Darrell Bricker

🇨🇦 LEST WE FORGET October 26, 1917 — Canadians Begin Their Assault at Passchendaele Into the mud, under fire, and against overwhelming conditions. On this day in 1917, Canadian soldiers began their offensive at Passchendaele, Belgium, in what would become one of the most gruelling chapters of Canada’s First World War history. After months of fighting, the battlefield had been reduced to a devastated landscape of flooded shell craters, shattered trees, barbed wire, and seemingly endless mud. The ground was so treacherous that simply moving forward, carrying supplies, or evacuating the wounded could become a life-threatening ordeal. Under Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie, the Canadian Corps had spent days preparing for the assault, improving roads, positioning artillery, and planning a series of limited advances. On the morning of October 26, the 3rd and 4th Canadian Divisions went forward. The 3rd Division advanced toward Bellevue Spur, encountering fierce German resistance from fortified positions. To the south, the 4th Division fought toward the higher ground leading to Passchendaele. Progress was painfully slow. Soldiers struggled through deep mud while exposed to machine-gun fire, artillery bombardment, and counterattacks. Some units secured their initial objectives, while others faced intense fighting for every stretch of ground. The human cost was devastating. Over the first three days of the offensive, approximately 2,500 Canadians were killed or wounded, a sobering indication of the price being paid for every advance. For those on the battlefield, October 26 was not a moment of celebration. It was a day of extraordinary hardship, courage, and loss. Today, 109 years later, we remember the Canadians who advanced into those terrible conditions, those who never returned, and those who carried the memories of Passchendaele for the rest of their lives. We will remember them. #LestWeForget #CanadianHistory #WWI