Dedication ceremony (1936)

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial was finally ready to serve its purpose – to be a memorial commemorating the dead but for the living – 14 years after the French government granted Canada 290 acres of land on Vimy Ridge to use in perpetuity as a permanent memorial park, and 11 years after its actual construction began. (Unveiling of Canada's National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Pilgrims gather in front of the Monument after the ceremony. Library and Archives Canada.)

On July 26, 1936, the monument was dedicated and the Figure of Canada was unveiled by King Edward the VIII himself...(His Majesty unveils the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)

...before a huge gathering of Canadian, French and British citizens.(His Majesty King Edward VIII unveiling the Figure of Canada on the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)

The black dots you see all around the monument are not trees (the area had not been completely rewooded in 1936), they are people!(Aerial view of the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)

There was great pomp and circumstance. During the ceremony, French and Canadian troops lined the broad pathway as the dignitaries approached the monument.(Unveiling of Canada's National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada.)

Among the thousands gathered for the event were more than 3,000 Canadian Veterans (who had arrived as part of an official pilgrimage from Canada). They stood in the amphitheatre with pride, their families surrounding them on sloped edges. Mr. Saburo Shinobu, a member of the Japanese Branch of the Canadian Legion Delegation, described the event :"At 2:15, the British monarch arrived. During the playing of the British national anthem and O Canada, he remained on the platform while guns emplaced in the valley beyond the Pimple thundered a salute... He then descended into the amphitheater and inspected the lines of veterans... speaking to those blind and maimed... The drone of aeroplanes to the west heralded the approach of two squadrons of the Royal Air Force. Flying low, they thundered past the memorial, dipping in salute. It was truly a thrilling spectacle."(Flypast of military aircraft during the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial. Library and Archives Canada.)

Standing prominently in the crowd, were two women whose stories were testaments to sacrifice onto themselves: Mrs. Wood, who had lost 2 of her sons, and Mrs. Hall, who wore her dead son's Victoria Cross.(Mrs. Wood. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)

The King took time to meet the women, whose sons embodied what the ceremony and the monument itself were all about. He then concluded: "Around us here today there is peace and the rebuilding of hope. And also in dedicating this memorial to our fallen comrades our thoughts turn rather to the splendour of their sacrifice, and the consecration of our love for them, than to the cannonade which beat upon its ridge a score of years ago. In this spirit, in the spirit of thankfulness for their example of reverence, for their devotion, and of pride in their comradeship I unveil this memorial to Canada's dead." His Majesty King Edward VIII. "The service lasted only an hour but never had anyone experienced one more solemn or moving."Saburo Shinobu, Japanese Branch of the Canadian Legion. (His Majesty King Edward VIII greeting Mrs. Wood. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)

The military had long ago honoured its fallen members and Canadian civilians had honoured them in their own hearts as well. But, in Vimy they now had a powerful symbol to convey the extent of their true feelings of loss.(His Majesty King Edward VIII unveils the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada/National Gallery of Canada.)