“The gleaming white marble and haunting sculptures of the Vimy Memorial, unveiled in 1936, stand as a terrible and poignant reminder of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers killed in France who have no known graves.” — Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum website.
There are two opportunities to learn from authors/military historians about the battle at Vimy Ridge in the First World War.
One of them is the free lecture, Birth of a Notion: The Vimy Idea, 1917-2017, that McGill University Library is hosting, which will presented by Tim Cook, on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m.
This is the write-up for it:
Vimy is more than a battle from the First World War. It is common to hear that Vimy marks the “birth of a nation,” a claim repeated in school textbooks, by politicians, and in the news. Yet what is meant by this phrase? Do Canadians actually believe that Canada was born at Vimy, 50 years after Confederation? How did the four-day battle of Vimy in April 1917 transform into an origin story? This was no militarist plot. While not all Canadians believed in Vimy’s importance, enough did, and the idea of Vimy was invigorated with the building of Walter Allward’s monument on the ridge. The monument’s unveiling in 1936 by King Edward VIII was attended by more than 6,000 Canadian veterans who crossed the Atlantic. Since then, Vimy has been incorporated into Canadian history, although its meaning has changed with each generation. In this year, the 100th anniversary of the battle, Dr. Tim Cook will explore the emergence of the Vimy idea, its changing meaning, and its endurance as a symbol of Canadian service and sacrifice.
Mr. Cook is a historian at the Canadian War Museum. He has authored ten books, and his newest book is Vimy: Battle and Legend (2017).
The lecture will take place at Moyse Hall, 853 Sherbrooke Street West in downtown Montreal. RSVP required. To RSVP, click here or call 514-398-5711.
Book sale and signing will be beforehand, from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Online lecture
If you are unable to attend the McGill lecture, the Durham Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society offers an opportunity to watch a lecture about Vimy on YouTube.
The branch recorded its March 7, 2017 meeting when author Ted Barris delivered a presentation based on his book, Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age. During his presentation, Mr. Barris enthusiastically reconstructs the blow-by-blow moments of the historic four-day battle that some say changed the momentum of the war.
The battle put Allied troops in control of the strategic Vimy heights for good. For the first time, it sent the most powerful army in Europe into full retreat. It also firmly established the four Canadian Infantry Divisions as the most effective fighting force on the Western Front.
Mr. Barris’ presentation begins at the three-minute mark in the video that is available on the Durham Region Branch’s YouTube channel.
This is off the subject somewhat.
I am trying to start researching my husband’s g-g-grandfather, Bazile Joyal, born Canada. We think in the early 1800s. The first facts we learn about him is in St Clair county, IL. This is a totally new territory for me, and I don’t know where to start.
Where is a good place to start learning from the basics about Canada and Canadian researching? Any help would be greatly appreciated!