Monday Monuments and Memorials – Battle of Hill 70 Memorial, Mountain, ON

Hill 70 Memorial, Mountain, Ontario

Dedication stone, Hill 70 Memorial, Mountain, Ontario

Mountain Memorial Park is in use year round

Between 15 and 25 August 1917, the divisions of the Canadian corps captured and held Hill 70, a defensive position near Lens that had been held by the German Army since October 1914. While the April 1917 offensive at Vimy Ridge was the first time the Canadians fought together, Hill 70 was the first time they did so under Canadian command, that of Lt-Gen Arthur Currie.

The victory came at a high price. Over 9,000 Canadians were killed or wounded, as were an estimated 25,000 Germans. Six Canadians were awarded the Victoria Cross.

Yet the battle remains in the shadow of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, little known in Canada. Until the dedication of Hill 70 Memorial Park near Lens in 2017, a memorial in a park at 10480 Clark Rd in the village of Mountain (near Ottawa) was the only monument to the battle.

Monday Monuments and Memorials – Currie Gymnasium, Memorial Hall & 10th Canadian Siege Battery Flagpole, Montreal

Time dims not the achievement of the brave but worth shines steadfast even from the grave

Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium, McGill University, Montreal

Flagpole base, in memory of 10th Canadian Siege Battery

Happy 2018! Have you resolved to get into better shape this year? Here’s a war memorial for you.

The Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium is at 475, ave des Pins ouest, in Montreal. McGill University students were making good use of the facilities on the day I visited.

Monday Monuments and Memorials – General Sir Arthur Currie, GCMG, KCB, VD, Ottawa

General Sir Arthur Currie, GCMG, KCB, VD

General Sir Arthur Currie, Valiants Memorial

A statue of Arthur Currie stands prominently amongst the Valiants, 14 figures from Canadian military history, near the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The commemorative plaque describes him:

A courageous and innovative officer, he helped plan the great victory at Vimy Ridge. Then, as the first Canadian commander of the Canadian Corps, his brilliant leadership produced the sweeping Canadian victories of the war’s Last Hundred Days.