Vimy Ridge located in northern France near the city of Arras was a strategically significant position on high ground over the Douai Plain in the first world war. It was occupied by German forces in 1914 who fortified the position with trench networks, deep bunkers and overlapping machine gun positions. Attempts by the French and British to capture the ridge resulted in 150,000 deaths over the next several years.

When England declared war on Germany in 1914, as part of the Commonwealth Canada too was at war. In 1917 the Canadian Corps was tasked with taking the ridge and began preparation. On April 9, 1917 the Canadians advanced under a creeping barrage of artillery fire, a tactical innovation they developed and trained for in the months before the attack. By afternoon most of the ridge was captured and by April 12th Canadians controlled the high ground.

The geology from northern France to the south of England is comprised of a thick chalk layer four to six feet below the surface. In medieval times it was mined as a building material, cut into blocks and dried for construction. Many of the oldest buildings in the area are built from chalk. Thousands of chalk mines are scattered across northern France. In 1917 one such mine called Maison Blanche approximately one mile from Vimy Ridge, was occupied by Canadian forces in advance of the attack.

The space below ground offered high ceilings and protection from bombardment. Soldiers ate, slept and waited for the inevitable. Many left marks on the chalk walls which could be scraped smooth and easily carved. Some left simple signatures with a map pen, names, service numbers, battalion or home town. Others created stunning carvings of service badges, regimental icons or personal images.

The battle for Vimy Ridge was an overwhelming success but the cost was great with 10,600 Canadians killed or wounded in the advance. In 1936 a spectacular white limestone monument was erected on the site to honor over 11,285 Canadian soldiers lost on the battlefields of northern France with no known grave. Their names are inscribed on the outer walls.

In 2006 the mine was rediscovered and investigated by the Durand Group from England. They are a volunteer organization that searches out and documents underground tunnels and subterranean features occupied by soldiers during the first world war. What they found and what makes Maison Blanche unique, is the proliferation and quality of Canadian marks left throughout the mine. Most are so well preserved, they appear to have been completed only yesterday.

In cooperation with the Durand Group, The Canadigm Group of London Ontario has documented, photographed and 3D scanned hundreds of carvings and inscriptions in the mine. Scans can be 3D printed, accurate in every detail and shared with fellow Canadians or anyone interested in the history. In October of this year, Canadigm returned to Maison Blanche with new scanner technology and scanned approximately three hundred inscriptions. Below are some of the images captured including one of the stars and stripes left by an American soldier.

Norm Dinner
The Canadigm Group

Submitted by Comrade J.D. Hartnagel