r_.._

King Unveils War./llemorial

ForDominion '

Thousands of Veterans and Fanrilies Will See Ceremony

(Dy CAPT. W. W. MURRAY. MO.) (Canadian Press Staff Writer.)

RRAS, France. July 25 (CP). — A peacetime host of 6.000 Canadians

converged today on this city and on Albert. 22 miles to the south. The pilgrimage of war veterans. their wives and chil- dren, widows, mothers and fathers of men who. 19 years ago, died to defend the things in which they believed. crossed the Atlantic prompted by a single purpose.

PILGBIMS CONGIIEGATE.

OMORROW they renew their

hflml-Re to the memory oi young

Canadians who. enduring hard-

ship and suffering great agony. posed on. Special trains brought to. day's arrivals from Antwerp. Fol- lowing tours of adjacent battlefields by motor-coach. they will procaed to Lille tonight. returning tomorrow from the unveiling at 2.80 pm. of Can- ada's National Memorial on Vimy Ridge.

This morning a second section of the pilgrims reached is Ham and were conveyed to Lille. from which point they visited places of interest near Ypnx and St. Eloi. This party reach Arms and Albzrt tonight.

Performed on behalf oi Canada. the first public act of King Edward VII! since the full court-mourning period expired will be to unveil the Vimy Ridge Memorial. President Albert Lebrun of France will also be present.

This afternoon Brig-Gen. Alex. Ross. Dominion President oi the Can- Idian Legion. and the official Legion party, were proceeding from Arr-as to Vaiencieri . forty-five miles away. to attend the ceremony of inaugural- named after Sergeant Hugh Calms. V.C.

Hundreds of those here to witness tomorrow's ceremony took part in the historic battle of April 9. 1917. To them the story is old: but to many others Vimy was only a name. Now that they were on the ground they listened avidly as the survivors of Vimy rclived their role of those remote days. - "FIGHT FOR THE RIDGE."

The Canadians came to Vimy from the Boshme in October. 1910. Within a few months vague rumors indicated a spring offensive. and these were confirmed when all the harblngers of attack began to flock into the villages of Artois.

Behind the Canadian Corps front replicas of Vimy Ridge were marked out with tapes. over which battalions practiced for weeks.

The preliminary bombardment which

swept the enemy's earthworks and wire obstructions started late in March.

The date for the offensive was set for Easter Monday. April 9.

On Easter Sunday. following brief church parades. the attacking bat- talions swung cut of their billets and trudged to the preliminary assembly areas. There they were issued with battle equipment——shovels, sandbags. bombs and flares.

The final "jumping—off" positions had already been reconnoitered. and at nightfall the assaulting troops were directed thither. For hours the men lay silently and patiently under a drinzltng rain.

At 5.30 a.m. a thundering crush heralded the barrage. Countless brilliant flashes lit up the country. flickering and dancing across the sky as hundr ‘ of guns belched out the Nitrate. The infantry leaped from their positions, and the great assault Man

From the German trenches rockets and flares were shot high in the air in frantic appeal in the artillery. Throbbing mine .xplosions shook the earth. their huge tongues of fliune rningluig with the flashes of shrapnel and high-explosive. Above the din rose the crackling of machine gun and rifle fire.

The Canadian infantry ploughed through the chaos of No Man's Land and wept into M enemy trenches. Here was the one storied occasion. never to be repeated. when all four Canadian divisions fought in line. Pmln right to left. the let (Currie). the and (Burstall). the 3rd (Lipsett) and the 4th (Watson). swung nttsok—-the whole might of Canada.

commanded by General Sir Julian

Barns. plunlinl across Vimy Ridge. Ba-ndiidsed between the iird and dth Dividens. to take care of a gap which

Ma’ operations would create. was

the lath Brigade of the bth (Imper- lui Division. _

The lot. ind and 3rd Divisions made short work of resiatence: but the 4th Division. on the extreme left, en-

into

Canada's National Memorial

0

“Into Battle ”

Walter S. Allward. Toronto architect.

