing a common grave. The remainder of the soldiers are buried four to a cross with grave stones scattered here and there featuring the Star of David. Unlike the other cemeteries we had visited, which seemed to offer solace, this one was stark and felt grim.

As we got back in the van to start the trip home, it started to rain again. It would keep it up for most of the remainder of the day.

The drive back to Ieper was silent. Andre had to concentrate in the roads as we passed through city rush hour traffic to get back, and I was silent as I contemplated the tremendous size of the conflict. All along the hour and a half long drive back, dotted here and there in the fields were cement pill boxes, reminding how all encompassing and pervasive it's impact was on the region. While many places have been touched by war, and by that war in particular, very few places on Earth have been subjected to what this region had.

We got back to Ieper in the pouring rain. Andre offered to drop me at the hotel, but as it was near dinner time I opted to just pop across the street from his store and eat at Poppy Pizzeria & Steak. It was a relaxed atmosphere when I arrived. I ordered a 'Flemish stew' which was hearty, filling and as might be expected, went great with beer. Near the end of my meal, a bus load full of students had pulled up for the Last Post Ceremony and were streaming into the pizzeria for dinner. I was leaving at just the right time.

Feeling emotionally drained and more than a little bit chilled by the rain, I opted to skip the memorial ceremony and instead returned to my room where I listened to an audiobook (The First World War, John Keegan) while starting to review, edit and upload my picture from London. All in all, a very satisfying day.

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Photos

Notre Dame de Lorette Basilica
Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery

Les comarades des croix de bois de Lille
Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery

Berries and barbed wire
Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery

Row on row
Cabaret Rouge Commonwealth War Cemetery

Brothers in arms
Neuville-St Vaast German War Cemetery

Ossuary
Ablain St.-Nazaire French Military Cemetery