When Sunnybrook Military Hospital opened in 1948, each treatment block in the main building was identified by a plaque representing military or places of battle where so much was sacrificed. Although the plaques were removed when Sunnybrook transitioned from a Veterans facility to a fully affiliated academic general hospital in 1966, they were rededicated in 2018. Ypres Wing is currently called E Wing.
In the first week of April 1915, the Canadian troops were moved from their quiet sector to a bulge in the Allied line in front of the City of Ypres. This was the famed—or notorious—Ypres Salient, where the British and Allied line pushed into the German line in a concave bend. The Germans held the higher ground and were able to fire into the Allied trenches from the north, the south and the east.
Here on April 22, the Germans sought to remove the Salient by introducing a new weapon, poison gas. All through the night the Canadian troops fought to close the gap. In addition they mounted a counter-attack to drive the enemy out of Kitcheners' Wood, an oak plantation near St. Julien. In the morning two more disastrous attacks were made against enemy positions. Little ground was gained and casualties were extremely heavy, but these attacks bought some precious time to close the flank.
Thus, in their first major appearance on a European battlefield, the Canadians established a reputation as a formidable fighting force. But the cost was high. In these 48 hours, 6,035 Canadians, one man in every three, became casualties of whom more than 2,000 died.
