From sunrise to sunset on Sunday, April 9, the Legion will join federal, provincial and municipal institutions in lowering the Canadian flag to commemorate Vimy Ridge Day 2017. All other flags flown at all Legion locations also will be lowered to half-mast in observance of this pivotal day in Canadian history.
Continuing its longstanding tradition of Honouring and Remembering Canada’s military heritage is important to the Legion, and this day provides an opportunity for members to come together nationally and locally to commemorate this momentous battle – the only one that has been memorialized by an Act of Parliament.
We all know that a new and stronger sense of Canadian identity was forged at Vimy Ridge as regiments from across the country saw action together for the first time. We all also are painfully aware that our country paid a very high price for this victory. So on this day, in gratitude and in sorrow, Legionnaires from coast to coast to coast will Remember the 100,000 Canadians who fought, the more than 10,600 casualties, and the close to 3,600 among them who died.
“On this, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, we will lower our flags not only to pay tribute to those long gone but also to keep faith with our sacred obligation to Honour and Remember them,” says Dominion President Dave Flannigan.
About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S., Europe and Mexico. With more than 275,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.
Public Relations / Media Inquiries: PublicRelations@Legion.ca
Legion.ca
Facebook.com/CanadianLegion
Twitter.com/RoyalCdnLegion
Instagram.com/royalcanadianlegion
youtube.com/user/RCLDominionCommand