Bourlon Wood Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Bourlon Wood Memorial is a Canadian war memorial
that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps
during the final months of the First World War
; a period also known as Canada's Hundred Days
, part of the Hundred Days Offensive
. Particularly celebrated are the Canadian Corps crossing of the Canal du Nord
, their flushing the German forces
from Bourlon
and Bourlon Wood and the 'Pursuit to Mons' through Cambrai
, Denain
, Valenciennes
and into Mons
on the 11th of November 1918
. It is located adjacent to the town of Bourlon
(about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cambrai, France
).
at Vimy Ridge
was selected as the national memorial site and seven other locations at Hill 62
, St. Julien
and Passchendaele
in Belgium
, as well as Le Quesnel
, Dury
, Courcelette
and Bourlon Wood in France were chosen to commemorate significant battles the Canadian Expeditionary Force
had engaged in. Each of the seven sites were to have an identical granite block inscribed with a brief description of the battle in both English and French.
.
Situated in a park, on land donated by the Comte de Franqueville, the Mayor of Bourlon at the War's end, the Canadian Bourlon Wood Memorial site is located at the end of the 'Avenue du Monument' in the southwestern corner of the village of Bourlon. The park is a beautiful series of terraces lined with ancient lime tree
s that were nursed back to health after having been shattered by shellfire
during the battle for Bourlon Wood. The grey granite
block monument is set at the top of the hill in a glade of lawn upon a low circular flagstone
terrace.
Canadian war memorials
The history of Canada comprises hundreds of years of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, and the role of the Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. Many of these armed engagements are commemorated today with memorials across Canada and around the world...
that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
during the final months of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
; a period also known as Canada's Hundred Days
Canada's Hundred Days
Canada’s Hundred Days was a series of attacks made along the Western Front by the Canadian Corps during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I...
, part of the Hundred Days Offensive
Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...
. Particularly celebrated are the Canadian Corps crossing of the Canal du Nord
Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
, their flushing the German forces
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
from Bourlon
Bourlon
Bourlon is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 22 miles southeast of Arras on the D16 road, just yards from the A26 autoroute.-Population:...
and Bourlon Wood and the 'Pursuit to Mons' through Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
, Denain
Denain
It is the largest of 39 communes which comprise the association of communes of Porte du Hainaut, with a total population of 147,989, as of 1999. Denain had a population of 20,360, on a land area of 11.52 km² .-References:* -External links:...
, Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
and into Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
on the 11th of November 1918
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. It is located adjacent to the town of Bourlon
Bourlon
Bourlon is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village located 22 miles southeast of Arras on the D16 road, just yards from the A26 autoroute.-Population:...
(about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cambrai, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
).
Site selection
The Canadian Battlefield Monument Commission, established after the Great War, was appointed to select the location and design of the memorials to commemorate the Canadian participation in the First World War. The Canadian National Vimy MemorialCanadian National Vimy Memorial
The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for First World War Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known...
at Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
was selected as the national memorial site and seven other locations at Hill 62
Hill 62 Memorial
The Canadian Hill 62 Memorial is a war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in defending the southern stretches of the Ypres Salient between April and August 1916 including actions in battle at the St. Eloi Craters, Hill 62, Mount Sorrel and Sanctuary Wood...
, St. Julien
Saint Julien Memorial
The St. Julien Memorial is a Canadian war memorial and small commemorative park located in the village of Saint Julien , Belgium. The memorial commemorates the Canadian First Division's participation in the Second Battle of Ypres of World War I which included the defence against the first poison...
and Passchendaele
Passchendaele Memorial
The Passchendaele Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the Second Battle of Passchendaele of World War I...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, as well as Le Quesnel
Le Quesnel Memorial
The Le Quesnel Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps during the 1918 Battle of Amiens during World War I...
, Dury
Dury Memorial
The Dury Memorial is a World War I Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the Second Battle of Arras, particularly the their breakthrough at the Drocourt-Quéant Line switch of the Hindenburg Line just south of the town of Dury. The Drocourt-Quéant Line was a...
, Courcelette
Courcelette Memorial
The Courcelette Memorial is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps in the final two and a half months of the infamous four and a half month long Somme Offensive of the First World War...
and Bourlon Wood in France were chosen to commemorate significant battles the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
had engaged in. Each of the seven sites were to have an identical granite block inscribed with a brief description of the battle in both English and French.
Location and design
Situated in a park, on land donated by the Comte de Franqueville, the Mayor of Bourlon at the War's end, the Canadian Bourlon Wood Memorial site is located at the end of the 'Avenue du Monument' in the southwestern corner of the village of Bourlon. The park is a beautiful series of terraces lined with ancient lime tree
Tilia
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
s that were nursed back to health after having been shattered by shellfire
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
during the battle for Bourlon Wood. The grey granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
block monument is set at the top of the hill in a glade of lawn upon a low circular flagstone
Flagstone
Flagstone, is a generic flat stone, usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other constructions. The name derives from Middle English flagge meaning turf, perhaps from Old Norse flaga meaning slab.Flagstone is a...
terrace.