#vimyridge

[mapleleafup]

#WW1 #VimyRidge #CanadianCorps #MLU #MapleLeafUp Unknown Canadian fallen at Vimy Ridge, Cabaret Rouge Cemetery, taken during the 100th Anniversary commemorations, April 2017. (at Vimy Ridge)

[butlerphotos]

Grandfather, Charles Ledro Butler, WWI Vimy Ridge.#ww1 #vimyridge #remembranceday https://www.instagram.com/p/CHRgQNalbCr/?igshid=9jqndy769z0f

[petersfotos]

Vimy Canadian Memorial #vimy #vimyridge #vimyridgememorial #memorial #worldwar1 #ww1 #france #canada #remembrance (bij Canadian National Vimy Memorial) https://www.instagram.com/p/B68rKoAJ16q/?igshid=10z7swck3vfyl

[craigslyst2470]

Mohawk strong! . . . . . . . . . #thankyou #grampa #and #greatgrampa #ww2 #veteran #pride #forstnations #mohawk #chief #westsndongaurdforthee #forallthysonscommand #remembrance #day #vimyridge https://www.instagram.com/p/B4v2VjZADUA/?igshid=46i1rqrej5h7

[km-envs3000-19]

the importance of ancient things

“There is no peculiar merit in ancient things, but there is merit in integrity, and integrity entails the keeping together of the parts of any whole, and if these parts are scattered throughout time, then the maintenance of integrity entails a knowledge, a memory, of ancient things. …. To think, feel or act as though the past is done with, is equivalent to believing that a railway station through which our train has just passed, only existed for as long as our train was in it.” (Edward Hyams, Chapter 7, The Gifts of Interpretation). 

To me, this quote means so much. And maybe I’ve been hyper-sensitized to it after working at a commemorative site, but honestly, this summer this concept of relating the past to the present was the basis of my whole interpretative structure. As I’ve previously mentioned, this summer I worked at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Scattered through the site are remnants of First World War trenches, mine craters, and shell holes, making the ground look bumpy and rough. This ground truly tells a story, a story of the horrors of war and the unimaginable conditions these men lived through. But for many first-time visitors, or visitors who haven’t done their research, the shell pocked ground might be misinterpreted as the geography of the land. Without the knowledge and interpreters present on the site, these grounds might be completely covered up and the stories of the men would be blotted out.

On its’ own, the grounds of Vimy Ridge aren’t anything spectacular to the untrained eye. It may look like parkland, which is rare in northern France. It might just be a few fields cleared in a forest. There isn’t any peculiar merit in this ancient land, like Hyams says in this quote. Bits and pieces of the attack at Vimy Ridge are scattered all over the world, France, Great Britain, Canada and countless other countries. Artifacts and stories are spread all over, and these things don’t have much value on their own. Just a couple weeks ago, I was at the Aberfoyle Antique Market and found a 48th Highlander Battalion beret! To someone who doesn’t have the context or the love of history as I do, it might look like just a dusty old hat. But to me it’s so much more! It’s the integrity of the stories and the bigger picture that make those little nuggets of knowledge and pieces of history worth all the fuss.

Image 1: Myself at the Aberfoyle Antique Market holding the beret worn by a soldier of the 48th Highlander Battalion during the First World War. This battalion is especially important to me because many of the men had my family name: McKee. Many of these men were Irish and Scottish Immigrants.

I especially love the second half of the quote, about how the past is not done with. This is so important within the lens of nature interpretation, because the natural sites we may someday work at have so much history, and it’s the past that has shaped the landscape we see today. For example, the natural areas around an active volcano are strongly affected by the volcanic activity. The metaphor of the train and train station are so impactful, because if we continue to travel and explore places with the sole purpose of taking a photo for the ‘gram, we’ll miss the bigger picture and the context of where we are.

I’ve found that not everyone responds to historical facts. Often at Vimy, the people took the guided tour just to see the tunnels. I’d notice them staring off during the visit, not engaging with what I was telling them. But for them, it was the stories of real people who fought there that struck a chord. At the end of my tours, I loved to tell people about my personal connection to Vimy Ridge. Two of my great-great-uncles fought during the First World War, one of which was only 16 years old when he enlisted. His older brother, Millard, who was 18 at the time, enlisted along with him to keep an eye on him. The brothers left Canada for the very first time, searching for adventure. During training, the 16-year-old, Lee, got the flu so he was hospitalized in England. His brother Millard participated in the attack on Vimy Ridge with the first Canadian division. During the action, he was shot in the arm. He recovered before wars end, and he and Lee fought until the end of the war. Then they headed back home to south-western Ontario, and when they arrived, they had a new baby sister, my great-grandmother. Telling this story to the visitors not only personalizes my tour and makes it meaningful for me to present, it also allows people to connect the ancient grounds around them. Many of them likely have connections to the war they don’t even know about. The story of my great-great-uncles is not unique, they were just one of the lads in the trenches. But to me, that personal connection maintains the integrity of the site, and reminds me why it’s so important to preserve the site. Because of the sacrifice of countless men just like my uncles, the Vimy Ridge where I worked this summer is completely different than the Vimy Ridge they worked at 102 years ago. And that’s why I do interpretation.

