Unsung Canadian sacrifice on Hill 70 in France finally gets salute BILL KAUFMANN More from Bill Kaufmann (HTTP://CALGARYHERALD.COM/AUTHOR/PUMATANK) Published on: March 15, 2017 Last Updated: March 16, 2017 7:24 AM MDT Canadian stretcher bearers return to camp after a hard night. COURTESY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA Page 1 of 8
Calgary s role in a largely forgotten Canadian First World War triumph was saluted Wednesday. A Spruce Meadows-hosted luncheon at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel on Wednesday brought together promoters of a memorial to Canada s 1917 victory at France s Hill 70 and the city s business community. The mission was to raise awareness of the coming-of-age exploit a century ago in which Calgary-raised troops played a decisive part, and to raise funds for the $8.5-million project that s taken shape on the site of the battle at Loos en Gohelle, France. The capture and holding of the strategic heights in August 1917 denied the Germans a vital artillery position at the cost of 5,700 Canadian casualties. It was part of what s been described as Canada s war of independence, by eroding the nation s colonial status and uniting the country, said project spokesman Rob Baxter. Page 2 of 8
ADVERTISEMENT Pretty well all parts of Canada were at Hill 70, and bankers, farmers, lawyers and tradesmen were all in the same trench, said Baxter. People from over 20 non-commonwealth countries were represented in the casualties, these were newcomers to Canada, which was a great statement about new citizens embracing their country. Page 3 of 8
Troops receive hot tea on the night before Hill 70. COURTESY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA It was the Calgary Highlanders of the 10th Battalion who captured the crest of a hill Canada s allies had been unable to take, he said. They then repelled repeated German counterattacks, which earned the force more military medals than any other Canadian regiment did during the First World War, said Baxter. Six Canadians were awarded the Victoria Cross at Hill 70, two more than at Vimy. And unlike Vimy Ridge four months earlier, the lesser-known battle was an entirely Canadian affair, which further solidified the army s national credentials, say historians. Even so, the action has never been accorded the laurels of Vimy Ridge or notice of Passchendaele, partly because those places could be fixed to a Page 4 of 8
town. The desolate landscape of Hill 70 COURTESY LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA Hill 70 was a grid reference that after the war disappeared from the maps, said Baxter. Because of the superior Canadian tactics used to take the hill, casualties were also fewer, lowering its profile, he added. On April 8, the day before centennial commemorations at Vimy, a similar ceremony will be held to unveil the Hill 70 memorial, which consists of an obelisk and giant maple leaf inlaid on the ground beneath it. It s on eight hectares of land the government of France sold to the Canadians for one Euro. It ll probably be the last memorial built to the Canadians of the First World War, said Baxter. Page 5 of 8
So far, $6.9 million has been raised for the memorial, whose $8.5-million price tag could expand to $12 million with add-ons, he said. But what we really want is for Canadians to know the story of Hill 70, said Baxter. For more information on the battle s commemoration, go to hill70.ca (http://www.hill70.ca/). The Battle of Hill 70 Memorial Park at Loos en Gohelle, France, will open to the public this year. SUPPLIED PHOTO BKaufmann@postmedia.com (mailto:bkaufmann@postmedia.com) Twitter/BillKaufmannjrn (https://twitter.com/billkaufmannjrn) Page 6 of 8