As a Belgian citizen I can assure you that it's mind boggling and incredibly sad to see the size of the old cemeteries when you visit .It's one thing to see it on a screen but when you are there and you see rows upon rows of grave stones with thousands of fallen soldiers ...To think that these men and sometimes only boys came from that far away to fight so my family and now me and my offspring could be free .The local farmers still find bombs and even human remains when working the fields , a century after the tragedy .I recommend visiting some of the many museums and cemeteries because a screen doesn't do the gravity of the human loss justice .The first time my parents took me there I was so overwhelmed that I hardly said a word the next couple of days .I'm in my 40's now and still visit whenever I am in the area .The sacrifice of these young men should never be forgotten .Rest in peace
@@interman7715 There's a reason they were called the greatest generation .They volunteered to go fight a war on the other side of the world so we could be free from tyranny here .
My grandfather was at Paschendale. He joined up as a boy soldier in 1895. He came home with PTSD and was never the same again. What he must have seen came and haunted every night until he died......
My grandfather enlisted at 17 and was in 4th Div Engineers, first group to go over. In the CEF. Gassed at Ypres. Convalesced then back in at Festubert. Bayoneted and left for dead. 3 days later when bodies were being collected he managed a groan. When they grabbed his arms and ankles to take him away for burial. “This one’s not dead!” Survived, returned to Ontario. I have his paper notes from Festubert. He was one of the group that crawled through the hastily buried German bodies at the church. Gruesome. Put his hand through a body in the mud. The gassing eventually killed him at age 63.
This is one of the best WW1 documentaries I’ve ever seen. As an American I find it sad that I knew almost nothing about Canadas contributions to helping win The Great War. I wish I’m school I had been taught more about our North American brothers.
Canada has a proud, honorable military history and buried many of her sons in France, Belgium, Germany, and beyond. The Canadian army had a "beach of its own" on D-Day. We Americans - even those who are interested in history - have been done a disservice due to the lack of attention given to the Great War in our collective education. After all, 100 years later, we are still living in the world shaped by the Great War.
I believe it is recorded that of all British and (at the time) Empire troops they faced on the Western Front of WW1, the Canadians were most feared and respected by the Germans
Sure were, that carried on to ww2. Peaceful and friendly till we hear war,Then a switch flips 😅Germans quoted ww2.didn't want to come against American artillery and Armour,British commanders and Canadian troops. Another lil known fact canadian beach ww2 was one of the most fortified beaches along side Omaha and forget the 3rd. Canadians Ended up farthest behind enemy lines.and were used as storm troopers ww1
I appreciate the acknowledgement our efforts are usually always tied in to British or American operations and overlooked.tho you can't overlook vimy ridge ww1 the waltz or vimy glide was a work of art
Excellent,informative and compassionate video. I've visited all these places but the memorial at Vimy is probably the most heart rending. The madness of the trenches being 25m apart and the multiple levels of underground trenches where there is still a train eusting away...just mind blowing.. Respect Canada!
Same here, I always paid more attention to World War II, but this war needs to be appreciated more than it has in the past for how much it did change the world and the repercussions we still see to this day.
Thanks for this good video. My Flemish Grand-Mother was in Ypres that time, my grand grand father and his brother plus other family members were in those tranches, some of them died and more of them had succes. We remember them all. They fought for it, I am proud of them. From Flanders.
Wow this is an aspect of WWI that I didn’t know about. Thank you. It’s wild to think huge numbers of soldiers came from across the ocean to defend a tiny neutral Belgian city that represented so much for so many. Sometimes it’s easy to lose the humanity when dealing with these bulk numbers so telling individuals’ stories is so important.
Several family members proudly served with the Canadian Corps. Including: Grandfather. He managed to survive Ypres. Others did not. While still others went on to great acclaim....including the awarding of a V.C. Or, were later killed in action. The story of Canadian heroism and sacrifice at Ypres and during the rest of the Great War, serves as a pivotal moment in history. When Canada became a great Nation.
Around 10% of the names on my hometown war memorial have the letter c beside them to denote that they were Canadian soldiers born in Scotland, John McPhail was my grandfather's cousin ,he fell at Vimmy ,my grandfather's brother served as a Canadian died of wounds received . I was at the menin gate to witness the commemoration of Vimmy ridge in 2018
My wife's father was at Ypres. Although l never meet him.... he had died some years earlier.... she said he called the town Wipers as in windscreen 'Wipers'... He was in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander..
We owe such an enormous debt to our veterans fighting all the wars against tyranny!! Not to judge anyone but we should be living lives worthy of their sacrifice!
