Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge 9 April 1917

Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie (center)
Photo by William Rider-Rider
(Imperial War Museum, CO1970)

Every April 9th Canadians pause to remember one of its country's most famous battles - Vimy Ridge. Nearly a century ago in 1917, after years of failed attempts by the British and French armies to push the German defenders off the heights, the 4 division strong Canadian Corps stormed the heavily fortified ridge and succeeded in capturing the majority of it in a single day. By 12 April, the remaining pockets of German resistance crumbled under the weight of repeated Canadian attacks, marking a stunning tactical success in what otherwise became yet another failed British offensive on the Western Front that year.

Interestingly, the Battle of Vimy Ridge was neither the most costly or the most significant Canadian battle of the First World War, and as many historians have recently argued other engagements - Passchendaele, Hill 70, Amiens, and the Canal du Nord were similarly significant in establishing the remarkable Canadian reputation of being the 'shock troops of the British Empire". Even Canada's most widely recognized General of the Great War - Sir Arthur Currie - would earn his great reputation not on the heights of Vimy Ridge where his own division had a relatively easier fight than others, but rather in later battles where he repeatedly proved his tactical genius over his adversaries.

Sources on the history of the battle are plentiful as you can see from the references listed below. As such it serves as a tremendously interesting and poignant background to the collection of Canadian Ex Libris, books, and ephemera associated with the battle. Most of the items in my own archive are books and ephemera, bits and pieces I've collected along the way over the years. I've yet to come across a bookplate making specific mention of the battle in its composition, and would be interested to know if anyone else has. Otherwise, for now the search continues.

In other news, I'm still going through the pile of 19th century bookplates. I'll post a few this weekend that I'm currently researching. Until next time ....


