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StraitTalk - November 2019

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Vimy Ridge Memorial<br />

Beaumont Hamel Monument<br />

the Battle of Vimy Ridge was over. At Vimy<br />

Ridge, regiments from coast to coast saw<br />

action together in a distinctly Canadian<br />

triumph, helping create a new and stronger<br />

sense of national identity in our country.<br />

We also stopped at the coastal town of<br />

Dunkirk, a small town on the coast of France<br />

that was the scene of a massive military<br />

campaign during World War II. From May<br />

26 to June 4, 1940, some 338,000 British<br />

Expeditionary Force (BEF) and other Allied<br />

troops were evacuated from Dunkirk to<br />

England as German forces closed in on them.<br />

The massive operation, involving hundreds<br />

of naval and civilian vessels, became known<br />

as the “Miracle of Dunkirk” and served as a<br />

turning point for the Allied war effort.<br />

On our last day, we visited the Menin Gate<br />

Memorial in Ypres to witness the Last Post.<br />

In 1928, a year after the inauguration of the<br />

Menin Gate Memorial, prominent citizens in<br />

Ypres wanted a way to express the gratitude<br />

of the Belgian nation towards those who<br />

had died for its freedom and independence.<br />

Since 1929, the Last Post has been sounded<br />

at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and<br />

in all weathers. It was an honour for all of us<br />

to view this ceremony.<br />

If you ever have the opportunity to visit<br />

Europe, take some time to visit these<br />

sites which helped shape who we are as a<br />

country today. You will see the beauty of<br />

these monuments that honours the past<br />

and reminds us of what was once so much<br />

death and destruction. I’m sure If you visit,<br />

the experience will stay with you forever; I<br />

know it will for us.<br />

Photos by Capt. A Keeping<br />

The Danger Tree<br />

3

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