It has been almost a century since Canadian soldiers made their mark on history with one of the most important victories of the First World War.
On April 9, 1917, four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together for the first time as they stormed Vimy Ridge and succeeded to taking it from the Germans, but success came at a heavy cost. Of the 20,000 Canadian men in the battle 3,598 were killed and 7,000 were wounded.
After the war, Brigadier-General A.E. Ross declared, “In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.”
Since the war, Canadians have recognized and celebrated the battle of Vimy Ridge on April 9, otherwise known as Birth of a Nation Day.
In Okotoks, the ceremony will begin with a parade of three cadet units, first responders from the town, an ambulance unit from Calgary and veterans. They will march from the Elks Hall to the cenotaph, beginning at 6 p.m.
“At the cenotaph, we have remembrance ceremony for those who fought at Vimy Ridge,” said Bob McLeod, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #291 Okotoks. “We had very significant losses in that attack and it really is a remembrance ceremony for people who fought and people who died.”
This year, the ceremony will end a little differently. Following the solemn remembrance, the Town will formally rename Centre Ave. to Veterans Way with an unveiling of the new street sign, he said.
Though the Town agreed to rename Centre Ave. last year, approval of the street signs had to come from Legion headquarters in Ottawa, he said.
“The Town had to put a lot of work into the sign and submit the possible design to Dominion Command for permission to use the poppy because of copyright,” said McLeod.
About a month and a half ago the Town received approval to use the sign with a single poppy in its design, he said.
“It’s a very nice gesture, to be able to recognize our veterans by naming such an important road in town after them,” said McLeod.
Following the cenotaph and road renaming ceremonies, attendees will make their way back to the Elks Hall for a reception.
The Okotoks Legion and the Town have partnered together to host the reception for Birth of a Nation Day. McLeod said he is grateful for the municipality’s support.
“Through all of this we’ve had such great support,” he said. “This represents, from the perspective of the Legion, a symbol of the cooperation we’ve been getting from the Town.”