@@vanlendl1 Tyrants invade other countries for no justifiable reason killing their people and destroying everything! Germany did this in Belgium, France...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing, Fabulous narration, thanks for not spaing the details and horrors of the deaths. Sad to think how many went to war thinking it'd be a big adventure only to find He'll on earth and an end. Rip
The headstones seem so close...are these gallant lads buried shoulder to shoulder in a mass grave formation? Great documentary by the way...i always heard about the carnage of the line defending Ypres. Brave souls RIP
They are individual burials - unless the grave markers say otherwise. There is actually a foundation that runs under the soil that the grave markers seat into so that the spacing is uniform. The idea is that the burials make no distinction based on rank, you'll pass graves where a Captain or a Major will be buried shoulder-to-shoulder with private soldiers. Perhaps not equal in life, but equal, by virtue of their sacrifice, in death. I have seen markers with the names of two soldiers on it (likely meaning when they were discovered at a later date and reinterred together), and markers that say "known to be burried in this cemetery." Even unknown soldiers exhumed from elsewhere (either a trench burial, or a cemetery consolidation) will get their own plot. Cemeteries with large(r) numbers of lost graves/unknown burials mark it in some fashion. Places like the Zivy Crater just have a panel with all the names of the men in that burial instead of individual markers, while other cemeteries will use a stubby obelisk-like marker detailing the number of unknowns in that cemetery, or who were known to be buried at a cemetery that was destroyed/lost due to bombardments or changes in the battlefield. edit: typo
We used trench warfare to fight the islamic state in the Kurdish regions. Seeing the trenches again gives me chills. There were no charges or flame throwers, but we did have to face gas attacks, artillery barrages, snipers and machine guns. Instead of being taken prisoner our comrades would commit suicide, better that than to be beheaded. The pictures of the trenches in the video are just like the ones we had. It’s crazy that nothing changes after 100 years.
I knew little about this battle in World War 1, and how the Canadian allies and brothers in the dominions fought and died there, although I know a bit more about other World War 1 battles. Obviously Ypres was the Candian's version equivalent of Gallipoli to the Australians and New Zealanders. I lost a relative in the First AIF in Belgium in 1917 in the bloody battle of Passchendaele. This horrific battle was mired in mud, in an unusually wet summer and autumn in Western Europe. My relation lasted 2 years in the AIF from when he enlisted and to when he was killed or missing. He was 23 years old when he died. He was promoted from private to lieutenant in that time, was gravely wounded at least once, and was awarded the Military Medal. I unfortunately don't have any of his letters from the front, his history came from a history book compiled from a relation on my mother's side. In comparison to the Australians fighting at Passchendaele, the Canadians won a great victory at Vimy Ridge near Arras in 1917. Australians and Canadians shared very similar experiences in WW1 from two young countries. Lest we forget.
WW1 documentaries always make me think of the last episode of Blackadder Goes Fourth....I don't think I have ever been so moved by a piece of fiction. Then again it isn't really fiction....it's a representation of a real, tragic piece of our history. I still think the cast executed that last scene brilliantly. So sad
It's a shame that the story of the Durham Light Infantry which was supported by the canadians and the DLI also supported the canadians during the fighting around Ypres is never told, my great great grandad was one of those killed in action and his body has never been found in and around the fields Ypres. God bless also those that served and never came home
My Grandfather a Major in The Royal Horse Artillery was at Ypres. He received an MC for crawling forward over no man's land and taking the firing pins of 3 German machines guns that his batteries had driven underground.
I visited vimmy ridge a couple of years ago and what a fantastic memorial it is the statues are exquisite and the whole area is well serviced by Canadian volunteers a fitting tribute to Canadas fallen sons❤
I have been honored to have been to many first and Second World War battlefields and cemeteries. I believe all Canadian students should have to make this trip as part of their curriculum. Nothing can bring home the sacrifices these men made and the sense of pride as sitting in Maple Copse cemetery or in the Benny-sur-Mer cemetery near Juno beach. These are sacred places in which to reflect and give thanks to all we have had for the past century.
I have roamed the site .. and the lovely guides showed this history teacher behind the fenced areas. My rib cage paid a price from the bus load of tourists coming up from the tunnels.. thinking maybe I scored. One daughter of Canada's NATO rep, the other a daughter of Canada's ambassador to Belgium. Ohh to enjoy my 20's more than I dared.
The CEF (1914-18) consisted of between 40% to 65% of volunteers who had actually been born in others countries (Than Canada 🍁) both inside & outside the Empire & then, 80% on these had been born in the UK of Great Britain & Ireland🇬🇧, as it was in those times!
@@TKM1951 : I’m sure you’re quite right about verifying or checking authentication of any purported personal documents or certification etc., indeed in a volunteer force why should they usually need to bother? However, sometimes they did from other relevant required documentation such as proof or documentation of birth, especially if any ‘would-be’ younger, volunteer’s age was in doubt & questioned, accordingly, which it often was the case, whether it was a recruiting-board, panel or team in Canada, Britain, Australia or wherever else in 1914-18! Also volunteers or conscripts later on, had to still complete basic registration forms (Or else have an army clerk or other literate comrade help them to do such tasks, e.g. for forces’ pay-books etc. Then, in cases of any soldiers being illiterate or somehow incapable of writing them for themselves!), which always included questions on these types of documentation, disclosing such information as; their ‘place & date of birth, next of kin’s names, relationships & their contact-addresses’ information etc.! Hence, this data would always be kept available for armed forces clerical, records, archival or statistical purposes. But this is all obvious, so what’s your point here?
Think the Aussies might disagree with the statement that the Canadian Corps was the greatest on the Western front. To my mind they share the honours in this respect with the Aussies. Edit: My mistake not mentioning the Ausses and Kiwis. They were all the best with awesome reputations with the Germans.
It’s a Canadian doc, so it’s going to say they’re the best. I’d say the former colonies of Aus, NZ & Canada (CANZAC? ANZCAC?) were the greatest fighting forces; we also had to prove to the UK & world that we could hold our own.
