Mississauga Remembers

Mississauga Remembers. . The Battle of Vimy Ridge, , April 9-12, 1917, The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a pivotal military engagement in the First World War. The Ridge was a strategic and heavily fortified ridge that held a commanding view. Canadian troops were ordered to capture Vimy Ridge in April of 1917. Previous attempts had failed., Canadians were strategic in their plans to capture Vimy Ridge. Engineers dug deep tunnels and soldiers remained underground for weeks before the attack. In their first joint attack, more than 15,000 soldiers in the four Canadian divisions stormed Vimy Ridge at 5:30 am on April 9, 1917., Many consider the Canadian victory at Vimy a defining moment for Canada. Canadian troops also earned a reputation as formidable and effective because of this stunning success. However, it came at a heavy cost as 3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded., "Our Boys" at Vimy , The soldiers at Vimy included more than 50 from historic Mississauga, including seven who lost their lives: Private Dennis Ainger of Erindale, Sergeant Thomas Cartwright of Erindale, Private Joseph Clarke of Streetsville, Private William Kidd of Clarkson, Private Eli Rossiter of Clarkson, Private Jack Young of Clarkson, and Lieutenant James Fawcett of Streetsville. Eleven others from historic Mississauga were wounded., Port Credit War Memorial , The Port Credit and Vicinity Soldiers’ Memorial is located on the former site of the town square and band shell. During the war, notices of casualties were posted on the band shell, and the park became the focal point for somber community gatherings. The idea of raising funds to build a memorial to fallen soldiers in Port Credit began in April of 1924. A year later, in 1925, a cenotaph design from the McIntosh Granite Company was accepted. The band shell site was selected for the location of the Soldiers’ Memorial, and the warmemorial was unveiled on November 9 , , 1925 by Lt. Governor Henry Cockshutt., Naming of Vimy Park The design of Soldiers' Memorial is based on the "Cross of Sacrifice", an accepted cenotaph design. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield for the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission in 1918., The memorial originally listed the names of 32 soldiers from Port Credit and the surrounding area who fell during the First World War. In 1946 and 1983 respectively, names of casualties from the Second World War and Korean War were added. In 2017, the City of Mississauga Mayor and Members of Council formally named the park "Vimy Park" to honour the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.