Image 2: Myself and my wonderful colleagues this summer at the monument. You can read about the monument here! 

[deaddonkey100]

#war #urn #vimyridge #lestweforget (at Heritage Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1j7wpenoIw/?igshid=1wlgvjt2ok83j

[didier62320]

վҽՏԵҽɾժɑվ í ԵօօƘ Տօʍҽ ԹíϲԵմɾҽՏ օƒ Եհҽ ϲɑղɑժíɑղ ѵíʍվ ʍօղմʍҽղԵ. íԵ'Տ ҍҽҽղ ɑ ƒҽա վҽɑɾՏ Տíղϲҽ í'ѵҽ ҍҽҽղ Եհҽɾҽ #monumentcanadien #monumentcanadienvimy #monumentcanadiendevimy #vimy #hautsdefrance #canada #france #pasdecalais #memorial #nordpasdecalais #photography #vimyridgememorial #monument #vimyridge #pasdecalaistourisme #esprithautsdefrance #balade #hdf #npdc #canadianmemorial #picoftheday #memorialcanadien #firstworldwar #photographie #vimymemorial #guerre #photo #instagood #canadianmonument #régionhautsdefrance @vimyfoundation @canada (à Vimy Ridge Memorial) https://www.instagram.com/p/B00_cg5hy_q/?igshid=1snrt9qcq6wxp

[schizo-friend-ick]

https://youtu.be/3zDroJi7JfQ #vimy, #vimyridgememorial #vimyridge Lest we forget A chance for us to speak for them. #sorcerersofantiquity #thenewseers (at Smiths Falls, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0negP0nGCV/?igshid=r5zh0wrcx9z3

[iamcollapsing]

Some people think they're always right, others are quiet and uptight 🌀 #vimy #vimyridge #canadian #france #travelmore #traveler #traveling #travel #instatravel #travelgram #igtravel #photography #all_shots #canada #createcommune #ig_color #ig_mood #europe #artofvisuals #heatercentral #justgoshoot #shoot2kill #roamtheplanet #illgrammers #moodygrams #photooftheday #l4l #agameoftones #visualsoflife #explore (à Canadian National Vimy Memorial)

[myhouseinhistory]

『A Mari Usque Ad Mare。』（從大海到大海）～加拿大國家格言。 . 每一年的4月9日，對所有加拿大人而言，是一個永遠值得驕傲，更不能從國家歷史上抹滅的日子，那就是『維米嶺戰役紀念日』（Vimy Ridge）... . 話說在一個世紀之前，也就是尚處於第一次世界大戰作戰期間裡的西元1917年，首次以獨立軍身分參與戰事的加拿大軍人，從4月2日開始，配合著少數英軍，以結合加國全軍團四個師，近三萬名的戰力，於原屬法國北部的德軍佔領地～「維米嶺高地」，發動了一次全面性的總進攻... . 當時集結全加拿大九個省份出身的英勇戰士們，以無比的勇氣和超過百萬發的炮彈，猛烈轟擊這個被視為易守難攻的天然要塞，更搭配優異的作戰計劃，在4月9日這一天迅速地順利挺進了核心目標區！ . 最終，到了4月12日，加拿大軍團以3598名陣亡和7104名受傷兵員的壯烈代價，奪下並有效控制了整個維米嶺；落敗的德軍，不只失去了關鍵根據地，更是犧牲慘重，有大約2萬名士兵陣亡，4千餘人遭到俘虜... . 奏起凱歌的背後，此一重要的北法攻堅戰，除了幫助協約國開啟了日後反攻歐洲中部的序曲外，更讓獨立不久後的加拿大人因參與了正義之師而倍感榮光； . 戰後，西元1922年，法國政府為了感謝加拿大軍團的英勇善戰，正式宣佈，立法將維米嶺周圍一平方公里的土地無條件贈送給加拿大，象徵法蘭西人對大西洋彼岸盟友的最高敬意...今日，此地已作為由加拿大退伍軍人部所管理的「戰爭紀念博物館」，每年更吸引許多加拿大人前來緬懷與朝聖。 . 戰役的勝利日，誠如文前所言，乃是集合全加拿大各省戰士所立下之戰功，代表著團結無我，亦意味國家已正式走出襁褓期，邁向堂堂獨立大國，因此4月9日，也被認為是加拿大人民共同的『成長日』！ . 尾聲： . 或許好友們會好奇此格言的出處，「Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos terrae」，其實乃源於舊約聖經天主教「武加大譯本」（拉丁通俗譯本，Biblia Vulgata）裡詩篇第72篇第8節的經文，若翻閱基督教和合本聖經的話，內容則是「他要執掌權柄、從這海直到那海、從大河直到地極。」 . #加拿大 #法國 #第一次世界大戰 #歷史 #聖經 #history #Canada #france #ww1 #hero #salute #war #vimyridge #onthisday #proud #victory #memorial #honor #time https://www.instagram.com/p/BwA-bngnksg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rbpyys9dwu8s

