Vimy Ridge Behind the Scenes: March 1st to the 20th When the Shooting Begins and Doesn't Stop

My grandfather was just one of so many mule-skinners hauling ammunition up the line during the period leading up to the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April. He notices the increasing urgency with which they were working and the increasingly heavier bombardments from the Germans. Pierre Berton's Vimy notes that on the 20th of March the shelling begins, all different sizes of guns begin to fire a seemingly infinite number of rounds from 500 guns until April 2nd (only half were allowed to fire in order to conceal the strength of their artillery from the enemy). The risk to the gunners (mule-skinners) was increased when a defective batch of 18-pounder ammunition with faulty time fuses caused two "prematures" in six rounds fired to explode while leaving the muzzle. My grandfather describes shells exploding nearby a number of times and on Monday, March 5th writes, "Fairly heavy bombardment during the early morning. This place is going to be another Somme. It's going to be a bad place. All four Canadian Divisions are moving in here (Vimy Ridge front)."

October 19th to November 10th, 1916: From Petewawa to Ross Barracks, Shorncliffe, England - Selected Letters Home

I am now scanning selected letters written by my grandfather to my great grandparents from Petewawa, Shorncliffe and eventually, in the spring of 1917 - France.