4 Amazing Canadian Stories To Read This Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is a time to reflect and appreciate the sacrifices of those who fought for our freedom. Oftentimes the history on this day is overlooked, so we wanted to highlight the following 4 remarkable Canadian stories.

1. Calgary 10^th Battalion
   On April 22, 1915, the Calgary 10^th Battalion (Canadian Highlands) grouped with the 16^th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) from Victoria were involved in the very first Canadian attack of the First World War at Kitchener’s Wood, Belgium. 
   
   Unfortunately, this was also the first gas attack by the Germans. Attempting to follow unclear directions, a force of 800 men was reduced to 200. Around 600 of those 800 soldiers were from the Calgary area. In Calgary’s field of crosses, made to represent those from Southern Alberta who died, the date April 22, 1915, can be frequently seen across the field. However, their sacrifice was not in vain, and in fact, their sacrifice was critical in delaying the advance of the Germans!
   
   More Info: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/remembrance-day-stories-three-soldiers-1.3314052 

2. First Canadian Army 1944-1945
   During winter 1944-45, the First Canadian Army launched what would be a pivotal offensive against the Germans during the Second World War through an attack against the Rhineland. The land was critical as it would give the Allies a launching point and an access point to cross the Rhine River and move into Germany. This pivotal action by the First Canadian Army is often forgotten, as illustrated by Mark Zuehlke’s book “Forgotten Victory: First Canadian Army and the Cruel Winter of 1944-45”. It is well worth checking out this important piece of Canadian history.

3. Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture
   It is recorded that more than 4,000 First nations soldiers fought for Canada during the war, with more than 50 Indigenous soldiers decorated for their action and bravery. 
   
   Charlotte Edith Anderson Monture, a Mohawk First World War veteran and registered nurse, was the first Indigenous woman to become a registered nurse in Canada and to gain the right to vote in a Canadian federal election. 
   
   Read more about the bravery of the First Nation soldiers during the First World War here: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indigenous-peoples-and-the-first-world-war 

4. Milton Brown
   The Battle of Passchendaele during the First World War conjures images of mud, slaughter and death, with approximately 4,000 Canadians killed and 12,000 wounded. Milton Brown, however, had a slightly different job while he was at Passchendaele, albeit a critical one. He was a runner at Passchendaele, travelling from one place to another to deliver crucial messages. In his own words:
   
   “Passchendaele was the worst place I was ever in. And I was a runner at Passchendaele. I had to go from one place to another and there’s no excuse and you couldn’t tell the officer, “I don’t think I can make it,” and everything like that, he had to go and keep that to himself and he made it, sometimes he made it and sometimes he didn’t.”
   
   For more information and to listen to Milton Brown speak about his experience at Passchendaele: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/heroes-remember/battle-of-passchendaele?id=10084 

We will remember them.