CHAPTERS
The story of the Vimy cross
The story of the original cross erected in the days after the assault on Vimy Ridge and how it came to Canada.
The Vimy Cross Returns to France
The Cross returns to France on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge.
The Cross Comes to Canada – again
Details of the ceremony on the occasion of its return to the Regimental Museum
A new cross rises at Vimy
The erection of a granite replica by the 15th Battalion Memorial Project team.
The man who built the cross
The story of the man and how he was finally identified.
In 2017, the Chairman of the 15th Battalion CEF Memorial Project made a proposal to Veteran’s Affairs Canada (VAC) to have the Vimy cross return to Vimy for the 2017 Centenary of Vimy ridge and to be on display at the opening of the new Vimy Visitor Education Centre. (VEC)
48th Highlanders Regimental museum supported the proposal and authorized temporary loan of the cross for the Centenary year 2017-2018. VAC made arrangements for the archival packing and shipment of the cross to Vimy.
The project Chairman also approached CBC to determine if there was interest in the story of the cross and its return to France possibly as part of CBC’s coverage of the upcoming Centenary ceremony at Vimy. CBC approved of the proposal and assigned journalist Nala Aeyad to cover the journey of the cross from the museum in Toronto back to Vimy. The result was a moving documentary that aired on 8 April 2017.
Several relatives of 15th Battalion men whose names appear on the cross were located by the 15th Battalion Memorial Project and were on hand when the cross was packed for shipment at the Regimental Museum in St Andrews Presbyterian Church in February 2017.
The Project Chairman requested that the cross be photographed at its original wartime locations at CA39 and Nine Elms Cemetery before being installed on display at the Vimy Visitor Education Centre. (See the image at the top of this page.)
On 8 April the cross was prominently displayed on the opening dedication day of the Visitor Education Centre and was viewed by VIPs and hundreds of Canadians who attended the Centenary ceremony on April 9th. Included in those visitors were relatives of men who died at Vimy and whose names appear on the cross.