Further Reading on the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917

• Barris, Ted (2007), Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9–12, 1917, Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, ISBN 0-88762-253-4
• Barton, Peter; Doyle, Peter; Vandewalle, Johan (2004), Beneath Flanders Fields: The Tunnellers' War 1914–1918, Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, ISBN 0-7735-2949-7
• Bechthold, Mike (2007), "In the Shadow of Vimy Ridge: The Canadian Corps in April and May 1917", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 239–264, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Boire, Michael (Spring 1992), "The Underground War: Military Mining Operations in support of the attack on Vimy Ridge, 9 April 1917" (PDF), Canadian Military History (Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies) 1 (1–2): 15–24, retrieved 2 January 2008
• Boire, Michael (2007), "The Battlefield before the Canadians, 1914–1916", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 51–61, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Brennan, Patrick (2007), "Julian Byng and Leadership in the Canadian Corps", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 87–104, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Campbell, David (2007), "The 2nd Canadian Division: A 'Most Spectacular Battle'", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 171–192, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Chasseaud, Peter (1999), Artillery’s Astrologers – A History of British Survey and Mapping on the Western Front 1914–1918, Lewes: Mapbooks, ISBN 0-9512080-2-0
• Cook, Tim (2007), "The Gunners of Vimy Ridge: 'We are Hammering Fritz to Pieces'", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 105–124, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Cook, Tim (1999), "'A Proper Slaughter': The March 1917 Gas Raid at Vimy" (PDF), Canadian Military History (Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies) 8 (2): 7–24, retrieved 2 January 2008
• Corkerry, Shaun (2001), Instructions for the Training of Divisions for Offensive Action 1916, Instructions for the Training of Platoons for Offensive Action 1917, Buckinghamshire: Military Press, ISBN 978-0-85420-250-8
• Falls, Cyril (1992) [1940], Military Operations: France and Belgium 1917: The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line and the Battles of Arras, History of the Great War Based on Official Documents 1, Nashville: The Battery Press, ISBN 0-89839-180-6
• Farndale, General Sir Martin (1986), Western Front, 1914–1918, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, Woolwich: Royal Artillery Institution, ISBN 1-870114-00-0
• Farr, Don (2007), The Silent General: A Biography of Haig's Trusted Great War Comrade-in-Arms, Solihull: Helion & Company Limited, ISBN 1-874622-99-X
• Godefroy, Andrew (2007a), "The 4th Canadian Division: 'Trenches Should Never be Saved'", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 211–224, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Godefroy, Andrew (2007b), "The German Army at Vimy Ridge", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 225–238, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Granatstein, Jack Lawrence (2004), Canada's Army: Waging War and Keeping the Peace, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0-8020-8696-9
• Hayes, Geoffrey (2007), "The 3rd Canadian Division: Forgotten Victory", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 193–210, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Hopkins, J. Castell (1919), Canada at War, 1914–1918: A Record of Heroism and Achievement, Toronto: Canadian Annual Review, OCLC 869410882
• Humphries, Mark Osborne (2007), ""Old Wine in New Bottles": A Comparison of British and Canadian Preparations for the Battle of Arras", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 65–85, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Inglis, Dave (1995), Vimy Ridge: 1917–1992, A Canadian Myth over Seventy Five Years, Burnaby: Simon Fraser University, ISBN 0-61206-688-6
• McGill, Harold W. (2007), Norris, Marjorie, ed., Medicine and duty: the World War I memoir of Captain Harold W. McGill, Medical Officer, 31st Battalion, C.E.F, Calgary: University of Calgary Press, ISBN 1-55238-193-5
• Moran, Heather (2007), "The Canadian Army Medical Corps at Vimy Ridge", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 139–154, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Nicholson, Gerald W. L. (1962), Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914–1919, Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War, Ottawa: Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationary, OCLC 59609928
• Nicholson, G. W. L. (1967), The Gunners of Canada – The History of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery:1534–1919 I, Ottawa: McClelland & Stewart, OCLC 883860617
• Pierce, John (Spring 1992), "Constructing Memory: The Vimy Memorial" (PDF), Canadian Military History (Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies) 1 (1–2): 4–14, ISSN 1195-8472, retrieved 2 February 2009
• Rawling, Bill (2007), "The Sappers of Vimy: Specialized Support for the Assault of 9 April 1917", in Hayes, Geoffrey; Iarocci, Andrew; Bechthold, Mike, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 125–138, ISBN 0-88920-508-6
• Samuels, Mart (1996), Command or Control?: Command, Training and Tactics in the British and German Armies, 1888–1918, Portland: Frank Cass, ISBN 0-7146-4570-2
• Sheffield, Gary (2002), Forgotten Victory: The First World War Myths and Realities, London: Headline Books, ISBN 0-7472-6460-0
• Sheldon, Jack (2008), The German Army on Vimy Ridge 1914–1917, Barnsley (UK): Pen & Sword Military, ISBN 978-1-84415-680-1
• Terraine, John (1992), The Smoke and the Fire: Myths and Anti-Myths of War 1861–1945, London: Pen & Sword Books, ISBN 0-85052-330-3
• Tucker, Spencer, ed. (1996), The European powers in the First World War: an encyclopedia, New York: Garland Publishing, ISBN 0-8153-0399-8
• Turner, Alexander (2005), Vimy Ridge 1917: Byng's Canadians Triumph at Arras, London: Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-84176-871-5
• Vance, Jonathan Franklin (1997), Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning, and the First World War, Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0600-1
• Vimy Memorial, Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian War Museum, 2009, retrieved 26 January 2015
• Williams, Jeffery (1983), Byng of Vimy, General and Governor General, London: Secker & Warburg, ISBN 0-436-57110-2
• Wineguard, Timothy (Summer 2007), "Here at Vimy: A Retrospective – The 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge" (PDF), Canadian Military Journal (Department of National Defence) 8 (2): 83–85, ISSN 1492-465X, retrieved 2 February 2009

Frederic William Cumberland Bookplate

Frederic William Cumberland (1820-1881)
Library and Archives Canada/MIKAN 3214491 

Last winter I started sorting through the rather massive pile of nineteenth century bookplates that were patiently waiting my attention here in the library. I separated out from the rest of the box the many crests and armorial plates that, while full of interest from a heraldic point of view, are often considered unappealing by the general collector who tends to prefer pictorials executed by well-known artists. Armorial plates are therefore often passed over at sales and auctions, however, this is a good thing for those of us who know our history and can spot notable names easily before someone else can google them.

