Page 84 - All About History - Issue 33-15

A-Z of the British Empire

Vimy Ridge

AdefiningmomentforCanadiantroopsfightingon
thesideoftheempireinWorldWarI
Vimy Ridge was down while the Canadians charged
the WWI battle in through subterranean tunnels
which the bravery towards enemy lines. The battle
and effectiveness beganat5.30amon9Aprilwiththe
of Canadian thunderof1,000artillerypiecesas
soldiers came to 15,000 Canadian infantrymen
thefore.Thetroops stormed the German trenches while
wereorderedtoseizetheheavily under heavy machine-gun fire. By Thelossoflifewashighbutthevictoryat
defended ridge, which had a theendoftheday,10,000werekilled VimyRidgewasthesinglemostsuccessful
advancebytheTripleEntenteuptothatdate
commandingviewovertheBritish or wounded, but Hill 145, the highest
lines and was strategically important point of the ridge, was successfully
for the Central Powers. A French captured by a bayonet charge on the Westminster system
attack had already failed, so the final machine-gun nests. A
assault was carefully prepared. The monument now stands at this spot to Howlegislationandgovernancemadeitswayfrom
planofattackwasanartillerybarrage commemorate the immense acts of Britaintotheouterreachesoftheempire
thatwouldkeeptheGermanspinned courage and sacrifice.
The loss of decisions for all the lands it governed
the USA but still gave it supreme rule over the
resulted in a colonies.Itbenefitedthecoloniesasit
political gave them the ability to rule with a
rejig in the sense of independence and freedom.
empire. The Most colonies took on what is
Durham known as the ‘Westminster System’.
Report, written in 1839, has been Formanyofthesecountriestoday,
describedas“thebookthatsavedthe the political system is a final remnant
empire”andputforwardtheideaof ofBritishruleand,withsome
colonies governing themselves. adaptation, has served their politics
Britain ruled a fifth of the world’s well. For example, India, despite
population at its peak, and as time huge rebellions and a successful
progressed, could not keep all the drive for independence, still utilises
political institutions of its sprawling the system. It has, however, become
empire in check. A two-party system unpopular in some former colonies.
evolvedinmanyoftheBritish Riots in the Solomon Islands in 2006
dominionswithCanadaalloweda weremotivatedbytheApril2006
responsible government in 1848 and election and many have criticised
Australia in 1855. The system the Westminster system as it can fail
benefited Britain as it reduced the toreflectwhotheelectoratevotefor
pressure on its parliament to make with its first-past-the-post system.
PrinceAlbertiscreditedwith
bringing over the first Christmas
trees, but they were actually The Westminster system helped
brought over in the Georgian period maintain a Commonwealth even
after decolonisation
Xmas Tree

TheinvasionofevergreensintoBritishhouseholds
They may be a Their popularity only soared further
stapleofChristmas when the royal family were pictured
traditionnow,but with their own tree and companies
prior to the first got in on the Christmas act in
Victorian age, 1880 when Woolworths began selling
Christmastrees,as Christmastreeornaments.Originally,
we know them theGermanSpringelbaumwasthe
today,wereararity.Thefirsttrees tree of choice, but they began to be
werebroughtovertoBritainin1800 replaced by the Norwegian spruce as
by George III’s German wife Queen demand grew in the 1880s. By the
Charlotte, but they only achieved any endofthe19thcentury,Christmasin
sort of popularity in the 1840s thanks the British Empire had transformed
toQueenVictoria’sGermanhusband fromabarelyrecogniseddatetoa
Prince Albert. national holiday.
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