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 />
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