I have no ties to the First World War, no family killed there but documentaries like this bring me to tears. Such a useless waste of human life. For what?
Ypres was never truly a secundary front, whilst most fronts fell silent on occasion, Ypres allone NEVER did, it remained an active front with raids and grand offenses from start to finish, every year more bombs are brought up from the soil by farmers. the land had been destroyed as badly as the infamous red zone in france, but Belgium could not afford to leave a large area of it's agricultural land as a forbidden zone, it never had the luxury of having ample arrable land in reserve.
My Great Great Uncle, Private Alfred James Steadman served with the 16th (Service) (3rd Birmingham) Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He joined up in September 1914 and was killed on 9th October 1917 at Polderhoek Chateau. He has no known grave and is listed on the memorial to the missing at the Tyne Cot Cemetry.
They need to do a show on troops brought to france from africa and india. The Japanese even contributed to the war effort. They also deserve a mention.
This is a great watch, however... Unpopular Opinion: your wrong in thinking that Canadians where the greatest force, because it was in fact the ANZAC Corps that was the greatest fighting force! 😝💀🇦🇺🇳🇿 They where also 100% volunteers!
It makes me sad, but somewhat proud, that the only remaining memorial to the men that fought in the Great War is in kansas city. I'm proud that my city makes it possible to remember those fellas, but sad that we're the only one to feel ghe need to do so here in the states
@@thatdude1435 meaning what? It means nothing to this Canadian ... who has visited Canada's battle sites and graves. Please explain the Meme ... you seem to get it.
Sad confession from a Canadian teacher of History ... and participated for years in elevating a true thing. Canadians "over performed" in World War I bravery and ingenuity on land and in the skies. It did help create a new national sense of identity. That was for Grade 9. It was time for many of the same students in 20th Century World History to tell some truths. Both Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele were front line positions WITHDRAWN from to rationalize the trench lines. ALL FOR NAUGHT. Canadians and Americans are exceptional in finding an upside to being in the war. It was simply then and now the stupidest most self-destructive event in the new modern world. And it triggered a rerun. Pathos only. Glory is a recruiting tool. In tribute to this ... TH-cam thinks Vimy is a spelling error for something else?
@Bubba's Broadside Ohhh but now YOU leave out the KIwis and white South Africans. ALL the then Dominions OVER PERFORMED IN A POINTLESS SLAUGHTER. I am sorry you felt over looked in my celebration of the STUPIDITY of the whole exercise. So here. Enjoy Australia' s fair share of imperial abuse. .. that left you in North Africa while the Japanese were pressing down from the north and Britain said... no. you are staying here. You serve the Empire. Not Australia. Things to be proud of. When PM Loyd George wanted to fire the inept friend of the king Douglas Haig.. he wanted to replace him with either Canada's General Currie ... or Australia's General _________. If you cannot fill in that blank in a micro second .....You have NO CONCEPT of who to challenge on the men of 1914 - 1918, do you?
@Bubba's Broadside You CANNOT SPELL Monash? I thought you would google the topic and pretend you knew. Tough word huh. You LOSE! Disengage from this exchange as I am now. Enough you silly man.
"...sheltered by the great mother country: England" - The "mother country" was Britain, not England. "Even England's declaration of war" - England didn't declare war. They couldn't declare war, as they weren't a sovereign country. Y'know... with a parliament, government, head of state or even a military. Britain. The word is "Britain", FFS. Released on a channel about historical events, too. Utterly shameful.
I agree totally with what you say except Ireland was at that time part of Great Britain and she also helped and had a say, but spot on everything else.
@@forsakingfear3652 I didn't use the words "Great Britain". I used the word "Britain". They are not the same thing. Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (AKA The UK AKA Britain).
@redceltnet there is no such thing as "Britain",its full title is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland/Ireland at the time. Britain is just a shortened term for the 4 nations or The UK nowadays.
@@forsakingfear3652 You said "there is no such thing as "Britain" - followed by ""Britain is..." You see why you contradicted yourself, right? What "Britain" means changes over time. It is a shorthand for the UK in the exact same way that "America" is shorthand for the USA. They aren't their technical or official name, but it is how they are referred to in common language. The Republic of Ireland was once a part of Britain (the UK), but never a part of Great Britain (whether when used to collectively refer to England, Scotland and Wales, or when referring to this nation when it held that name (1707-1801)). It's less complicated than it sounds, but a lot of people get confused.
A wonderful historical coverage of treachery horrible circumstances & lives misery of warriors during WW1. Documentary showed positively effectiveness of British propagandists amongst Canadian citizens 🇨🇦 ( Are love warmth 😊 remaining for 3-4 years through litter exchanging ?! )Thanks for sharing
My great grand father James Atkinson born Belfast was a medic in Canadian 3rd and was mortally wounded thankfully left a pregnant wife back in Saskatoon otherwise our whole line would not exist , his brother John Atkinson died as well in the Irish fusiliers such a waste
It never ceases to amaze me how people from THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED know SO LITTLE about Ypres, Mons, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele. All their sacrifice, forgotten. This is the war I have studied the most, and I am from a country that only saw sea warfare. I cannot fathom being Canuck, Kiwi, Aussie and not knowing about the Belgian front (As for Murricans, they have no history, they can not know)
44:18 in the video ... Someone wrote "W.M Cockburn" on the historical wall in the building ... brah they were def just joking with that one , it may have been someone in 2023 to throw you off LMAO
Those last frames? *_Ground-pounders_* ... like *Dirty Patricias* ... there's the glory, if any is to be had! ^5 *--LER* p.s. _(Not sure a Calgarian would have the brogue, but ..._ good work still!)
