Erected on Vimy Ridge, in the North of
France, the Canadian National War memorial was unveiled
by the King in front of a vast crowd, including some 8,000 Canadian pilgrims,
on July 26th 1936, It was the largest memorial of any in France and Belgium
and commemorated the 60,000 dead in the Great War and on it were inscribed
the names of some 11,000 who had no known grave. The monument also honoured
those French soldiers who fought and died at Vimy before the Canadians
captured the Ridge at Easter, 1917.
The ILN published a special number commemorating this
event on August 1st 1936
(Appendix List No. 112).
Pictures show the King unveiling the monument’ s central statue
and addressing the crowds; the old trenches and dug-outs which had been
preserved with concrete as a memento to the fighting; the Canadian pilgrims
in London and details of the memorial itself, designed by the sculptor
and architect Walter Allward.
The top half of the cover shows the whole monument, with its two pylons
representing Canada and France and the statue symbolizing Canada mourning
her fallen sons. The whole section is in shades of blue and white.
This is issue number 5076, vol. 189, pages 179-218, measuring 37 x 26
cm and priced at one shilling.