Canadian war memorials
Canadian war memorials are buildings, monuments, and statues that commemorate the armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, the role of the Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping operations, and Canadians who died or were injured in a war. Much of this military history of Canada is commemorated today with memorials across the country and around the world. Canadian memorials commemorate the sacrifices made as early as the Seven Years' War to the modern day War on Terror. As Newfoundland was a British Dominion until joining Confederation in 1949, there are several monuments in Newfoundland and Labrador and abroad which were dedicated to Newfoundland servicemen and women. There are currently 6,293 war memorials in Canada registered with the National Inventory of Military Memorials, which is under the Canadian Department of Veterans Affairs.[1] There are also war memorials across the world, some of which are operated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which are dedicated to Canada as well as the Commonwealth members. There currently are 17 in France, six in Belgium, four in the United Kingdom, two in Afghanistan and South Korea, and one each in Egypt, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. There are few examples of memorial art created by Indigenous peoples before the late nineteenth century. One of the best-preserved memorials is in Áísínai’pi, or Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, in southern Alberta. This UNESCO World Heritage Site houses an extensive series of small-scale petroglyphs incised on the sandstone bluffs of the Milk River, a number of them dating to thousands of years ago.[2]
War memorials in Canada
File:Information icon4.svg |
Colonial period
There exists a number of memorials commemorating events that occurred prior to Canadian Confederation in 1867. In addition to pre-Confederation war memorials, a number of communities in Ontario also have cannons originating from the Crimean War.[3][4][5] However, these cannons are war trophies gifted to various communities in Upper Canada after the conflict; and do not serve as a memorial. Prior to the twentieth century, Canadian memorials were dedicated to great leaders and victories, not the named deaths of ordinary service personnel.[2]
North-West Rebellion and the Boer War
First and Second World Wars
The war memorial sculptors at work in Canada in the years following the First World War include: Emanuel Hahn, George W. Hill, Frank Norbury, Walter Allward, Hamilton MacCarthy, Coeur de Lion MacCarthy, Alfred Howell, Sydney March, Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Henri Hebert, J. Massey Rhind, Hubert Garnier, Nicholas Pirotton, Charles Adamson, Frances Loring, and Ivor Lewis.
Memorial name | Image | Location | Map | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Albert Memorial Bridge | File:Bridgedam.jpg | Regina, Saskatchewan | 50°26′10.2012″N 104°37′5.3544″W / 50.436167000°N 104.618154000°W | Honours Saskatchewan soldiers who died in World War I. |
Animals in War Memorial / Les animaux en temps de guerre | File:Animal Memorial2.jpg | Ottawa, Ontario | 45°25′21.84″N 075°41′31.68″W / 45.4227333°N 75.6921333°W | A memorial by David Clendining to animals (mainly mules, horse, dogs, pigeons) that have served for Canada in military conflicts since World War I and is located in Confederation Park |
Ashburnham Memorial Park | File:Ashburnham Memorial Park.jpg | Peterborough, Ontario | 44°18′36″N 078°18′10″W / 44.31000°N 78.30278°W | Memorial to the men of Peterborough who died in the First World War. |
Bell Island Seaman's Memorial | File:Lance Cove, Bell Island.jpg | Lance Cove, Newfoundland | 47°36′03.2″N 052°58′40.9″W / 47.600889°N 52.978028°W | Dedicated to commemorate sailors killed by Nazi Germany U-boats in World War II. |
Bronze Angel | File:Bronze Angel - Vancouver - Coeur Lyon MacCarthy.png | Montreal, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia (pictured); Winnipeg, Manitoba |
"Bronze Angel", by sculptor, Coeur Lion MacCarthy, war memorial depicts the angel of victory raising up a young soldier to heaven at the moment of his death, 1921 commemorates 1,115 Canadian Pacific Railway employees killed during the First World War erected at the Canadian Pacific Railway stations.[11] | |