[arown12]

[butlerphotos]

103 years ago today... April 9, 1917 my 20 year old grandfather, Charles Ledro Butler, was landing at Vimy Ridge. #vimyridge #ww1 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xl3VHFp_9/?igshid=v0gcsybnmrp6

[petersfotos]

Vimy Canadian Memorial #vimy #vimyridge #vimyridgememorial #canada #france #memorial #worldwar1 #olympus (bij Canadian National Vimy Memorial) https://www.instagram.com/p/B68qXF-JZQU/?igshid=111z336ly2wjx

[newsdurham]

Gene Haseaker, treasurer of the Ontario Command Canadian Corps Association, placed a candle on a board during a Battle of Vimy Ridge 100th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony at Vimy Ridge Public School. April 13, 2017. Ryan Pfeiffer/Metroland #photography #photojournalism #nikon #nikond750 #veteran #ww2 #ww2vet #vimyridge #ajax (at Vimy Ridge Public School)

[venea]

#vimyridge

[thisdayinwwi]

Analyzing Canadian coverage of Iconic Vimy Ridge Battle

Photo expert Carla-Jean Stokes analyzing coverage of Vimy Ridge

I spend most of my time analyzing how #VimyRidge was represented in photographs, but every now and then I have to turn to text too. A few things to point out in this 1917 article from the Canadian War Pictorial 👇🏻One thing to admit: this is only one report of the battle but it was written by the Canadian War Records Office, and who was more likely to aggrandize this event than the Canadians who produced wartime propaganda?*

*Propaganda meant something v different in 1917. You can thank the SWW & rise of fascism for that. The Canadian War Pictorial, an illustrated magazine, included 4 numbers between 1916-1918. It was published by the Canadian War Records Office, the org that employed photographers.

If I'm not mistaken, each number sold out pretty quickly. They also produced other publications, including the classic Beaverbrook 3-parter, Canada in Flanders, and 3 numbers of Canada in Khaki, a larger publication with fewer images and more articles and poems.

There are lots of different options for downloading Canada in Flanders (for free) here: archive.org/search.php?que…The first two numbers of Canada in Khaki are here: archive.org/search.php?que…The above article comes from the third number of the CWP. The first showed Knobel's photographs from the spring/summer 1916, and the second featured Castle's photographs from the fall. Over the Top was on the cover.

Download the first number of the Canadian War Pictorial here, from our friends at @wartimeCanada. Make sure to give them a follow and check out there amazing website, full of primary sources. wartimecanada.ca/sites/default/…

ANYWAYS - since this was a product of Canada's visual propaganda wing we could assume that the text would be wildly optimistic in favour of the Canadians and their success.While the details of the battle are pretty vague, it does mention that Vimy was not a walk-over, especially not for all of Canada's 4 divisions. The use of the word "feeble" to describe some of the German defences actually comes straight out the war diaries. It talks about the battle conditions that we've come to associate with Vimy - especially the snow. (I would say rain and mud figure more readily into the photographs. That's probably because of Castle more than anything).

But is the public image of the battle that we hear about relentlessly today present in this particular article? I would argue that it is not, in fact, present in any large quantity.

(I like that above picture because you can see that the figures have been outlined to better show up in newsprint). It mentions that the Canadian Corps were the ones to take the Ridge, but it does NOT state implicitly that this was the first battle to include all four divisions. There is no talk of the "birth of a nation" or the creation of a national identity. There IS a mention of how the French once bombarded the Ridge, but no overt talk of "we succeeded where our allies failed." It does indeed gloss over the number of casualties (Vimy being the worst day in the history of the Canadian Corps).

So, this is just 1 example of how our perceptions of the Vimy Ridge that are prevalent today are not necessarily rooted in the immediate reportage after the battle. Instead, they've been shaped as a result of more than 100 years of oral/visual representation. Happy Friday!