1-9 February 2018
|
This course covers the key events in Canadian history from the start of World War I, in August 1914 to the present day. For the next few years, Canada and the world will be doing much to commemorate the centenary of the Great War. Dates to remember:
4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany; Canada was automatically at war, as well. November 1915 Canada soldiers participate in their first major battle of the war, "The Second Battle of Ypres", in the Flanders region of Belgium During this battle, Col. John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer, wrote the poem, "In Flanders Fields" 1 July 1916 The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) went into battle at the Somme, France. The Newfoundland regiment, fighting with the British Expeditionary Force, was decimated in the first hours of the battle 9 April 1917 The Battle of Vimy Ridge. All for Canadian divisions fought together to capture this ridge that neither the French nor the British had been able to achieve. Although a minor victory in the overall outcome of the war, it was signficant for Canadians as it came to be known as the battle that made us a nation. Also, it was my grandfather Bew's first birthday. His father, my great-grandfather, Edgar Bew, was at Vimy Ridge for this battle. |