Camp X Memorial | Whitby Ontario | 43°51′20.28″N 078°53′00.06″W / 43.8556333°N 78.8833500°W | Honours the men and women of Camp X who served during the Second World War. | |
CANLOAN Memorial | Ottawa, Ontario | Dedicated to Canadian military officers loaned to the British Army under the CANLOAN program during the Second World War.[12] | ||
Coronation Park Memorial | File:Coronation Park memorial Toronto 2007.jpg | Toronto, Ontario | Dedicated to those who served in the Second World War. Erected in 1995 as a part of the 50th anniversary commemorations of the Second World War. | |
Cremation Memorial | File:Beechwood Cemetery War Memorial.JPG | Ottawa, Ontario | 45°26′42″N 075°39′57″W / 45.44500°N 75.66583°W | A sheltered space in the National Cemetery of Canada that honours the memory of Canadian servicemen who died in Canada and the United States and who were cremated.[11] |
Cross of Sacrifice | File:Croix du Sacrifice - 01.jpg | Quebec City, Quebec | 46°48′31.9″N 071°12′43.85″W / 46.808861°N 71.2121806°W | Dedicated to those who died in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War, |
Great War Memorial | File:Great War Memorial Niagara Falls Canada.jpg | Niagara Falls, Ontario | 43°05′23.81″N 079°04′22.57″W / 43.0899472°N 79.0729361°W | Memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars. |
Halifax Memorial | File:Halifax memorial.jpg | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 44°37′08.76″N 063°33′55.93″W / 44.6191000°N 63.5655361°W | Dedicated to the Canadian servicemen and women who died at sea during both World Wars and includes the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Merchant Navy and the Canadian Army. |
Harbord War Memorials | Toronto, Ontario | Located on the grounds of Harbord Collegiate Institute, a public secondary school, it includes two sculptures. The first sculpture was erected in 1921 and was dedicated to those who served in the First World War; and a second sculpture dedicated to those who served in the Second World War, completed in 2007. | ||
Law Society of Upper Canada Great War Memorial | File:War Memorial - Great Library, Osgoode Hall - Toronto, Canada - DSC00425.jpg | Toronto, Ontario | Dedicated to the 115 lawyers and law students of the Law Society of Upper Canada during the First World War. Located in the Great Library of Osgoode Hall. | |
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Memorial | File:Statue at Confederation Garden Court, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 07.jpg | Victoria, British Columbia | 48°25′14.20″N 123°22′16.66″W / 48.4206111°N 123.3712944°W | Dedicated to Canadian volunteers of the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion during the Spanish Civil War. |
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Memorial | File:Mac-pap monument ottawa.jpg | Ottawa, Ontario | 45°26′24.61″N 075°41′47.05″W / 45.4401694°N 75.6964028°W | Dedicated to Canadian volunteers of the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion during the Spanish Civil War. |
Malvern Memorial | Toronto, Ontario | Dedicated to the students of Malvern Collegiate Institute that served in the First World War. Malvern Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school. | ||
Memorial Clock Tower | Wainwright, Alberta | 52°50′00.66″N 110°51′39.76″W / 52.8335167°N 110.8610444°W | Dedicated to the local men who fought and died in both World Wars. | |
Memorial Gates | File:UofSMemorialGates.jpg | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 52°07′45.43″N 106°38′34.05″W / 52.1292861°N 106.6427917°W | Military memorial which is a part of the University of Saskatchewan. |
Montreal Cenotaph | File:Path to Place du Canada.JPG | Montreal, Quebec | 45°29′55.03″N 073°34′07.75″W / 45.4986194°N 73.5688194°W | Dedicated to Montrealers who died in the First World War. |
Montreal Clock Tower | File:Montreal Clock Tower portrait.JPG | Montreal, Quebec | 45°30′44.44″N 073°32′44.84″W / 45.5123444°N 73.5457889°W | Dedicated to Canadian naval sailors who died during the First World War. |
Monument des Braves | Shawinigan, Quebec | 46°32′22.38″N 072°45′12.85″W / 46.5395500°N 72.7535694°W | Commemorates those who died in the First World War, and Second World War | |
National War Memorial | File:Newfoundland National War Memorial.jpg | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | 47°34′03.28″N 052°42′13.67″W / 47.5675778°N 52.7037972°W | Memorial for soldiers who served with the Dominion of Newfoundland during the First World War. |