I've included this week an example of an armorial bookplate that I acquired a long time ago for very a small sum. The real joy of collecting these is twofold. First, they present great studies in Canadian heraldry, a field that thanks to the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada continues to enjoy a large following devoted to learning about and increasing our knowledge of this valuable subject. Second, they present great opportunities to learn about Canadian history through biography.

The bookplate to Frederic William Cumberland is a good example of a typical armorial plate that tends to get passed over. Not listed in Franks or Allen, without initials to narrow the name search or easy access to Canadian references foreign dealers tend to let such plates go for very little. Both the heraldry and name seemed familiar to me, however, and a quick check in Prescott's catalogue confirmed my suspicion.

Born in London in 1820, Frederic Cumberland studied engineering, survey, and architecture before emigrating to Canada in 1847 after marrying into an influential Toronto family. He worked as a surveyor laying out the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets and was later the county engineer for York and Peel.

Returning to architecture, Cumberland designed a number of important Toronto landmarks including St. James Cathedral, the Normal and Model Schools of Toronto, York County Court House, Toronto Mechanics Institute (in 1883 this became the Toronto Public Library), the Magentical Observatory, the centre portion of Osgoode Hall, and also University College at the University of Toronto. In addition, he designed several prominent Toronto family homes, including Thomas Ridout, John Ross, and others. Cumberland's own spacious home, Pendarves, was designed and built c.1860.

Period drawing of St. James Cathedral, Toronto

This apparently unused bookplate was intended for a book in Cumberland's private library at Pendarves. Though I haven't investigated yet whether there is any information on the size, scope, or fate of this library I certainly have a number of buildings to revisit on my next trip into Toronto now that I know who designed them. This is perhaps the third joy of collecting bookplates. Having learned something new about Canada's history through biography, I can now go look at these places again and appreciate them in a new light armed with this new knowledge and insight.

Until next time....

2012 Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair

Time to break out the debit card!

I stumbled upon this event last year and highly recommend it if you're in the area.  The Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair is Canada’s oldest book fair. This year it will include over 40,000 items, dating from the 15th century to the present day, displayed for sale by 40 dealers from across Canada and the United States. The fair will be held on Sunday, 4 November, at Tudor Hall, 3750 North Bowesville Rd.  10:30am – 5:30pm Admission: $5.00  Free Parking.

There is a great range of subjects covered at this show, some great book dealers, and obviously something for all manner of interests and budgets.  I am certainly looking forward to what might turn up here.

Have a great Halloween everyone and I'll report back on this event next week!  Until next time...

Book Review - Ex Libris: The Art of Bookplates

ISBN 978-0-300-17163-1

Needless to say, anytime I succeed in getting someone else interested in Canadian bookplates I consider it a personal victory.  Not only does it open up a potential source of new ex libris for me, it also expands my group of friends interested in Canadian book culture and art.  Still, there are those who continue to ask me 'what's a bookplate?', and whenever this happens I am very careful not to nerd out on them like some U.S. Civil War re-enactor.

Recently I bought a smart little book that saves me a lot of the trouble of going into lengthy dorky explanations of my hobby.  Authored by Martin Hopkinson, formerly Curator of Prints at the Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow, Ex Libris: The Art of Bookplates, is a delightfully simple and very readable little introduction into our fascinating world.

Originally published by the British Museum Press earlier this year (and with a slightly different cover design), the edition illustrated here is from the Yale University Press.  At 111 pages including notes and index, its concise history survey is followed by one hundred full colour images of bookplates, each of which is accompanied by details of both the owner and the designer.  Necessarily selective, Hopkinson has nevertheless delivered a very attractive and fascinating precis of the history and evolution of ex libris.  I strongly recommend this book to both novices and veterans of this subject, not only for its attractiveness as a reference, but also for its utility in introducing others to the field.