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World War I officially ends
Armistice signed -
Battle Exploits Memorial Committee Established
In February of 1919, the Battle Exploits Memorial Committee was established. It was their mandate to “identify and name the principal battles and to allocate the sites to the appropriate countries.” Represented by Brigadier General H.T. Hughes, Canada acquired the eight battlefields on which Canadian forces had fought their most memorable battles. Of these, five were in France: Vimy Ridge; Bourlon Wood; Le Quesnel; Courcelette; and Dury. -
Canadian Battlefields Memorial Commission Established
Canadian Parliament establishes the committee -
Vimy Memorial Dedicated
King Edward VIII dedicated the memorial that was finally finished after 11 years of construction. -
National War Memorial Unveiled in Ottawa
The National War memorial has served as the ultimate site of memory for Canadians when referring to the war. The monument celebrated the theme of ‘Canada’s Great Response.’ Seventeen figures in uniforms, “including infantrymen, a cavalryman, gunners, aviators, a sailor, and nurses” are depicted advancing through an archway with an artillery piece behind them. -
Hitler had photo taken at Vimy Memorial
All throughout the Second World War, Canadians fears the destruction of the Vimy Memorial, but it never happened. Allied propaganda frequently released rumours that the Germans had obliterated the monument, breeding contempt for the Nazis even further by implying they had no respect for the sanctity of memorials. Hitler himself, along with other German officials, had his picture taken at the memorial to be released as an assurance that Vimy did, in fact, remain intact.
