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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Henry Ratcliffe

In memory of:

Private William Henry Ratcliffe

August 18, 1917

Military Service


Service Number:

766478

Age:

36

Force:

Army

Unit:

Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment)

Division:

20th Bn.

Additional Information


Born:

December 24, 1880

Son of John and Ann Ratcliffe; husband of Margaret Ratcliffe, of Toronto, Ontario.

Commemorated on Page 313 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:

VIMY MEMORIAL
Pas de Calais, France

Grave Reference:

N/A

Location:

Canada's most impressive tribute overseas to those Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the First World War is the majestic and inspiring Vimy Memorial, which overlooks the Douai Plain from the highest point of Vimy Ridge, about eight kilometres northeast of Arras on the N17 towards Lens. The Memorial is signposted from this road to the left, just before you enter the village of Vimy from the south. The memorial itself is someway inside the memorial park, but again it is well signposted. At the base of the memorial, these words appear in French and in English:

TO THE VALOUR OF THEIR COUNTRYMEN IN THE GREAT WAR AND IN MEMORY OF THEIR SIXTY THOUSAND DEAD THIS MONUMENT IS RAISED BY THE PEOPLE OF CANADA


Inscribed on the ramparts of the Vimy Memorial are the names of over 11,000 Canadian soldiers who were posted as 'missing, presumed dead' in France. A plaque at the entrance to the memorial states that the land for the battlefield park, 91.18 hectares in extent, was 'the free gift in perpetuity of the French nation to the people of Canada'. Construction of the massive work began in 1925, and 11 years later, on July 26, 1936, the monument was unveiled by King Edward VIII. The park surrounding the Vimy Memorial was created by horticultural experts. Canadian trees and shrubs were planted in great masses to resemble the woods and forests of Canada. Wooded parklands surround the grassy slopes of the approaches around the Vimy Memorial. Trenches and tunnels have been restored and preserved and the visitor can picture the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps on that distant dawn when history was made. On April 3, 2003, the Government of Canada designated April 9th of each year as a national day of remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram September 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram September 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Telegram September 1917. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper Clipping
  • Sons of England War Memorial– Designed by Charles Adamson in bronze and granite, the Sons of England war memorial is located on University Avenue at Elm Street in Toronto.  The inscription on this 1923 Memorial reads:   ERECTED BY MEMBERS OF TORONTO DISTRICTS SONS OF ENGLAND BENEFIT SOCIETY IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR.
  • Sons of England Benefit Society– Sons of England Benefit Society:  a notice of the December 29th, 1923 dedication and unveiling at University & College Streets (original location), detail from an S.O.E. membership certificate, and detail from the base of the Toronto Memorial.
  • Inscription– His name as it is inscribed on the Vimy Memorial (2010). Over 11,000 fallen Canadians having no known place of burial in France, are honoured on this Memorial. May they never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)
  • Vimy memorial– Canada's Vimy Memorial, located approximately 8 kilometres to the north-east of Arras, France. May the sacrifice of so many never be forgotten. (J. Stephens)

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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