A minute of silence was observed at Salmon Arm's cenotaph Wednesday for those who fought and/or made the ultimate sacrifice in a battle that became a defining moment for Canada as a nation.
At 11 a.m. on April 9, a small, solemn gathering of people 鈥� largely veterans, emergency service personnel and political dignitaries 鈥� paid silent respect for those Canadians who served in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Some 100,000 Canadians were involved in this four-day fight in northern France, that began at 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917. Waves of Canadian troops advanced through snow and sleet, following a "creeping barrage" of allied artillery fire to capture German positions.
"The Canadian success of Vimy demonstrated that no position was invulnerable to a well thought plan鈥�," said Salmon Arm RCMP Staff Sgt. Simon Scott, sharing the history of the battle. "This did not come without cost. There were 3,595 dead and 10,602 casualties."
Scott said many believe the battle was Canada's "coming of age as a nation, earning us a seat at the table during the surrender and a separate signature in the Treaty of Versailles."
When called upon so speak, Mayor Alan Harrison also reflected on the historic battle and its heavy casualties.
"It鈥檚 hard to image what it would have been like if one of those brave Canadians were one of my kids. It鈥檚 hard to fathom," said Harrison. "Here at our cenotaph are the names of 38 sons, brothers and husbands lost in World War One. They left Salmon Arm as young men and they never returned. We need to pass on to future generations that because of these young men we enjoy the life that we have today. they lived in our town and they made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
"We need to remember them."
The ceremony was organized by the Salmon Arm Legion Branch 62 and president Lance Ewan and Sergeant-at-Arms Walter Webster.
Without a similar ceremony to attend in Kamloops, Bob Shouldice took part in the Salmon Arm legion event, and placed at the cenotaph a wreath honouring his spouse Karen's grandfather, Harold Thomas Mathison, who fought in Vimy with the 4th Batallion, First Canadian Brigade, 1st Canadian Division. Mathison was among the second wave of troops to advance on the morning of the 9th. He was injured in the process, with a bullet hitting his left shoulder, and his right hand and foot struck by shrapnel. Shouldice had with him a photo of Mathison being carried off the battlefield. Though he was not expected to live, Mathison survived the battle and, after receiving a number of surgeries, he returned to Canada in April 1918.
