Canadian war memorials

Ceremonial Guard stand watch over Canada's national memorial, The Response, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the foreground.

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. 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 in South Korea and one each in Egypt, Hong Kong, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

War memorials in Canada

Colonial period

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Battle of Cook's Mill Memorial		Cooks Mill, Ontario	42.997895°N 79.174913°W / 42.997895; -79.174913 (Cook's Mill Memorial)	Commemorates the Battle of Cook's Mill, fought during the War of 1812.
Battle of Crysler's Farm Memorial		Morrisburg, Ontario	42°41′39″N 81°42′18″W	Dedicated to those who fought and died in the victory at Crysler's Farm.
Battle Hill Memorial		Southwest Middlesex, Ontario	42.997895°N 79.174913°W / 42.997895; -79.174913 (Battle Hill Memorial)	Commemorates the Battle of Longwoods, fought during the War of 1812.
Canadian Volunteer Monument		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′45.55″N 079°23′36.01″W	Honours University of Toronto student volunteers who fell during the Battle of Ridgeway Lime Ridge, or died of wounds received in action or from disease contracted in service while defending her frontier in June 1866.
Brock's Monument		Queenston, Ontario	43°09′36.37″N 079°03′10.99″W	Dedicated to Major General Isaac Brock, one of Canada's heroes of the War of 1812.
Defence of York Monument		Toronto, Ontario	43°38′34″N 079°23′01″W	In memory of officers, non-commissioned officers and men who were killed or died of wounds defending York (present-day Toronto).
James Wolfe Monument		Quebec City, Quebec	46°47′59.81″N 071°13′29.79″W	Dedicated to General James Wolfe, remembered chiefly for his victory over the French, and establishing British rule in Canada.
Monument to the War of 1812		Toronto, Ontario	43°38′12″N 079°24′00″W	Monument to the Canadian participation in the War of 1812
Peace Arch Monument		Surrey, British Columbia	49°0′7.66″N 122°45′23.49″W	Monument commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. Situated on the Canada–United States border, the Arch lies between the communities of Surrey, British Columbia, and Blaine Washington.
Stoney Creek Battlefield Memorial		Hamilton, Ontario	43°12′59.9″N 079°45′59.4″W	Commemorates the victory at the Battle of Stoney Creek, fought during the War of 1812.
Sebastopol Monument		Halifax, Nova Scotia	44°38′36.67″N 063°34′20.93″W	forth oldest war monument in Canada; only Crimean War Monument in North America
Wolfe and Montcalm Obelisk		Quebec City, Quebec	46°48′40″N 071°12′19″W	Oldest war monument in Canada. Commemorates Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and James Wolfe, the French and British commanders of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

North-West Rebellion and the Boer War

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Boer War Memorial		Montreal, Quebec	45°29′58.63″N 073°34′15.44″W	Sculpted by George W. Hill
Central Memorial Park		Calgary, Alberta	51°02′28.48″N 114°04′16.00″W	The park has a cenotaph, a statue of a First World War soldier and a statue of R.L. Boyle, which is dedicated to all Albertans who served during the Second Boer War.
North-West Rebellion Monument		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′42.10″N 079°23′24.23″W	Dedicated to those who served with the Canadian army during the North-West Rebellion.
South African War Memorial		Halifax, Nova Scotia	44°38′53.86″N 063°34′24.65″W	Created by Hamilton MacCarthy
South African War Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′21.84″N 075°41′31.68″W	Located in Confederation Park it commemorates the Canadian participation in the Boer War.
South African War Memorial		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′04.72″N 079°23′12.49″W	Commemorates the Canadian participation in the Boer War

