- Title: Thousands of Canadians in France for WW1 Vimy commemorations
- Date: 8th April 2017
- Summary: ARRAS, FRANCE (APRIL 8, 2017) (REUTERS) ARTISTIC MONUMENT REPRESENTING SOLDIERS' FEET SURROUNDED BY MESSAGES WRITTEN ON RED CIRCLES IN SHAPE OF POPPY / PEOPLE LOOKING AT POPPY MEMORIAL PEOPLE LOOKING AT POPPY MEMORIAL IN SQUARE SIDE OF VAN READING: "VIMY 2017" PERSON WITH WIG IN COLOURS OF CANADIAN FLAG CANADIAN STUDENTS SITTING IN SQUARE CANADIAN STUDENTS SITTING IN SQUARE, ONE WEARING FLAG OF CANADA SIGN READING (French): "PLACE DES HEROS" (HEROES' SQUARE) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE RESTAURANTS IN SQUARE CANADIAN SCHOOL GROUP ON VISIT FOR VIMY COMMEMORATIONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CANADIAN SCHOOL TEACHER WHO HAS BROUGHT STUDENTS FOR COMMEMORATIONS, DAVE ROWE, SAYING: "I think many of them are awe-struck. Some of the cemeteries we've been at - for example, this morning we were at a German cemetery and 40,000 plus burials. And I think in a classroom you can say: 'This battle had so many casualties and the number is just not real.' But when you see the cenotaphs, when you see the memorials, when you see the headstones and the crosses, it brings home to them what a tragedy this was." SOUCHEZ, FRANCE (APRIL 8, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GRAVES IN CABARET ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY ABLAIN-SAINT-NAZAIRE, FRANCE (APRIL 8, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL GATHERED OUTSIDE FRENCH NATIONAL WAR CEMETERY NOTRE-DAME-DE-LORETTE VARIOUS OF CROSSES IN FRENCH NATIONAL WAR CEMETERY NOTRE-DAME-DE-LORETTE CANADIAN TOURISTS WALKING ON SITE FRENCH SOLDIERS STANDING NEAR CROSSES CANADIAN STUDENTS EATING LUNCH ON GRASS (SOUNDBITE) (English) 18-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN STUDENT FROM YELLOWKNIFE, MITCHELL RANKIN, SAYING IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION ON HOW HE FELT AT THE MEMORIALS: "Lots of personal connections, especially walking through the graveyards and knowing that the men who are laying there were our age, as young as 15, and knowing that they were the same age as us really hits home." FRENCH FEMALE SOLDIER LOOKING AT TOURISTS AT CEMETERY SHOP OUTSIDE RESTAURANT WITH CANADIAN FLAG 88-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN VETERAN FROM VANCOUVER, AL BAYLIS, LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) 88-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN VETERAN FROM VANCOUVER, AL BAYLIS, SAYING: "And I was just thinking today on the bus that, said to somebody about all the children that those men never sired. We don't know what the population of the world would be like. And all the wives and sweethearts that maybe remembered them (the soldiers killed) so much they never did get married, never did have children and family. It's a waste, for what?" POPPY PIN ON SUIT / MEDALS (SOUNDBITE) (English) 88-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN VETERAN FROM VANCOUVER, AL BAYLIS, SAYING ON PRESENT DAY TENSIONS IN WORLD: "It's hard to tell but it certainly seems very unrestful, certainly not the hope that both the veterans in '18 and the veterans in '45 hoped for. The First World War was supposed to end all those." ARRAS, FRANCE (APRIL 8, 2017) (REUTERS) MESSAGES ON POPPY MEMORIAL VARIOUS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT AND TAKING PICTURES OF POPPY MEMORIAL POPPY MEMORIAL BOY TAKING PHOTO / POPPY MEMORIAL MONUMENT REPRESENTING SOLDIER'S FEET PEOPLE LOOKING AT POPPY MEMORIAL LOCAL RESIDENT, DENISE, WHO DID NOT WANT TO DISCLOSE HER LAST NAME, PLACING POPPY WITH MESSAGE WRITTEN ON IT (SOUNDBITE) (French) ARRAS RESIDENT, DENISE, SAYING: "It's lovely to see people still travelling for an event like that, which is a change from the triviality we see nowadays." POPPY MEMORIAL PEOPLE HOLDING FRENCH AND CANADIAN FLAGS IN SQUARE
- Embargoed: 22nd April 2017 17:32
- Keywords: Vimy France Canada WWI First World War World War memorial ceremony Empire battle Arras
- Location: ARRAS, SOUCHEZ & ABLAIN-SAINT-NAZAIRE, FRANCE
- City: ARRAS, SOUCHEZ & ABLAIN-SAINT-NAZAIRE, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016BJG47B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands of Canadians have descended on northern France as part of World War One commemorations to mark the centenary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a combat in which over 3,500 Canadians were killed.
Part of the broader Arras offensive, the four-day battle won by the Canadians was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought as one formation.
Some 18,000 Canadians have travelled to France for the commemorations, the Canadian embassy in France told Reuters TV on Saturday (April 8), including some 10,000 youths.
School teacher Dave Rowe was from one such school that had brought their pupils, and said the experience had taught them far more than the classroom could.
Several veterans have also made the journey to France for the event, including 88-year-old retired lieutenant-colonel Albert "Al" Baylis from the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada. His two grandfathers fought in World War One, with only one of them returning home. Baylis' father also fought in the second world war, participating in the D-Day landings.
Returning to Vimy, near to where his grandfather is buried, made the trip especially poignant to him.
French President Francois Hollande and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will begin commemorations with a peace poppy ceremony in the town of Arras on Sunday (April 9).
Hollande, Trudeau and Britain's Princes Charles, William and Harry will then participate in the ceremony at Vimy, which 25,000 people are expected to attend.
Over 650,000 Canadians served in uniform by the end of World War One, with 66,000 losing their lives and 170,000 wounded in the four-year conflict. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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