Veterans gathered in Ottawa and at ceremonies across the country today to mark the 93rd anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge and the passing of the generation of soldiers who fought for Canada in the First World War.
At Ottawa's National War Memorial, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn took their places for the ceremony's national anthem after shaking hands with a line of veterans.
"Today, we pay homage to the generation whose fearlessness in battle and selflessness in intention first defined our young nation in the eyes of the world," Harper said at the ceremony. "These young people risked their lives so that other people could live with the same peace and freedom that had taken such deep root in Canada."
The ceremony in Ottawa, which drew thousands of people, comes after the death of Canada's last-known veteran of the first Great War and marks the passing of a generation that Harper said "embodied a greatness that later generations of Canadians have striven to emulate."
John Babcock died on Feb. 18. He was 109.
"With the passing of John Babcock a few weeks ago, we have sadly lost our last living link to that generation," Harper said. "While those Canadians who fought in that epic struggle may now have passed from the face of the earth, their legacy lives on all around us."
Babcock was only 15 when he enlisted and was denied the chance to ever serve on the frontlines. Because he never saw battle, Babcock never made much of his veteran status.
He turned down the honour of a state funeral, saying "They should commemorate all of them instead of just one."
Shortly after Babcock's funeral in Spokane, Wash., the federal government announced plans to honour all of Babcock's generation, a group the Queen called "truly remarkable."
In a statement issued Friday in honour of the anniversary of the battle at Vimy, the Queen said Babcock's generation "helped to end the most terrible conflict the world had ever known."
"These gallant men and women went off to Europe to … defend the principles of peace, freedom and justice for their country and, indeed, for all mankind," she said.
"Theirs was a story of unspeakable horror, unmitigated heroism and -- ultimately -- of inspiring victory. This tremendous sacrifice can rightly be regarded as a defining moment in the history of Canada and is one which we will never forget."
Battle of Vimy Ridge marked Canada's independence
Retired Gen. Rick Hillier, former chief of the defence staff, called the battle a singular moment in Canadian history, memorable for both what was achieved by Canadian troops working side by side and how they achieved victory in a battle that allied forces had already tried, but failed, to win.
"The Canadians took that ridge in the face of the worst conditions you could imagine. Blowing snow, terrible ground, uphill attack into machine gun and artillery fire that would have been prepared for years," he told CTV News Channel Friday. "Thousands of German troops were waiting for just such an attack and were expecting it. Two other countries had tried to do it and failed dismally, and so the fact that we won was huge, because it was against this very dark background of two years of war by now and millions of casualties already."
But even more important than the fact that the battle of Vimy Ridge was won on April 9, 1917 is the fact that it was won by Canadian soldiers from all four divisions fighting, for the first time, together in battle.
"We did not have our forces spread across a variety of fronts or military structures," Hillier said. "We had them all together, fighting for Canada, and I think what we achieved, how we achieved it and doing it for Canada as one group is something that continues, 93 years later, to feed our country."
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, whose grandfather served in the First World War, said the Battle of Vimy Ridge was "one of the greatest efforts ever led by Canadian soldiers."
"The bravery and determination of the four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, fighting together on the same battlefield for the first time, won the world's respect and helped Canada take its rightful place among the nations of the world," he said in a statement.
The ceremony at the National War Memorial late Friday morning was one of several held across the country at provincial and territorial capitals. Ceremonies were also held at the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site, a 100-hectare portion of the battleground in France that now serves as a memorial park, and at the Canada Memorial in London.
With files from The Canadian Press
