The Hundred Days Offensive National Historic Event
Cambrai
Historic photograph, aerial view
© Department of National Defence, Library and Archives Canada | Ministère de la Défense nationale, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, e003895245
Address :
Cambrai
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2014-11-21
Dates:
-
1918 to 1918
(Significant)
Other Name(s):
-
The Hundred Days Offensive
(Designation Name)
Importance:
A series of Allied attacks that hastened an end to the First World War
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Place du 9 Octobre, Cambrai
Between August 8 and November 11, 1918, the Canadian Corps, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, spearheaded a series of Allied attacks that hastened an end to the First World War. In a gruelling advance against strong enemy defences, the Canadians helped defeat the Germans at Amiens, the Drocourt-Quéant Line, the Canal du Nord, Mons, and here at Cambrai. Success in battle came at an enormous cost, with more than 45,000 Canadians killed or wounded, almost one fifth of the country’s total casualties during the war. In these final weeks of fighting, the Canadians showed great valour, earning 29 Victoria Crosses.