My solution at ending the war would have been to ask the head of state, King Edward, to contact his blood cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm, and negotiate cessations of hostilities...
The british wanted to save their empire. As it got bad, they made a dirty deal with the zionists which should use their influence to get the USA into that war. That dirty deal was the Balfour-Declaration. It was signed in november 1917 between the british foreign minister Balfour and Lord Rothschild.
@@georgeedward602 That war was about destroying Germany from the very beginning. As it was going possibly bad for the british, the british made a deal with the zionists (Balfour-Declaration) and offered them a national home in palestine.
This content is excellent. A book I read that shared this content significantly altered my approach to life. "The Silent Bridge: Echoes of the Unspoken Past" by Emma Wick
The Canadians and the Australians were greatly feared by the German troops. The reason for that is that they were led by the only two Generals who knew what they were doing: General Currie (Canada) and General Monash (Australia). You hear little of them in popular British history.
As a Belgian citizen I can assure you that it's mind boggling and incredibly sad to see the size of the old cemeteries when you visit .It's one thing to see it on a screen but when you are there and you see rows upon rows of grave stones with thousands of fallen soldiers ...To think that these men and sometimes only boys came from that far away to fight so my family and now me and my offspring could be free .The local farmers still find bombs and even human remains when working the fields , a century after the tragedy .I recommend visiting some of the many museums and cemeteries because a screen doesn't do the gravity of the human loss justice .The first time my parents took me there I was so overwhelmed that I hardly said a word the next couple of days .I'm in my 40's now and still visit whenever I am in the area .The sacrifice of these young men should never be forgotten .Rest in peace
Well said. Moving words. Thank you
Cemeteries usually have a weird humming sensation to them from sound reflecting off the headstones.
I feel the same when seeing pictures, reading books, hearing stories.
The age and numbers of the fallen still shocks.
BW.
🙋🏻♂️⚘️
I am Australian , 5 of my great uncles fought in Belgium, they all returned but were wounded and they suffered in silence.
@@interman7715 There's a reason they were called the greatest generation .They volunteered to go fight a war on the other side of the world so we could be free from tyranny here .
My grandfather was at Paschendale.
He joined up as a boy soldier in 1895.
He came home with PTSD and was never the same again.
What he must have seen came and haunted every night until he died......
Like my old neighbor back in LA, who was a concentration camp Jew. She said every night she was back in the camp.
Prof. Norm Christie is the best WW1 historian that I know. Imcredible view on the Great War
My grandfather enlisted at 17 and was in 4th Div Engineers, first group to go over. In the CEF. Gassed at Ypres. Convalesced then back in at Festubert. Bayoneted and left for dead. 3 days later when bodies were being collected he managed a groan. When they grabbed his arms and ankles to take him away for burial. “This one’s not dead!” Survived, returned to Ontario. I have his paper notes from Festubert. He was one of the group that crawled through the hastily buried German bodies at the church. Gruesome. Put his hand through a body in the mud. The gassing eventually killed him at age 63.
Thank you for your story, sir!
Wait what killed him?
This is one of the best WW1 documentaries I’ve ever seen. As an American I find it sad that I knew almost nothing about Canadas contributions to helping win The Great War. I wish I’m school I had been taught more about our North American brothers.
Canada has a proud, honorable military history and buried many of her sons in France, Belgium, Germany, and beyond. The Canadian army had a "beach of its own" on D-Day.
We Americans - even those who are interested in history - have been done a disservice due to the lack of attention given to the Great War in our collective education. After all, 100 years later, we are still living in the world shaped by the Great War.
I believe it is recorded that of all British and (at the time) Empire troops they faced on the Western Front of WW1, the Canadians were most feared and respected by the Germans
Sure were, that carried on to ww2. Peaceful and friendly till we hear war,Then a switch flips 😅Germans quoted ww2.didn't want to come against American artillery and Armour,British commanders and Canadian troops. Another lil known fact canadian beach ww2 was one of the most fortified beaches along side Omaha and forget the 3rd. Canadians Ended up farthest behind enemy lines.and were used as storm troopers ww1
Favorite church hill quote if I had american equipment, British commanders and Canadian troops I'd rule the world.
I appreciate the acknowledgement our efforts are usually always tied in to British or American operations and overlooked.tho you can't overlook vimy ridge ww1 the waltz or vimy glide was a work of art
Excellent,informative and compassionate video. I've visited all these places but the memorial at Vimy is probably the most heart rending.
The madness of the trenches being 25m apart and the multiple levels of underground trenches where there is still a train eusting away...just mind blowing..
Respect Canada!
The older I get the more I am fascinated by the First World War. Thanks.
Same here, I always paid more attention to World War II, but this war needs to be appreciated more than it has in the past for how much it did change the world and the repercussions we still see to this day.
Me too
@@JuliusC1973 yeah I agree
Well, then you should study the Balfour-Declaration, if you haven't already done it.
