Bronte Bugle THE GENERALCHRIS VOKES BRONTE(ONT. NO. 486) BRANCH The Royal Canadian Legion ~9;~ issue The hill where Canada was born "We went up as Westerners or Easterners but came down as Canadians. " That's what veterans say of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. For the first time Canadians fought their own battle, in their own way. They took the hill which all others had failed to take. It was there in the fire of Vimy that the Canadian identity first asserted itself. Some claim that this is where Canada fought its way to nationhood. You can see them in the countries where they fought so idealistically and well half a century ago. Along avenues of poplar and the endless ranks of gravestones, the proud maple leaf of Canada is a tragic reminder of the 64,000 young men who died. Of varied religious and racial origins, they endured all ... even death ... for Canada. Today they remind us of their faith in Canada's future.