1

-

"CANADA PAYS HOMAGE TO HEROIC

lemme. mo. in The - _ A Corner of a Foreign Field That Is Forever--Canada

on Vimy Ridge was designed by Construction was begun in

l 1924 on a site which marks the topmost line of the Ridge. Surround-

ing the monument is a park of Canadian maple and fir. was presented to the Canadian people by the Government of France

on April 0. 1917. had a great deal more to it than the assault of troom under a screen of ar- tillery flre. The staff work was as perfect as human intelligence could make it. Every emergency was pro- vided for.

Here are some particulars for in- fantry battalions on that point:

The attack was taken in four stages. and each projected advance was in- dicated on maps by lines of various colors. The first objective was the "Black Line": the second. the "Red Line": the third, the "Blue Line," and the fourth. the "Brown Line.“

The assaulting troops were divided into ‘waves.“ A wave consisted of two lines of men. extended to a distance of four or five yards from each other. The first line of the wave was nonnal- ly from 20 to 25 yards in advance of the second line.

At Vimy Ridge the first line com- prised riflcmcn and bombers. the sec. Old line grenadisrs and Lewis gun- ners. This distribution was not, how- ever, arbitrary.

The distance between waves was from 50 to 100 yards.

'MCDpers up" were troops who. fol- lowing the second wave. dealt with dug-cuts in which the enemy might still be lurking. thus permitting the assautlng waves to continue their ad- vace.

Each wave had a definite objective alloted to it. _

Every article trocps were permitted to carry in the attack was spccifled in orders. which had to be rigidly adhered to, i

In the hzvcrsack men were ordered to carry:

One spare oil-tin (for the rifle). Iron rations—thes;- consisted of a small package containing one tin of bully beef. two "hard-tzlck" biscuits. a small big of sugar and one of ma. One field dressing. comprising an absorbent pad wrapped up in sterilized bandage. and apsmall bottle of iodine. Two Mills No. 5 bombs.

Each rifieman carried 1'10 rounds of ammunition: two airplane flares. to be lit from the ground at the various objectives to indicate their position to the airmen: two sandbags: eirtm rations for twenty-four hours—(bully beef and hard-tack); one fined water- bottle.

A total of 32 heavy wire~t-utters were issued to each ba.ta.lion.

Picks and shovels were carried by most of the personnel.

Twelve "SO S." flare signals were carried by each company.

Two "battle fhgs" were carried by each platoon. They were not to be stuck in the ground. but were to be waved over the head to indicate to artillery observers the position of the advance troops.

Battalion escorts for prisoners-ob war were not to exceed 10 per cent. of the number of prisoners. This duty was usually performed by slightly wounded men. returning to the first aid poets.

Officers and men were strictly for- bidden to carry any letters. papers. orders or sketches which. in the event of their capture. might be of use to the enemy. ‘

came ditched before they debauched from Thelus.

The Pimple continued to be the scene of bitter fighting: but dark- ness fell with that position s'.ill held by the Germans The victory. however, was almost complete it was clear the Pimpls would yield only to an assault pre-

THE STORMING of Vimy Ridge

countered a cult situation. The ceded by a heavy bombardment: and Pimvk. - h mound honevcombed for two am the matter rested. But With -uuuarranean tunnels. was Q at ii a.m. on April 12 the 4th Di- “"1! v'ision.sgaln attacked. This time

trap.

Meanwhile the early morning rain had turned into snow fiurries.

M the first objectives the Can-

they made no doubt of success. The operation was completely uccessful. and the whole of Vimy Ridge was

Idisns halted and dug in The at- now in possession of the Canadians. ‘Col want on. With ‘-' like mm the vast wave swept over. .1‘ bnwoflths advance where the oth-

. were now em. of range of mu fawn bar- WELL DONE! fill. The light may

fit storming of Vimy Ridge

salience fa-um. from nu mat of by th Canadians in April ‘htfideosbownoiriunoloouu ° ' in u ,5. ha of W ‘Yuan’;-any 1017. evoked messages of Canadian. admiration and. congratulation

ACIOII ‘I'll PLAIN.

Run the British Empire and the

‘lbs vista was one of peaoeftil-loom |m,0¢. .|'|3"°Y||- “"539 °°'‘‘' '50 '|ll:'¢Is surrounded 3- green Inunleations were rounded off :. “¢'3' I Irbobem. from whole gt’ an mm"! "am we mg? Ibffansy .. mu,“ do“, ,1 V George V. which was rea .

the far borfson. of rail- ‘M rink-= g VIII our which trains were travsl- “The whole Empire will re- line. the roads and mm the Join at the news of yesterday's “Ill! he were re- luoosmfui . operations. Canada - will be proud that the mung l flvalry patrols pushed in» of the coveted Vimy Ridge has ‘ “ Nlrowb the troops forming fallen to lot of her troops 5 ‘ill and man I no "I bear y congratulate an;

who bsvsuiasen can-tin this: I.