Same thing
Thanks for this good video. My Flemish Grand-Mother was in Ypres that time, my grand grand father and his brother plus other family members were in those tranches, some of them died and more of them had succes. We remember them all. They fought for it, I am proud of them. From Flanders.
Your English is very good!
Wow this is an aspect of WWI that I didn’t know about. Thank you. It’s wild to think huge numbers of soldiers came from across the ocean to defend a tiny neutral Belgian city that represented so much for so many. Sometimes it’s easy to lose the humanity when dealing with these bulk numbers so telling individuals’ stories is so important.
People don't bother or know how think. Empathy is absent.
A very well told story about some extraordinary Canadian soldiers. I'm glad I caught this vid.
Germany did not attack Canada.
Seen hundreds of war documentary’s this one is by far the best
The BBC Berlin 1945 in 3 parts is amazing as well.
The Great war 1964 bbc
Several family members proudly served with the Canadian Corps. Including: Grandfather. He managed to survive Ypres. Others did not. While still others went on to great acclaim....including the awarding of a V.C. Or, were later killed in action. The story of Canadian heroism and sacrifice at Ypres and during the rest of the Great War, serves as a pivotal moment in history. When Canada became a great Nation.
@cal9064 God bless the Canadians. I'm so glad they are our neighbors
And now you’ve got Justin Turdeau. It’s a shame. 😔🇨🇦
Mine too :)
@cal9064 Canadians rock!
Around 10% of the names on my hometown war memorial have the letter c beside them to denote that they were Canadian soldiers born in Scotland, John McPhail was my grandfather's cousin ,he fell at Vimmy ,my grandfather's brother served as a Canadian died of wounds received . I was at the menin gate to witness the commemoration of Vimmy ridge in 2018
I love this video. Arthur Currie had a mantra: neglect nothing
Thank you Canada, for your help in both world wars.
My wife's father was at Ypres. Although l never meet him.... he had died some years earlier.... she said he called the town Wipers as in windscreen 'Wipers'... He was in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander..
From Hamilton, then?
Yes, Brits called it Y-pers (or even Eepress), the French pronunciation was Eep.
This documentary was brilliant.
We owe such an enormous debt to our veterans fighting all the wars against tyranny!! Not to judge anyone but we should be living lives worthy of their sacrifice!
Germany (German Empire) of 1914 was no tyranny.
@@vanlendl1 Tyrants invade other countries for no justifiable reason killing their people and destroying everything! Germany did this in Belgium, France...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing,
Fabulous narration, thanks for not spaing the details and horrors of the deaths.
Sad to think how many went to war thinking it'd be a big adventure only to find He'll on earth and an end.
Rip
The headstones seem so close...are these gallant lads buried shoulder to shoulder in a mass grave formation? Great documentary by the way...i always heard about the carnage of the line defending Ypres. Brave souls RIP
More than likely. There are quite a few mass graves from ww1 and ww1. Nobody knows where they all are. War makes things unstable.
They are individual burials - unless the grave markers say otherwise. There is actually a foundation that runs under the soil that the grave markers seat into so that the spacing is uniform. The idea is that the burials make no distinction based on rank, you'll pass graves where a Captain or a Major will be buried shoulder-to-shoulder with private soldiers. Perhaps not equal in life, but equal, by virtue of their sacrifice, in death.
I have seen markers with the names of two soldiers on it (likely meaning when they were discovered at a later date and reinterred together), and markers that say "known to be burried in this cemetery." Even unknown soldiers exhumed from elsewhere (either a trench burial, or a cemetery consolidation) will get their own plot. Cemeteries with large(r) numbers of lost graves/unknown burials mark it in some fashion. Places like the Zivy Crater just have a panel with all the names of the men in that burial instead of individual markers, while other cemeteries will use a stubby obelisk-like marker detailing the number of unknowns in that cemetery, or who were known to be buried at a cemetery that was destroyed/lost due to bombardments or changes in the battlefield.
edit: typo
Excellent video. These men deserve to be celebrated in schools in Canada.
We used trench warfare to fight the islamic state in the Kurdish regions. Seeing the trenches again gives me chills. There were no charges or flame throwers, but we did have to face gas attacks, artillery barrages, snipers and machine guns. Instead of being taken prisoner our comrades would commit suicide, better that than to be beheaded. The pictures of the trenches in the video are just like the ones we had. It’s crazy that nothing changes after 100 years.
That trenches must have been an exception.
They're using trenches right now in Ukraine that look just like ww1
I knew little about this battle in World War 1, and how the Canadian allies and brothers in the dominions fought and died there, although I know a bit more about other World War 1 battles. Obviously Ypres was the Candian's version equivalent of Gallipoli to the Australians and New Zealanders. I lost a relative in the First AIF in Belgium in 1917 in the bloody battle of Passchendaele. This horrific battle was mired in mud, in an unusually wet summer and autumn in Western Europe. My relation lasted 2 years in the AIF from when he enlisted and to when he was killed or missing. He was 23 years old when he died. He was promoted from private to lieutenant in that time, was gravely wounded at least once, and was awarded the Military Medal. I unfortunately don't have any of his letters from the front, his history came from a history book compiled from a relation on my mother's side. In comparison to the Australians fighting at Passchendaele, the Canadians won a great victory at Vimy Ridge near Arras in 1917. Australians and Canadians shared very similar experiences in WW1 from two young countries. Lest we forget.
