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The year is 1917 and the place is northern France. The meticulously prepared Canadians sweep up the commanding heights in the face of determined German resistance and win the day. Sound familiar? No, it’s not Vimy Ridge, Canada’s most celebrated battle, but rather the attack on... -
The feats of our secret agents in Europe during the Second World War were daring and the consequences of capture were torture and death (“Hush-hush heroes,” March/April). The story was very different in Asia, where the tropics were as formidable an enemy as the Japanese.... -
They are among the most iconic images of the Second World War—blurred, grainy and, the best of them, as stirring and in-the-moment as any battlefield photographs ever taken. There are only 11 pictures—and nine surviving negatives—from that early morning of Tuesday, June 6, 1944, on... -
On Feb. 11, 1900, the 1,039-strong Canadian contingent recently deployed to South Africa joined a powerful British column at Graspan, on the Cape Colony’s eastern boundary with the Boer Orange Free State. The following day, under a blazing sun with temperatures peaking at 46°C, the... -
More than 25,000 people attended the April 9th ceremony to commemorate the achievements and sacrifices of Canadian soldiers 100 years ago at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The ceremony included speeches by dignitaries from Canada, Britain and France, as well as musical and acting performances.... -
Montrealer Gustave Biéler spent the Christmas of 1943 in France. It was likely to be his last. The Nazis had launched a manhunt for him and his comrades in the French Resistance. The spy, known only by his code name Guy, wrote a few lines...
Remembrance
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Footsteps of the fallen
As we walk through the arched entrance to Maple Copse Cemetery, the tranquility immediately makes me pause. Located five kilometres southeast of Ypres, Belgium, the cemetery is one of many stops on a week-long journey marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Aside from our small group of camera-toting journalists, the...
