The University of New Brunswick and Kent Building Supplies have teamed up to help a small community in France celebrate its Year of Canada.
UNB’s Gregg Centre for the study of war and Kent Building Supplies sent 500 Canadian flags to Givenchy-en-Gohelle, which is a small farming village that Canada liberated from the Germans during the battle of Vimy Ridge.
Gregg Centre Director Marc Milner says they found out in the fall that all attempts by the community to obtain Canadian flags came up empty.
Milner says he walked into the local Kent store in Fredericton and they provided the flags and even shipped them to France free of charge.
The community’s greatest loss was the actual destruction of the village and the only thing that was left standing after the war were piles of rocks and basements.
Milner calls the flags for Vimy project a reminder of the special relationship between Canada and France.
One hundred years ago, Canadian Soldiers were given the order to seize Vimy Ridge and drive out German forces entrenched there.
Givenchy-en-Gohelle Mayor Pierre Senechal says they will celebrate all things Canadian this year as a way of thanking Canada for its role in liberating the village from German occupation during the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