WW1 documentaries always make me think of the last episode of Blackadder Goes Fourth....I don't think I have ever been so moved by a piece of fiction. Then again it isn't really fiction....it's a representation of a real, tragic piece of our history. I still think the cast executed that last scene brilliantly. So sad
“Good luck, everyone”
My grandad was at Ypres salient with the duke of Cornwall 7 battalion ❤😢
Yes it took me years to watch it again after the first time. Terrible sad. Lest we forget.
Great story of brave Canadians !
Bravery has nothing to do with it. The canadians were used to save the british empire.
And they were stupid enough to do so.
Do not forget. Please, never forget.
I think about their sacrifices and suffering every day.
It's a shame that the story of the Durham Light Infantry which was supported by the canadians and the DLI also supported the canadians during the fighting around Ypres is never told, my great great grandad was one of those killed in action and his body has never been found in and around the fields Ypres.
God bless also those that served and never came home
This makes me proud to be Canadian and proud of my great grandfather who fought at Vimy Ridge
The great war for me is the end of an innocence and the beginning of a machine age.
the Germans used .. the massacre of the innocents... in one case early in the war. It is in fact the whole story.
It certainly was the end of innocence
My Grandfather a Major in The Royal Horse Artillery was at Ypres. He received an MC for crawling forward over no man's land and taking the firing pins of 3 German machines guns that his batteries had driven underground.
My Great Uncle WJF Larwood 32nd Battalion AIF died there coming out of the line after the battle of Polygon Wood.
What an amazing guy! Such a wealth of information and experience. Just incredible. Thank you for sharing.
well done ..very informative and respectful
Thanks for the great story
I lived in langemark and know some fields there,2minutes searching and find schrapnel balls and bullets and all sorts of pieces of bombs
I visited vimmy ridge a couple of years ago and what a fantastic memorial it is the statues are exquisite and the whole area is well serviced by Canadian volunteers a fitting tribute to Canadas fallen sons❤
I have been honored to have been to many first and Second World War battlefields and cemeteries. I believe all Canadian students should have to make this trip as part of their curriculum. Nothing can bring home the sacrifices these men made and the sense of pride as sitting in Maple Copse cemetery or in the Benny-sur-Mer cemetery near Juno beach. These are sacred places in which to reflect and give thanks to all we have had for the past century.
I'm here 13-miles as the crow flies from Vimy Ridge.
I have roamed the site .. and the lovely guides showed this history teacher behind the fenced areas. My rib cage paid a price from the bus load of tourists coming up from the tunnels.. thinking maybe I scored. One daughter of Canada's NATO rep, the other a daughter of Canada's ambassador to Belgium. Ohh to enjoy my 20's more than I dared.
The CEF (1914-18) consisted of between 40% to 65% of volunteers who had actually been born in others countries (Than Canada 🍁) both inside & outside the Empire & then, 80% on these had been born in the UK of Great Britain & Ireland🇬🇧, as it was in those times!
This is not unique. Some 60% of Australian servicemen were born in the UK.
@@alecblunden8615 31:17 31:17 wgo
@@alecblunden8615
Yeah but the Australians were hundred percent volunteers
CEF did not check or verify birth certificates. They had volunteers from North and South America ,Asia ,Europe and the UK .
@@TKM1951 : I’m sure you’re quite right about verifying or checking authentication of any purported personal documents or certification etc., indeed in a volunteer force why should they usually need to bother?
However, sometimes they did from other relevant required documentation such as proof or documentation of birth, especially if any ‘would-be’ younger, volunteer’s age was in doubt & questioned, accordingly, which it often was the case, whether it was a recruiting-board, panel or team in Canada, Britain, Australia or wherever else in 1914-18!
Also volunteers or conscripts later on, had to still complete basic registration forms (Or else have an army clerk or other literate comrade help them to do such tasks, e.g. for forces’ pay-books etc. Then, in cases of any soldiers being illiterate or somehow incapable of writing them for themselves!), which always included questions on these types of documentation, disclosing such information as; their ‘place & date of birth, next of kin’s names, relationships & their contact-addresses’ information etc.!
Hence, this data would always be kept available for armed forces clerical, records, archival or statistical purposes. But this is all obvious, so what’s your point here?
Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you for sharing
🤗🙏🇺🇲🎖️🎖️
Aussies Valolrise the Canadians who were fighting mates. The Canadians gave the Germans a taste of Currey.
Norm is the absolute best.
For those saying ‘Not the best’ you should read about the last 100 days of WWI. The Canadians pushed the western front back to Germany
With the Aussie Corps beside them on the left.
@@RPMZ11 Yes ! 🇦🇺
Study the dirty deal of the "Declaration of Balfour" and you know, who won that war.
Belleau wood
God Bless Canada for fighting tyranny no matter the distance or sacrifice
Soo sad, as a ex military veteran and a very proud Australian, my great uncle was killed there. May he R.I P.
Think the Aussies might disagree with the statement that the Canadian Corps was the greatest on the Western front. To my mind they share the honours in this respect with the Aussies. Edit: My mistake not mentioning the Ausses and Kiwis. They were all the best with awesome reputations with the Germans.
