Small gathering remember anniversary of Battle of Vimy Ridge

London, Ont.'s Remembrance Garden is seen on April 9, 2023. A small group of people gathered here on Easter Sunday 2023 to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. (Marek Sutherland/CTV News London)

A small crowd gathered at the Remembrance Garden on River Road Sunday morning — remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Easter Sunday was a cold and rainy day, and it was the last day for thousands of Canadian troops.

The sacrifice at Vimy Ridge made by Canadian soldiers, under their first self-run mission, accomplished something France and Britain were not able to — retaking Vimy Ridge for the Allies.

“It was considered a birth of a nation for Canadians at the time when the Allies, specifically Canada, were asked to perform in a large number of four divisions,” explained Greg Palmer, president of the London chapter of the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping.

But it later meant devastating news for Canadian families back home over the following days.

“There was 80 Londoners that were killed at Vimy Ridge and a lot of them were very young men, 17 to 20. And yeah, every one of their mothers or wives got a telegram next few days that said, ‘We're sorry for your loss. Details to follow,’” said Sean Seumas Wilson, director of the Remember November 11 Association.