mAp : KATy DoCKRIll / I2IART . Com ; VImy : ARTeRRA pICTuRe lIBRARy / AlAmy ; CARIBou : mAuRICe CRooKS / AlAmy ; SquARe : DIeppe . CA how a long-ago war still touches daily life here .
At Tyne Cot Cemetery , one of more than 150 cemeteries surrounding Ypres , the Canadian war effort spreads out before one ’ s eyes . Tyne Cot is the largest cemetery devoted to Commonwealth war dead : It ’ s filled with nearly 12,000 headstones , about 1,000 of which are marked with a maple leaf to signify their Canadian roots . I ponder how often the headstones are greeted with a rock from home , a symbol visitors use to pay their respects .
Standing in Tyne Cot , searching for a deeper connection to what surrounds me , I look up my family name and find a soldier who shares my name among those buried here . I don ’ t know him ; he may or may not have even been related to me . But as the tour guide helps me locate his grave in the maze of headstones , I know it doesn ’ t matter — there ’ s a bond . Whether by blood or nationality , this man is a part of my history . When we find the headstone , I sit for a minute , contemplating his life and death .
Though a century has passed , Belgium has not forgotten the sacrifices of foreign troops . They have great respect for the Canadians who fought selflessly in the name of freedom for a country more than 6,500 kilometres away . At every turn , Belgians are eager to share the joint history of our two nations . My tour guide shares family stories of the war , passed down through the generations like precious keepsakes . While shopping at a vismarkt ( fish market ), I meet a painter whose eyes shine brightly when I tell him I ’ m from Canada ,
Canadian National Vimy Memorial Arguably the world ’ s most striking war memorial , the twin structures rise up from lush countryside to commemorate the legendary Battle of Vimy Ridge , which was fought here during the First World War .
RemembeR :
France
Canada ’ s war connection goes far beyond Belgium : Canadians fought valiantly in two World Wars to liberate many occupied French communities as well
Square du Canada This World War II memorial park in Dieppe marks the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the war . The stone memorial in the park pays tribute to the 900-plus Canadian troops who lost their lives in an effort to liberate the town .
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial A regal caribou stands guard , symbolizing the sacrifice of Newfoundlanders during the disastrous Battle of the Somme . The Newfoundland Regiment was virtually wiped out during World War I ’ s largest battle on the Western Front .
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