Home - Hill 70

INTRODUCTION

Vimy, Hill 70, Passchendaele.
Three battles where Canada prevailed in 1917.
One where Canada led: Hill 70.

Among Canada’s great First World War battles, Hill 70 stands beside Vimy and Passchendaele in shaping our national story. At Vimy, Canadians fought together on a single ridge; at Passchendaele, they endured unimaginable hardship in the mud. Hill 70 is equally significant—but for a different reason. Here, led for the first time by a Canadian, the newly promoted Lieutenant General Arthur Currie, the all-Canadian, four division Canadian Corps planned and exectuted a major operation, using innovative tactics to seize and hold the vital high ground outside Lens. The capture of Hill 70 was a moment when Canadian leadership, strategy, and determination came fully into their own.

Learn More

A REMEMBRANCE

The Hill 70 Monument

The Hill 70 Monument in Loos-en Gohelle, France now anchors this story in stone and landscape. Rising on ground that overlooks the battlefield, it honours those who fought and died, but it also marks the moment Canada stepped forward as a nation capable of leading in its own right. For visitors today, the monument is more than a place of remembrance; it is a lens on questions that still matter—about leadership, sacrifice, and the responsibilities that come with nationhood. As present and future generations walk its paths, Hill 70 invites Canadians – and all visitors – to consider how the courage, determination, and choices of 1917 can inform the freedom and values we enjoy and defend today, and in the years ahead.

Learn More

NOTABLE

A Canadian-led and fought battle.

The Battle of Hill 70 (August 1917) was a watershed moment in Canada's shift from colony to independent ally. Under Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie, the newly appointed Canadian commander of the Canadian Corps, replaced a British plan with his own that led to the Canadian Corps seizing and holding vital high ground north of Lens against relentless German counterattacks. Driven by a collaborative culture, empowered junior leaders, and innovative tactics that integrated artillery, infantry, engineers, and air support, the victory strengthened Currie's authority, amplified Canada's voice at the peace table, and forged a distinct Canadian way of war built on initiative, innovation, and care for its troops.

Learn More