H...” ... ..l.-..-........-_ ---

achievement.—A.P. Photo.

The land

as a. gesture of homage to the memory of Canadian sacrifice and

Outstanding Exploits of Canadian Corps

(Canadian Press Staff Writer.)

-T 0 Action Near Lens One of

(By CAPT. W. W. MURRAY. MC.) ‘

Hill 70 Currie’s First “Show” On Assuming Corps Command

Succeeded Byng

Three miles north of here is the

locale of one of the most glit-

tering victories won by the Canadians during the war. The ac- tion at Hill 70 does not loom large in the broad perspective of , but it means a great deal to veterans of the Canadian Corps.

in the first place. Hill 70. fought in the morning of Aug. 15. 1917. with an aftermath spread over several more days was the first "show" direc- ted by the late Sir Arthur Currie as Commander of the Canadian Corps. Sir Arthur had succeeded Sir Julian Byng_ the victor of Vimy Ridge. in the month of June. As a result of the promotion. Brigadier-General A. C. Macdonell was moved up from com- mand of the 7th Brigade to that of the lst Canadian Division.

in the second place. Hill '10 was a spot where the Germans. attested in their own official reports, suffered a greater proportion of casualties. having regard to the number of men cyngaged, than anywhere else in the 'ar.

British Failed.

Two years previously. during the Battle of Loos, in September, 1915, the British had attempted to capture um 70, but had failed.

The hill itself was a gently sloping and inconspicuous ridge from whose crest-line one beheld the whole panorama of that flat and crowded country north and northeast of lens.

I ENS. FRANCE, July 25 (OP)-—

LIEUT.-GEN. SIR ARTHUR W. CURRIE.

Who followed Lord Byng in command of the Canadian Corps. At Vimy Sir Arthur commanded the let Canadian Division. He died in 1933.

AMONG CANADIAN HEROES.

Thirty-five of the sixty-one Ca- nadian Corps winners of the Victoria Cross were not born in Canada. Six- teen were born in England. ten in Scotland. five in Ireland. four in the United States. one each in Russia and Denmark.

.___m__¢__¢____.

I

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DEAD ATEVIMY

_.___.._._._J

RIDG

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Pita.)

. Memorial Facts ANADIAN Memorial on Vimy { Ridge, designed by Walter B. Allward. architect. of Toronto. and in course of construction

for twelve years.

Work performed under direction of the Canadian Battlefields Memorials r‘ ' . of which Major-General B. C. Mewbum. Hamilton, is Chair- man.

Unveillng at 3.12 p.m.. July 28. by King Edward VIII.

Pilgrimage of approximately 8.000 Canadian war veterans and others to Vimy Ridge organized by the Cana- dian Legion of the British Empire Service League. and directed by the National Vimy Pilgrimage Committee composed of representatives of national veterans’ organizations.

Canadian official representatives: Hon. Ernest La.pol.rite. Minister of Justice; Hon. ' Ian A. Mackenzie, Minister of National Defense: Hon. 0. Cl. Power. Minister of Pensions.

Guests of Canada—Right Hon. sir Robert and Lady Borden. Right Hon. Sir George and Lady Parley, Sir Eugene Fiset. Wartime Deputy Minis- her of National Defense; Lady Byng. widow of the victor of Vimy; arid [lady Currie. widow of sir Arthur.

Arrangements made by Hon. Philip- pe Roy. Canadian Minister in Paris, and staff of the Canadian Legation. Representative of l’ra.nce—President . Albert Lebrun ‘ Guard of l-1onor—-Bluejackets from H. M. C. S. saguenay.

Civilian Guard of Honor—One hundred Canadian war veterans from the Pilgrimage party.

Brass band from the Royal Cana- dian Horse Artillery.

Pipe band selected from various Highland regiments of Canadian mili-

a.

Bugle band from Canadian Penna- nent Force. Drummers from 48th Highlanders of Toronto.

