Welcome to our 44th installment of “Ask a Historian”.

Join Historian Matthew Wilkinson on our YouTube channel for a special episode of “Ask A Historian” on Friday April, 9 2021 at 4:00 p.m.

This week Matthew welcomes Greg Carraro, Vice President of the Heritage Mississauga Board of Directors who is an educator, history enthusiast, and an 1812 reenactor.

April 9, 2021 represents a very important date in Canada’s history as it marks the 104th anniversary of The Battle of Vimy Ridge.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place from April 9 to 12, 1917, as part of the Arras Offensive in the First World War. For the young nation of Canada, it became a symbol of Canadian nationalism and marked the first time that all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together.

The victory at Vimy was the largest territorial advance of any Allied force to that point in the war. However, the Canadian cost was high. Some 100,000 Canadian soldiers served at Vimy, with 3,598 killed and 7,004 wounded.

In this celebratory episode, we look at the historic and heroic figures who played a significant role in this momentous moment in our nation’s history as well as the challenges and victories that contributed to Canada becoming known as an impressive, and underestimated, ally and adversary.

Throughout the month of April we will continue to explore the victories, the leaders, the landscape, the legacy and the losses of Canada at The Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War One.

#ApartTogether we celebrate Our Story in the History of The Battle of Vimy Ridge.

You are invited to email us questions you have about Mississauga and we encourage you to send a short (less than 1 minute) MP4 video of your question, which we may feature in one of our “Ask a Historian” videos.

Any questions not featured in our videos will receive a written response from Matthew.

We would also love to feature questions from young Mississauga residents who are curious about their city and will feature a dedicated video to these inquisitive kids.

Send your questions to us at: [email protected]