Ottawa Memorial | File:Ottawa Memorial Cropped.jpg | Ottawa, Ontario | 45°26′27.08″N 075°41′45.90″W / 45.4408556°N 75.6960833°W | Dedicated to missing airmen of the Second World War. Sometimes known as the Commonwealth Air Force Monument. |
Peace through Valour | File:Peace Through Valour.jpg | Toronto, Ontario | Dedicated to members of the Canadian Forces who served in the Italian campaign of the Second World War. The sculpture features a 3D-topographical map of Ortona, site of the Battle of Ortona. Located within the sculpture garden of Nathan Phillips Square. | |
Renfrew War Memorial | File:Renfrew War Memorial.jpg | Renfrew, Ontario | 45°28′22.6848″N 76°41′5.6184″W / 45.472968000°N 76.684894000°W | Commemorated to residents of Renfrew who served in the First World War and Second World War. |
Royal Canadian Naval Association Naval Memorial | File:WWII Navy Memorial in Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, Ontario.jpg | Burlington, Ontario | Dedicated to members of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Merchant Navy. | |
Saint-Lambert Cenotaph by Emanuel Hahn | File:Saint-Lambert Cenotaph 2014.jpg | Saint-Lambert, Quebec | Dedicated to citizens of Saint-Lambert who fought in the First World War | |
Saskatoon Cenotaph | File:The Saskatoon Cenotaph.jpg | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 52°07′48.8″N 106°39′37.15″W / 52.130222°N 106.6603194°W | Designed by Francis Henry Portnall (1928), this tall granite plinth incorporating a public clock face is a part of the City Hall Square.[13] though it was originally located in the middle of the intersection of 21st Street and 2nd Avenue[14] |
Sherbrooke War Memorial | File:Monument aux braves, Sherbrooke - 5.jpg | Sherbrooke, Quebec | 45°24′02″N 071°53′29″W / 45.40056°N 71.89139°W | Dedicated to citizens of Sherbrooke who fought in the First World War |
Soldiers' Tower | File:WWTower-in-university-of-toronto.jpg | Toronto, Ontario | 43°39′48.78″N 079°23′42.52″W / 43.6635500°N 79.3951444°W | Commemorates members of the University of Toronto who served in the World Wars. |
Victory Square | File:War Memorial Victory Square Vancouver.jpg | Vancouver, British Columbia | 49°16′55.56″N 123°06′36.72″W / 49.2821000°N 123.1102000°W | Dedicated to Vancouverites who served in the First World War. |
Vimy Memorial Bandshell | File:Vimy Memorial Bandshell.jpg | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 52°07′28.24″N 106°39′33.42″W / 52.1245111°N 106.6592833°W | The Vimy Memorial Bandshell in Kiwanis Park was built in 1937 to honour the men and women that served in the First World War at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.[15] |
War Memorial of Montreal West | File:Montreal West - War Memorial.jpg | Montreal, Quebec | 45°28′21.00″N 073°36′49.32″W / 45.4725000°N 73.6137000°W | Honours those from the town of Montreal West who died in the First World War[16] |
1945 – present
Generic war memorials
War memorials overseas
Memorial name | Image | Location | Map | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada Memorial | File:Canadian War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1176582.jpg | Green Park, London, England | 51°30′10.36″N 000°08′33.48″W / 51.5028778°N 0.1426333°W | Pays tribute to the nearly one million Canadian men and women who served in the United Kingdom during the First and Second World Wars. |
First World War
Second World War – present
Memorial name | Image | Location | Map | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gapyeong Canada Monument | File:Gapyeong Canada Monument.jpg | Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea | 37°52′36.71″N 127°31′48.79″E / 37.8768639°N 127.5302194°E | Dedicated to the sacrifices made by the Canadian forces during the Korean war, especially at the Battle of Kapyong. |
Kandahar Airfield Memorial and Memorial Inuksuk | Kandahar, Afghanistan | 31°30′21″N 065°50′52″E / 31.50583°N 65.84778°E | The Airfield Memorial is dedicated to Canadians who have fallen in the War in Afghanistan and the Inuksuk to those Canadians, as well as other coalition members who were killed in fighting in Afghanistan. | |
Malta Memorial | File:Floriana War Memorial.jpg | Floriana, Malta | 35°53′40.57″N 014°30′28.27″E / 35.8946028°N 14.5078528°E | Dedicated to Commonwealth aircrew (including Canadians) who fought, and lost their lives, in the Mediterranean during the Second World War. |
Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument) | United Nations Memorial Cemetery Busan, South Korea |
35°07′41″N 129°05′49″E / 35.12806°N 129.09694°E | Located where 378 Canadians are buried. An identical monument is in downtown Ottawa.[25] | |
National Canadian Liberation Monument | File:Nationaal Canadees Bevrijdingsmonument Henk Visch Loolaan Apeldoorn.JPG | Apeldoorn, Netherlands | Celebrating the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadians, featuring the sculpture Man with Two Hats, identical to one in Ottawa. |
Legacy
The 31 paintings of Canadian War Memorials by F.A. (Tex) Dawson were unveiled just outside Currie Hall in the Mackenzie Building at Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston on Wednesday 7 April 2010. Jack Pike, the chairman of the Royal Military College of Canada Museum's board of directors, said they had found a permanent and appropriate home. "We are delighted to have these paintings," he said in front of the assemblage of paintings, each representing a different memorial in a different setting and different seasons. "These are symbolic of sacrifice and remembrance and they do the whole thing so well."[26]
See also
- Canadian War Museum
- List of Canadian Victoria Cross recipients
- List of Royal Military College of Canada Memorials and traditions
References
- ↑ "DHH – Search for a Memorial". veterans.gc.ca. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Brandon, Laura (2021). "Memorials and tributes - War Art in Canada: A Critical History". Art Canada Institute.
- ↑ "Crimean War Cannon". citywindsor.ca. City of Windsor. 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Explained: How a Russian cannon found its way to Queen's Square". Cambridge Times. Metroland Media Group. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Explore Queen's Park". ola.org. Ontario Legislative Assembly. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ Rob Roberts (3 November 2008). "Coupland's War of 1812 monument tweaks U.S. noses". The National Post. National Post Inc. Retrieved 6 May 2011.[permanent dead link ]
- ↑ "Boer War Memorial & Province House". hmhps.ca. Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Boer War Monument". citywindsor.ca. City of Windsor. 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Central Memorial Park". Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ↑ Kavanagh, Sean (14 January 2020). "City of Winnipeg moves forward on policy for changing potentially offensive names of monuments, places". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jacqueline Hucker. "Monuments of the First and Second World Wars". Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ↑ "CANLOAN Monument". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ The Saskatoon Cenotaph Archived 12 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Do You Know Why the Saskatoon Cenotaph Was Moved". Sasknow.ca. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ↑ Vimy Memorial, Kiwanis Park, Saskatoon Sask.
- ↑ War Memorial of Montréal West
- ↑ Camp Mirage Memorial
- ↑ "More than 1,000 attend dedication of B.C. Afghanistan Memorial". Times Colonist. Glacier Media. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Canada Company LAV III Monument". Veteran Affairs Canada. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ↑ "Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument)". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ "Our Monument".
- ↑ "National Artillery Monument". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ↑ Canadian Veterans And Peacekeepers Permanently Honoured On The Grounds Of Queen's Park
- ↑ Memorial Park and Cenotaph 390 1st Street East
- ↑ "Monument to Canadian Fallen (Korean War Monument)". Public Art and Monuments. Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada. 25 October 2013.
- ↑ "31 paintings of Canadian War Memorials by F.A. (Tex) Dawson". Kingstonwhigstandard.com. Retrieved 16 March 2011.[permanent dead link ]
Further reading
- Brandon, Laura (2021). War Art in Canada: A Critical History. Art Canada Institute. ISBN 9781487102722.
- Longworth, Philip (1967). The Unending Vigil: a History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 1917–1967. Constable.
- Shipley, Robert (1987). To Mark Our Place: A History of Canadian War Memorials. NC Press. ISBN 9781550210149.
- Wood, Herbert Fairlie; Swettenham, John (1974). Silent Witness. Hakket.[ISBN missing]