On 9 April 1917, during the opening phase of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Company Sergeant Major Ellis Wellwood Sifton of the 18th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, took part in the assault on the German defensive system west of the village of Givenchy-en-Gohelle.
As his unit advanced, they encountered a heavily defended trench position that threatened to stall the attack. Moving forward under fire, Sifton entered the trench and engaged the defenders at close quarters. According to his Victoria Cross citation, he killed or drove off the occupants and secured the position, allowing the advance to continue.
Shortly afterward, as the line consolidated, a small group of German soldiers attempted to counterattack. Sifton again exposed himself to enemy fire in order to engage them, holding the position until he was killed.
His actions were recognized with the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the British Empire.
In this episode of Memory and Valour, I’m joined by historian Blair Ferguson to examine these events in detail. Drawing on primary sources, battalion records, and the broader tactical situation at Vimy Ridge, we reconstruct Sifton’s actions on the battlefield and consider how they have been recorded and remembered.
The conversation also extends beyond the battlefield. We discuss Ferguson’s work in bringing Sifton’s story back into public memory, culminating in the successful effort to establish a cenotaph in Sifton’s home township in Ontario. It is a reminder that remembrance is not automatic; it is built, often through the dedication of individuals committed to preserving these histories.
This is a focused look at one man’s role within a much larger battle—an effort to understand not only what he did, but how and why it mattered in the moment, and how that legacy continues to be shaped today.
Further Reading & Sources
- Official Victoria Cross citation for Ellis Wellwood Sifton
- War Diary, 18th Battalion (Western Ontario Regiment), April 1917
- Nicholson, G.W.L. Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War
- Cook, Tim. Vimy: The Battle and the Legend
- Library and Archives Canada — Service records and battalion war diaries
