Today we remember Vimy Ridge, the first great victory of World War I.

The four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought under Canadian leadership as a unit for the first time and accomplished what the French and British could not; they captured Vimy Ridge in France from German forces.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge is still Canada’s most celebrated military victory and is often considered the real birth of Canada as a unified country.

However victory came at a terrible cost. More than 10,000 Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded.

Today an iconic memorial sits atop the ridge.

It not only honours those who fought at Vimy, but also the 11,000 thousand Canadians killed in France throughout World War I who have no known graves.