Chaplains-—One Anglican. one United Church of Canada and one Roman Catholic.

Mllllnli villages. some of considerable size. sprawled nil over the place. Winglcs with its towers which for years defied every battery of every division of the Britlsh Army to de- molisli. Hulluch. L-a Barsee. Provin. Point-a-Vcndin. Meurchln and Car- vln were the chief towns which stood out from among the clustering “cor-one."

The read from hens in Carvin ran in a straight line for six miles. fl0|‘l»h0RSI€|‘1y. It played a unique part in the German schcxne of things at Hi‘l 70.

The battle itsell reflected the thoroughness of Canadian pmpnm- tion. For nearly a month prior to the action. the whole situation was studied

Valenciennes

25 (C13). — Today an aged

mother and father from far- away Saskatoon will stand in the Hotel de ville at valenclennes and listen to words uttered in a foreign tongue. praising the greiiincss and the bravery of their dead son. Mr. and Mrs. George Cairns. residents of that Saskatchewan city for up-

VAL!-INCIENNES, France. July

Aug. 15. the barrage crashed down on we sergeant

months ago

this

outstandin role played by the

young Canadian sergeant in the liberation of perpetuating his memory.

name one of the principal streets of Valanciennes in his honor. The

synchronize with the vllsrunase of Canadian serv‘:zmen and others to Vimy Ridge.

Reacting warmly to the distinc- tion, the citizens of Saskatoon en- sured that the ceremony should be graced by the presence of the parents who bore the dead hero. They. therefore. made it possible for the aged couple to join the pilgrimage.

Brig.-Gen. Alex. Ross, Dominion

E

E

3 E? 32.5%

spicucus white horas. wss_ ed into action. when they mi in the artillery ,mnst completely annihilated. l Hill ‘I0 was the centre of

efforts to retake the ridls lax, l91l.bu1 all attempts down W lb inhffly I

afternoon in take part in the cere-

E E3

many. miles from here. Instrumental

§

some time ago Mr.

E5

city. inssd a

that the citizens. havinfl 59°03“-‘ appraised after many years of the

of the city. were desirous In a

gracious gesture they decided to

formal ‘rechristening was made to

President of the Canadian Legion. and members of the official Legion party were coming from Arras this

Arras is about forty-two

in promoting the idea was Gabriel Pierard of this Pierard

llcohmidsalifigwlfhihslhg-|

Pays Homage

To Memoryo f Canadian V. C.

liberation of Valencienrics.- The material was extracted and trans- lated from a well-known Canadian war history treating of the last hundred days of the Great War. Relating the Battle of Mount Houy on Nov. 1. 1018. which re- suited in the capture of Valen- ciennes. and the part of the Fourth Canadian Division in that engage-

by officers and n.c.o.‘s. All possible wards of 25 merit. Mr. Ple- Doims of resistance were marked down years, hold rm-d noted the "" d'5"'“°”°"- ithe place of deeds perform- A Blue struule. Ihonor. ed on that day

The capture of the ridge was ep. Valencienncs by Sergeant trusted to the two veteran divisions is paying hom- Cairns in the of the Corps—the lst. on the left. and age this uf!cr- streets of Mar- the M. on the Ham. in the grey noon to the‘ ly. a suburb of "K3999 '3 ‘-35 9“ ‘'59 momins Of memory of the the city. Iri a

footnote to

‘M °°"'““‘ ‘°'°"°°‘» "*4 “W 10- H h Calms that tectio h lint?! "went over." From the begin- "3 "' . n 8 ning titre enault was a brilliant suc- cf,’f,,df,§‘,f f?>m:.cl1iI:nriee9gtl‘e°clt %.,e',',..,',"“°,,"“‘,_,,'e"',‘.‘m',’.’ “'3, “f,‘,‘“,‘,‘,'; Battalion. by the city of gm“; ' ,1mu)m,,,_.ou5b', by . It became D M” (mono: CAIRNS any act of ap. pnmlqn mmgm .4“,-.3; gh. gm. known some ME AN - - preciation to-

ward the me- mory of this gallant youth. Cities. he said, were wont to name their streets after obscure politicians: surely it would not be amiss for Valenciennes or Marly to select some thoroughfare and rechristen it after the Canadian sergeant who gave his life in the deliverance of the city.

