"2nd Battle of Ypres" [ASE Label], "Ypres- General View of Ground" [LAC Label]
Photographic Image
Identifier:
2016.3.1.2-84
Description
[Photograph of the landscape where the Second Battle of Ypres was fought. The Battle marked the Canadians' first major engagement and earned them a reputation of resilience and strength. On April 22, 1915, the Germans, for the first time, released a poisonous gas against the French 45th Division. An enormous gas cloud drfited towards the French lines, forcing French troops out of their trenches and into heavy enemy fire. The Canadians, being to their left, were forced to stretch their positions in order to defend a gap that was several kilometres long. Already overstretched and outnumbered, the Canadians were hit with a second, more direct, gas attack. Nevertheless, the Canadians counterattacked to stall German advancement, giving the British troops precious time to rush forward. After spending a few weeks caring for the wounded at the Second Battle of Ypres, John McCrae composed In Flanders Field, the most recognizable poem of the First World War.]
