Vimy Memorial

Today we returned to Bois Bernard once again and Liliane and Francois took us to a war memorial near their home. It was called Vimy Memorial and it was for Canadians who fought in World War I. It is located on a battlefield where Canadian forces had an important victory over the Germans. There is a huge memorial to all the dead and MIA Canadians who fought in the battle, and the trenches and tunnels used during the battle are preserved.

The area is actually owned and run by Canada, and there are tours led by Canadian students who are brought over to work at the Memorial for four months at a time. Tours are given in both English and French, and we took an English one. It was very interesting, and made me very happy that I've never fought in a war, especially in a trench.

Jenny in front of the Memorial

Jenny between the towers - the Memorial was huge

The other side of the Memorial

Looking out from the Memorial - part of the reason the victory that took place here was so important was because of the strategic advantage of being able to see for miles

People aren't allowed in the woods that have grown up around the battlefield because of the possibility of leftover artillery shells

There are a ton of sheep around the memorial - the tour guide told us they are there to keep the grass short - a job that would be too difficult and dangerous for a person because of the craters left behind by explosions and the possibility of leftover shells

A view of some of the trenches - these were real trenches, preserved in cement, although during the war they would have been taller and narrower

The entrance to the preserved underground tunnels

...and the tunnels themselves