In due course the brochure reach- ed Canada. and at once its readers were selsnd with the significance of Mr. Plerar-d's suggestion. It was taken up with the Canadian Legion. and General Ross communicated with Ron. Philippe Roy. Canadian

in Paris. He informed Mr. Boy that Canadian servicemen would View with utmost pride and satisfaction any effort on the part of Valenciennu to implement the idea promoted by Mr. Pierard.

The Canadian diplomat trans- mitted the communication through the proper channels. and the Municipal I‘ hell of Valenciennes recently adopted the proposal unanimously. '

The stl-eet.selected was l'Avenue de la Tourelle. which runs from

andllountflouy.

Battle Scars Arellealedon

Quiet Somme

Pilgrims Recall Scenes of Great Triumph and of Sorrow

A (CP). -— In spite of

crowded hours today many Canadian pilgrims found time to visit the Somme Battlefields, the portal to which is this restored town of Albert. The Canadians were well acquainted with the crumbling ruins of 1916; but today they saw a town from which most of the scars of war have been erased.

COURCELETTE.

The Mecca of the Canadian pilgrims in this neighborhood was Couroelette. Old soldiers, remembering "the jagged rubble-heap of La Bol§el1e." three miles up the Bapauana Road. saw again in their mind's eye the mine crater again ghastly with protnidlng limbs of dead men. the shell—pitfed road to Contaimaison, and the pock- marked flank of Pczieres Ridge. On the crest of this eminence the Cana- dians relieved the Australians on the last day of August. 1916. AlTi.Vl.ns from Ypres Salient. where for many months they had accustomed them- selves to being over-looked by the enemy on the ridges above, they ac- cepted with manifest pleasure a situa- tion which enabled thorn to see the enemy's back country, to look down on the valley of the Andre River and

count their own shells bursting in Cmindoourt and Mir ‘

LBERT, France, July 25

Viclor of Vimy

Imiu.

Men Who Won‘

Mons Greets

City Freedom

Liberated by Canadians, Belgians Recall Last

Bloodless Pursuit ONS. Belgium, July 25 (CP).—This historic

1 4 city was host today to about 200 Canadian pilgrims, who came’ from Antwerp this morning to accept the hospi-

tality of the Burgomaster and citizens for a few hours. Later

LIEUT.-GEN. SIR JULIAN BYNO.

On Sept. 9. 1916, came their first attack on the Somme. the capture in daylight, withouit preliminary bom- bardment, of the last remaining por- tion of Pozleres Ridge held by the enemy. This paved the way for the Battle of Cou.rcelette_ six days later.

The sunken roads of Courelette to- day were no longer poisonous with the stench of fly-blown corpses. nor were there shell holes on whose water- logged surface floated a green scum. The little cardboard signposts which the Road" have long since from the route that used to lead past the Sugar Refinery. across Candy Trench and into the village.

But'one could still establish time and pla.ce—even if with some dimculty

around the Fabeck Graben, Mouquet Farm, Thiepval. Hessian. Kevriora and Regina Trcnchu.

The natimial memorial at Cou.r- oelette is a simple slab. standing in its own park amid beautiful surround- ings. encouraging forgetfillriess of the horrors of the Somme and stimulat- ing only a memory of great-hearted. cheerful and intrepid Oanadiam youths who offered all they pomessed for an ideal.

GEBMANTS BLACK DAY.

The Amiens battlefields were not neglected. for at Le Quesnel, sixteen rnilm southeast of Arniens on the Rove Road. stands the most souther- ly of the Canadian memorials. in de- sign and general lay-out not greatly different from those at Courcelette. Dury. Bourlon and Passcliendaele. Tile pilgrims re-told the incidents of Aug. 8. 1919. In the misty dawn on “The Eighth of brie Eighth" the Cariadlaris attacked. they captured Domuln. Aubercourf-. and Marcclmve. Wiencourt. Cayeux. and lgnaucourt fell before them. Be- fore miclday the victorious Canadians were in pdssession of Caix and Beau- oourt. near the northern and south- ern extremity of their advance. They had penetrated more then seven miles. and next day they pushed forward an rtlmost equal distance. Before the Amlens fighting slowed up. they had established themselves close to the outskirts of Raye.