The Canadian Corp and France won WW1
It’s a Canadian doc, so it’s going to say they’re the best. I’d say the former colonies of Aus, NZ & Canada (CANZAC? ANZCAC?) were the greatest fighting forces; we also had to prove to the UK & world that we could hold our own.
And the Kiwis
I have no ties to the First World War, no family killed there but documentaries like this bring me to tears. Such a useless waste of human life. For what?
For global corporations and the wealthy tribal elites. Nothing changes.
Oh my how love anything with the word "secrets" in the title!
I am proud of going to see the war graves of all the young soldiers on both sides. Sent by old men killed by young boys. RESPECT 🙏
Ypres was never truly a secundary front, whilst most fronts fell silent on occasion, Ypres allone NEVER did, it remained an active front with raids and grand offenses from start to finish, every year more bombs are brought up from the soil by farmers. the land had been destroyed as badly as the infamous red zone in france, but Belgium could not afford to leave a large area of it's agricultural land as a forbidden zone, it never had the luxury of having ample arrable land in reserve.
Salute to our fellow Canadian Colonial troops.🇦🇺🇨🇦
May The MOST HIGH GOD BLESS you Canada 🇨🇦 Some don't know or respect YOUR TRUE GRIT.
As a human, the story of strangers killing each other over different uniforms demonstrates the true potential scope of psychopaths
It's sort of dark humour, to have been merely socially shamed into allowing your sons to go to war, in exchange for ribbons and medals.
My Great Great Uncle, Private Alfred James Steadman served with the 16th (Service) (3rd Birmingham) Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He joined up in September 1914 and was killed on 9th October 1917 at Polderhoek Chateau. He has no known grave and is listed on the memorial to the missing at the Tyne Cot Cemetry.
I still do not understand how they got men to participate in this god awful strategy. It was the very definition of insanity.
Watch alot of battlefield history.this battle is shocking how fast it all goes down
At 1:34; I thought he said "Harry Larry." 😐😵💫😵
Exceptionaly Good , But seems to be a advert for everyone who died during the War.
They need to do a show on troops brought to france from africa and india. The Japanese even contributed to the war effort. They also deserve a mention.
No glory in any of this madness. The cream of a generation just wasted.
It’s even sadder knowing that these men died for nothing.
Just for an even more destructive war to be fought 30 years later over the same things.
@theothertoolbox. I think they would disagree as would Belgium. Don’t substitute nothing for futility.
“Don’t worry son…if you’re gonna get it, you’ll ge”
That's a vet whose seen it all.
At Hill 70 today a small flock of 15-20 sheep graze and sleep. All for the sheep. For King and Sheep.
This is a great watch, however...
Unpopular Opinion: your wrong in thinking that Canadians where the greatest force, because it was in fact the ANZAC Corps that was the greatest fighting force! 😝💀🇦🇺🇳🇿
They where also 100% volunteers!
It makes me sad, but somewhat proud, that the only remaining memorial to the men that fought in the Great War is in kansas city. I'm proud that my city makes it possible to remember those fellas, but sad that we're the only one to feel ghe need to do so here in the states
Canadians then and now.
are.... were. You sentence lacks ... meaning.
@@donofon1014 its a well known meme
@@thatdude1435 meaning what? It means nothing to this Canadian ... who has visited Canada's battle sites and graves. Please explain the Meme ... you seem to get it.
And they are still remembered.
Sad confession from a Canadian teacher of History ... and participated for years in elevating a true thing. Canadians "over performed" in World War I bravery and ingenuity on land and in the skies. It did help create a new national sense of identity. That was for Grade 9. It was time for many of the same students in 20th Century World History to tell some truths. Both Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele were front line positions WITHDRAWN from to rationalize the trench lines. ALL FOR NAUGHT. Canadians and Americans are exceptional in finding an upside to being in the war. It was simply then and now the stupidest most self-destructive event in the new modern world. And it triggered a rerun. Pathos only. Glory is a recruiting tool. In tribute to this ... TH-cam thinks Vimy is a spelling error for something else?
We are men of our generations. There's nothing to apologize for. We were shown movies glorifying war.
As someone in the US military I have always loved working with our brothers and sisters up north
@Bubba's Broadside Ohhh but now YOU leave out the KIwis and white South Africans. ALL the then Dominions OVER PERFORMED IN A POINTLESS SLAUGHTER. I am sorry you felt over looked in my celebration of the STUPIDITY of the whole exercise. So here. Enjoy Australia' s fair share of imperial abuse. .. that left you in North Africa while the Japanese were pressing down from the north and Britain said... no. you are staying here. You serve the Empire. Not Australia. Things to be proud of. When PM Loyd George wanted to fire the inept friend of the king Douglas Haig.. he wanted to replace him with either Canada's General Currie ... or Australia's General _________. If you cannot fill in that blank in a micro second .....You have NO CONCEPT of who to challenge on the men of 1914 - 1918, do you?
@Bubba's Broadside You CANNOT SPELL Monash? I thought you would google the topic and pretend you knew. Tough word huh. You LOSE! Disengage from this exchange as I am now. Enough you silly man.
Yea, Germany were the good guys, the Anglo union brought in globalism. P.S the u.s are the worst soldiers of any 1st world country.
