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Vimy at 100 1917-2017: Lecture by Canadian Historian Tim Cook

Vimy is more than a First World War battle. It is common to hear that Vimy marks the “birth of a nation.”  Yet what is meant by this phrase? Do Canadians actually believe that Canada was born at Vimy, 50 years after Confederation? How did the four-day battle of Vimy in April 1917 transform into an origin story?  While not all Canadians believed in Vimy’s importance, enough did, and the idea of Vimy was invigorated with the building of Walter Allward’s monument on the ridge. Since then, Vimy has been incorporated into Canadian history, although its meaning has changed with each generation. Cook will explore the emergence of the Vimy idea, its changing meaning, and its endurance as a symbol of Canadian service and sacrifice.

Bio: A member of the order of Canada, recipient of the Pierre Berton Award, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the RBC Taylor Prize, Tim Cook is the author of ten books and an historian at the Canadian War Museum.

Presented by the JMS Careless History Society
Hours: 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Where: 266 Epworth Ave, London, N6A 2M3
Price: Free!
Contact: 519-433-3491 Ext.4384
Web site url:
By: Jane Antoniak