The Royal Montreal Regiment Foundation will host a free bilingual exhibition for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge that will be held near downtown Montreal at Westmount’s Victoria Hall on April 3, 4 and 6.
On display will be the RMR Museum’s World War I and Vimy artifacts, including equipment, letters, photos, weapons, medals and pictures from its collection. Illustrated panels will tell the story of Canada fighting in WWI and the victory at Vimy Ridge. Re-enactors in period uniform will be there to answer questions.
Defining moment for Canada
The battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining moment for Canada. In April 1917, the Canadian Corps, fighting for the first time as a Canadian entity, attacked the seven-kilometre ridge that was heavily fortified by the Germans.
The French and British had previously attempted to take the ridge but failed with massive casualties. The Canadians, however, were successful and forced a major German retreat. Their victory came at great cost: 3,598 Canadians were killed and more than 7,000 wounded. Among these men were 98 Royal Montreal Regiment soldiers dead and 176 wounded – close to a 50 percent casualty rate for the Regiment.
School tours
Like many Vimy centenary events, the RMR Foundation wants to attract as many students as possible to the exhibit. School visits will receive a guided tour of the exhibit and receive take-home materials for each student.
There is a possibility of funding for school buses of $10 per student. Requests should be sent to info@royalmontrealregiment.com and need to indicate the date and time they want to attend (first come, first served).
More info here.
Thanks to Captain (ret’d) Hamilton Slessor for the tip.
