Today in History - April 9: Vimy Ridge

[Jack Nastyface]

from a letter written home...
Dear Uncle Jay Aunt Maggie and all

I must just write you a short letter tonight for we may have a busy time for a few days.
Did I write you since we had the show on the 9th of April. They call an attack a show and well they might for they are always entertaining while they last.
On April 9th our unit attacked with others at Arras and we had good success. We were on the 6th German line within thirty minutes of the start of the attack. It was better than I expected I must confess. Our men fought with a great deal of dash and the Germans did not have a look in. A goodly number of Germans were put to sleep that day for the last time. Our losses were light but of course some of our best men went down. That is the discouraging part of these shows.
The Canadians did very good work that day too in taking Vimy ridge. It was a position which was thought to be impregnable, but they took it and even went beyond it.
You would wonder how the Germans are sticking it if you could hear the guns which are throwing shells over at them. While I write this the table is vibrating with heavies which are well over a mile and a half away. The noise of the guns are bad enough but are not near as bad as the bursting of the shells.
Now I must close for this time. I am quite Well. Write Soon.

Affectionately

Leslie

[Longdan]

I forgot about that and I've been there a few times too.  Casualties were about ten times what D-Day cost and it was a phenomenal success!
That is where I learned that certain kinds of sheep can sense HE.  Vimy Ridge is a part of Canada gifted by France.

[Atilla60]

Thanks for sharing Jack.

I was wondering, from where did you get this letter? Is this Leslie a relative of yours?

[Longdan]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/canadians-best-way-mark-battle-vimy-ridge-pass-123018523.html

[Jack Nastyface]

No...though I did have a great-uncle who served at Vimy.  From the single conversation I had with him when I was young, he either didn't see much action but lots of carnage that day (very possible if he was in one of the later re-enforcement waves, or he didn't want to talk about it to a teenager.

Found this letter and a few more via a Veterans Canada info website.   4 VC's were awarded to Canadians that day...most involving charging an MG position.

[Longdan]

When I was a small boy in Calgary our neighbour across the street was a WW1 vet and had been severely wounded at Vimy Ridge.
He had been with on of the Cavalry Regiments, Lord Strathcona's Horse I think, in the not-so-successful pursuit.  I remember seeing the old
guy out cutting the lawn with his shirt off.  Man was he ever torn up!!  He had what to me as a kid look like some great big pink/red zippers
all across his torso.

[Barthheart]

My Great Uncle Harld fought at Vimy Ridge. He never talked about he battle but did talk about living in the the renches... mostly funny sad stories.
The last time I saw him before he died he gave me 2 .303 shell casings that he'd saved from the battle and had had engraved with the date. Said he fired the shots.
That would have been almost 40 years ago now... they are still on display in my book case to this day.