The British Columbia Dragoons will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with a special ceremony in downtown Vernon.
The ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Vernon Cenotaph and is expected to last approximately 45 minutes. It is open to the public.
The major component of the event will be the B.C. Dragoons Parade. Approximately 50 members of the Dragoons, as well as officers, will participate. The Regimental Guidon will be displayed.
The Kalamalka Highlanders Band will pipe the parade participants into position.
Vernon Branch 25 of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Vernon ANAVETS will provide a colour party. Troops from the local military cadet organizations will also be in attendance.
A brief presentation will commemorate the centennial of the the Battle of Vimy Ridge and its significance to Canada. Memorial wreaths will be placed by the B.C. Dragoons and the Legion.
The Dragoons’ Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. McGinty, will speak as will government representatives.
On April 9, 1917, the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles – predecessors of today’s British Columbia Dragoons – took part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It was the first occasion in the First World War when all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought side-by-side, and the Okanagan’s Own regiment’s role was to forward against German lines at the centre of the Canadian advance.
At a cost of 47 soldiers killed and 151 wounded in the assault, the Okanagan’s Own Regiment played an important role in securing victory at Vimy Ridge, a battlefield that is today the site of Canada’s national memorial to the First World War.