"...sheltered by the great mother country: England" - The "mother country" was Britain, not England. "Even England's declaration of war" - England didn't declare war. They couldn't declare war, as they weren't a sovereign country. Y'know... with a parliament, government, head of state or even a military. Britain. The word is "Britain", FFS.
Released on a channel about historical events, too. Utterly shameful.
I agree totally with what you say except Ireland was at that time part of Great Britain and she also helped and had a say, but spot on everything else.
@@forsakingfear3652 I didn't use the words "Great Britain". I used the word "Britain". They are not the same thing. Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (AKA The UK AKA Britain).
@redceltnet there is no such thing as "Britain",its full title is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland/Ireland at the time.
Britain is just a shortened term for the 4 nations or The UK nowadays.
@@forsakingfear3652 You said "there is no such thing as "Britain" - followed by ""Britain is..."
You see why you contradicted yourself, right?
What "Britain" means changes over time. It is a shorthand for the UK in the exact same way that "America" is shorthand for the USA. They aren't their technical or official name, but it is how they are referred to in common language.
The Republic of Ireland was once a part of Britain (the UK), but never a part of Great Britain (whether when used to collectively refer to England, Scotland and Wales, or when referring to this nation when it held that name (1707-1801)).
It's less complicated than it sounds, but a lot of people get confused.
A wonderful historical coverage of treachery horrible circumstances & lives misery of warriors during WW1. Documentary showed positively effectiveness of British propagandists amongst Canadian citizens 🇨🇦 ( Are love warmth 😊 remaining for 3-4 years through litter exchanging ?! )Thanks for sharing
We were family...and ''Mum'' was calling.
All that sacrifice, only to end up with Trudeau.
My great great grandfather died at the bluff on 29 of February 1916.
🔥🐲4th Battalion 9th REGIMENT MANCHUS. KEEP UP THE FIRE🫡
My grandfather's brother who lived on Vancouver Island joined up. I have a picture of him in his uniform. He looks very sad. He did survive however.
My great grand father James Atkinson born Belfast was a medic in Canadian 3rd and was mortally wounded thankfully left a pregnant wife back in Saskatoon otherwise our whole line would not exist , his brother John Atkinson died as well in the Irish fusiliers such a waste
It never ceases to amaze me how people from THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED know SO LITTLE about Ypres, Mons, Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele.
All their sacrifice, forgotten.
This is the war I have studied the most, and I am from a country that only saw sea warfare.
I cannot fathom being Canuck, Kiwi, Aussie and not knowing about the Belgian front (As for Murricans, they have no history, they can not know)
And in 1940 it fell without a fight
44:18 in the video ... Someone wrote "W.M Cockburn" on the historical wall in the building ... brah they were def just joking with that one , it may have been someone in 2023 to throw you off LMAO
Those last frames? *_Ground-pounders_* ... like *Dirty Patricias* ... there's the glory, if any is to be had!
^5
*--LER*
p.s. _(Not sure a Calgarian would have the brogue, but ..._ good work still!)
My solution at ending the war would have been to ask the head of state, King Edward, to contact his blood cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm, and negotiate cessations of hostilities...
Yet the sheep believe in 'democracy'
Do you REALLY believe the king was incapable, as his 'subjects' wanted war?!
The british wanted to save their empire. As it got bad, they made a dirty deal with the zionists which should use their influence to get the USA into that war. That dirty deal was the Balfour-Declaration. It was signed in november 1917 between the british foreign minister Balfour and Lord Rothschild.
They were negotiating the whole war. Germany wanted an Empire and the result was an end to all Empires.
@@georgeedward602 That war was about destroying Germany from the very beginning. As it was going possibly bad for the british, the british made a deal with the zionists (Balfour-Declaration) and offered them a national home in palestine.
Did you forget the millions of English Scottish Irish????
….this is about Canadians.
"Visiting local...tourist attractions." Nah, they were put trying to tap a tree. You feel me? Trying to get that syrup drip going.
Hey, I'm over ten seconds in, surely I'm due my fifth advert, no???
My grandpa who shares my name fought in this battle.
As soon as Trudeau is gone we CAN REBUILD our GREAT NATION and remember these men with ever so much pride again!!
it was a stupid war that should never have happend , so said my late grandfather who served in the black watch in that war , i agree wi him , aye !
😂😂 People squabbling on here, about whose country supposedly did more of the fighting...ffs grow up...
…the greatest fighting force on the western front? ….really?…
This content is excellent. A book I read that shared this content significantly altered my approach to life. "The Silent Bridge: Echoes of the Unspoken Past" by Emma Wick
Hotels in and industrial estate? Wha...?
Canada's leaders today are a far cry from these brave men. Such a shame really.
Bings boys
phuu what should i say. its one dark side of history.
Flying ace Goring would have been flying around.
Why is a Canadian narrated with an Irish accent?
A great deal of the Canadian army, indeed Canada, at the time were born outside Canada. The video even mentions several Scottish born Canadians.
Mmmmm winning a medal? They earned them....
The Canadians and the Australians were greatly feared by the German troops. The reason for that is that they were led by the only two Generals who knew what they were doing: General Currie (Canada) and General Monash (Australia). You hear little of them in popular British history.
great adventure - LOL. what a pack of rubes.
And feminist of now days think they have it rough, what a joke.