The August burial of four Canadian First World War soldiers in the presence of their regiments is another poignant reminder of how past engagements continue to shape the CAF today. From members of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse staging a reenactment of the Battle of Moreuil Wood to cadets from the 21 Royal Highland Fusiliers standing vigil, the commemoration is a link with the past. Regimental histories are powerful sources of community and continuity between CAF members past and present. The key role played by the Canadians in these last battles led to the renaming of the operation by some as “Canada’s Hundred Days”. ![]() Victory came at a high price, with the Canadian Corps losing 45,000 men killed, wounded or missing, nearly half of its fighting force. For the Canadian Corps, the war ended on November 11th with the Battle of Mons, a symbolic victory where they liberated the Belgian city that saw the first action of the war by the British Expeditionary Force. Canadians were consistently at the vanguard of operations, earning the title “shock troops”, and serving in battles such as the Canal du Nord, Cambrai and Valenciennes. Over the next approximately 100 days, Allied forces pushed eastwards, regaining territory lost in the German spring offensive earlier that year. General Ludendorff called it the “black day of the German army”. The Hundred Days Offensive, from which the current efforts at commemoration derive their name, began on August 8th, 1918 with the very successful Battle of Amiens. CAF’s media outreach has also been filled recently with Tweets and posts about the First World War and ongoing commemorated events for the centenary of “Canada’s Hundred Days”. Current troops are also participating in events, such as the military parade in Mons to celebrate the centenary of its liberation, on November 11th, 1918. ![]() Regimental websites are publicizing lectures and museum events. There is a huge list of events for the public to participate in. Veterans Affairs Canada has a website dedicated to the anniversary of the Last Hundred Days. Now, two years later, as the centenary draws to a close, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and related government agencies are stepping up their commitment to remembrance. ![]() In a 2016 poll, only 52% of Canadians thought that their country was doing enough to mark the centenary of the First World War. Commemorative events are planned for the last battles leading up to the Armistice that concluded the “War to End All Wars”. Autumn 2018 marks the centenary of the end of the First World War.
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