Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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The Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located at the National War Memorial in Confederation Square, Ottawa. The tomb was added to the war memorial in 2000, and holds the remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who died in France during World War I.
The body of the soldier was formerly buried near the memorial at Vimy Ridge, Pas-de-Calais, France, the site of the first major battle where Canadian troops fought as a combined force. More specifically, the soldier was at the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez, in Plot 8, Row E, Grave 7, only a couple of kilometers from the Vimy Memorial. At the request of the Canadian government, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission selected one of the 1,603 graves of unknown Canadians buried in the vicinity of Vimy Ridge.
The remains of the soldier were exhumed on the morning of May 16, 2000, and the casket was flown in a Canadian Forces aircraft to Ottawa on May 25, accompanied by an honour guard which included a chaplain, Royal Canadian Legion veterans, and representatives of Canadian youth. In Ottawa, the unknown soldier lay in state for three days.
On the afternoon of May 28, the body of the unknown soldier was transported from Parliament Hill to the National War Memorial on a horse-drawn gun carriage provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson, the Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, veterans, Canadian Forces personnel, and members of the RCMP were in the funeral procession. Then, with appropriate ceremony, the body of the unknown soldier was re-interred in a sarcophagus in front of the War Memorial.
The tomb is 3.5 metres (12 ft) long, 2.5 metres (8 ft) wide and 1 metre (3 ft) high. It is built of Caledonia granite originally quarried in Rivière à Pierre, Québec, and it has a bronze relief sculpture and four bronze corner pieces. The bronze work was designed by Canadian artist Mary-Ann Liu and cast in Roberts Creek, British Columbia. Both the tomb and sculpture reflect some of the themes and style of the Vimy Memorial designed by Canadian artist Walter Seymour Allward.
At the former burial site of the unknown soldier, a grave marker similar to the other headstones in the Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery has been placed on the now-empty grave. The marker is inscribed with these words:
ANCIENNE SÉPULTURE D'UN
SOLDAT CANADIEN INCONNU
MORT AU COURS DE LA
PREMIÈRE GUERRE MONDIALE.
IL A ÉTÉ EXHUMÉ
LE 25 MAI 2000
ET IL REPOSE MAINTENANT AU
MONUMENT COMMÉMORATIF
DE GUERRE DU CANADA
À OTTAWA
THE FORMER GRAVE OF AN
UNKNOWN CANADIAN SOLDIER
OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR.
HIS REMAINS WERE REMOVED
ON 25 MAY 2000 AND NOW
LIE INTERRED AT THE
NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL
IN OTTAWA CANADA.
The Tomb itself is also now an official part of the Remembrance Day ceremonies, and on the first Remembrance Day that featured the Tomb, a new Canadian tradition began spontaneously, and movingly, at the commencement[[Citing sources citation needed]] of the service when thousands of pilgrims placed their Flanders Poppies on the Tomb itself. A tradition was born that has continued since 2001.
As of July 3rd, 2006, furious veterans are renewing their demands that the National War Memorial be guarded to protect it against "disgusting" assaults after young men were caught urinating on it during Canada Day festivities.
A retired major snapped digital pictures of several people relieving themselves on the monument around 11 p.m. on Saturday, as thousands poured into the streets following the fireworks.
Most cheered and laughed when they were photographed using the memorial as a toilet on the nation's birthday.
See also
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Vimy Memorial
- Battle of Vimy Ridge
- Remembrance Day
- Military history of Canada
External links
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