One-hundred years ago on April 9, the Battle of Arras commenced. The week-long offensive against Germany cost the Allied Forces 159,000 casualties. Of those, a staggering 46,000 were Scottish.
The Battle for Vimy Ridge marked a military coming of age for Canada, whose soldiers were instrumental in capturing the strategic high point from German forces and so ensuring victory in the campaign, at the cost of 3,598 Canadian lives.
Images are from Reuters.
My (Scottish) grandfather fought in WW1. Before the war he was a miner, and he went straight back underground when the war ended. His voice was hoarse due to scarring of his lungs from chlorine gas. His lot in life was only reduced by the war. Meantime the British royal family delayed renunciation of their German titles until 1917, when it became clear that Germany would not win. The lesson I take from this ignominy is never to trust our feckless leaders in matters of life and death.