The First World War brought together millions of
soldiers from
every part of the world to fight and die on the
Western Front,
many believing that their sacrifice would cure the
world of barbarism.
The capture of the strategic Vimy Ridge by
Canadian
forces on April 9, 1917 was one of the greatest
military feats
of this war. Today, the rural landscape of northern
France and
Belgium is dotted with thousands of cemeteries
and memorials.
Toronto-based photographer Peter MacCallum
documented
the great Canadian memorial park at Vimy Ridge,
near
Arras in France – its preserved battlefield
landscape, tunnel
system and cemeteries. His photographs reflect
the sublime
beauty of this unique park, whose shell-pocked
topography
is cited by historians as the birthplace of Canadian
nationalism.
MacCallum has captured restoration work
progress on
Toronto sculptor Walter Allward’s towering
limestone monument
to the missing, which bears the names of the
11,285
Canadians killed in France who have no known
graves.