First and Second World Wars

The war memorial sculptors at work in Canada in the years following the Great 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		Regina, Saskatchewan	50°26′10.2012″N 104°37′5.3544″W	Honours Saskatchewan soldiers who died in World War I.
Animals in War Memorial / Les animaux en temps de guerre		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′21.84″N 075°41′31.68″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		Peterborough, Ontario	44°18′36″N 078°18′10″W	Memorial to the men of Peterborough who died in the First World War.
Bronze Angel		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.
Camp X Memorial		Whitby Ontario	43°51′20.28″N 078°53′00.06″W	Honours the men and women of Camp X who served during the Second World War.
Cremation Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°26′42″N 075°39′57″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.
Cross of Sacrifice		Quebec City, Quebec	46°48′31.9″N 071°12′43.85″W	Honours those who died in the wars of 1914-1918, 1939-1945, 1950-1953
Great War Memorial		Niagara Falls, Ontario	43°05′23.81″N 079°04′22.57″W	Memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Halifax Memorial		Halifax, Nova Scotia	44°37′08.76″N 063°33′55.93″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.
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Memorial		Victoria, British Columbia	48°25′14.20″N 123°22′16.66″W	Dedicated to Canadian volunteers of the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion during the Spanish Civil War.
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°26′24.61″N 075°41′47.05″W	Dedicated to Canadian volunteers of the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion during the Spanish Civil War.
Memorial Clock Tower		Wainwright, Alberta	52°50′00.66″N 110°51′39.76″W	Dedicated to the local men who fought and died in both World Wars.
Memorial Gates		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	52°07′45.43″N 106°38′34.05″W	Military memorial which is a part of the University of Saskatchewan.
Montreal Cenotaph		Montreal, Quebec	45°29′55.03″N 073°34′07.75″W	Dedicated to Montrealers who died in the First World War.
Montreal Clock Tower		Montreal, Quebec	45°30′44.44″N 073°32′44.84″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	Honours those who died in both world wars
National War Memorial		St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador	47°34′03.28″N 052°42′13.67″W	Memorial for soldiers who served with the Dominion of Newfoundland during the First World War.
Ottawa Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°26′27.08″N 075°41′45.90″W	Dedicated to missing airmen of the Second World War. Sometimes known as the Commonwealth Air Force Monument.
Renfrew War Memorial		Renfrew, Ontario	45°28′22.6848″N 76°41′5.6184″W	To All Our Honoured Dead.
Royal Canadian Naval Association Naval Memorial		Burlington, Ontario		Dedicated to members of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Merchant Navy.
Saint-Lambert Cenotaph by Emanuel Hahn		Saint-Lambert, Quebec		Dedicated to citizens of Saint-Lambert who fought in the First World War
The Saskatoon Cenotaph		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	52°07′48.8″N 106°39′37.15″W	Designed by Francis Henry Portnall (1928), this tall granite plinth incorporating a public clock face is a part of the City Hall Square though it was originally located in the middle of the intersection of 21st Street and 2nd Avenue
Sherbrooke War Memorial		Sherbrooke, Quebec	45°24′02″N 071°53′29″W	Dedicated to citizens of Sherbrooke who fought in the First World War
Soldiers' Tower		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′48.78″N 079°23′42.52″W	Commemorates members of the University of Toronto who served in the World Wars.
Victory Square		Vancouver, British Columbia	49°16′55.56″N 123°06′36.72″W	Dedicated to Vancouverites who served in the First World War.
Vimy Memorial Bandshell		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	52°07′28.24″N 106°39′33.42″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.
War Memorial of Montreal West		Montreal, Quebec	45°28′21.00″N 073°36′49.32″W	Honours those from the town of Montreal West who died in the First World War

1945 – present

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial		Trenton, Ontario	25°01′37″N 055°22′15″E	Commemorates all the Canadian dead in Afghanistan. Originally located in Camp Mirage, United Arab Emirates.
Korean War Memorial Wall		Brampton, Ontario	43°38′30.58″N 079°44′57.01″W	Commemorates those Canadians who served in the Korean War.
The North Wall/Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial		Windsor, Ontario	42°18′37.36″N 083°04′11.06″W	Dedicated to Canadians who volunteered with the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War.
Vietnam Veterans Monument		Melocheville, Quebec	45°18′52″N 073°57′40″W	Dedicated to Canadians who volunteered with the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam War

Generic war memorials

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
48th Highlanders Memorial		Toronto, Ontario	43°39.00′057″N 79°23′34.76″W	Dedicated to those who served with the Canadian forces, erected by the 48th Highlanders of Canada.
Bruce Park Cenotaph		Winnipeg, Manitoba	49°52′38.77″N 097°13′34.10″W	Dedicated to the memory of those who died in the First World War, the Second World War, Korea, and to Canadian peacekeepers.
Calgary Soldiers' Memorial		Calgary, Alberta	51°03′03″N 114°05′20″W	Dedicated to Calgarian soldiers who have given their lives in war and military service overseas.
East and West Memorial Buildings		Ottawa, Ontario	45.419517°N 75.70573°W / 45.419517; -75.70573 (East and West Memorial Building)	Dedicated to all Canadians who served in war. The building houses the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Flesherton Cenotaph		Flesherton, Ontario	44°15′46.7″N 080°33′05.5″W	Honouring the local men who enlisted for the First and Second World Wars and did not return.
Garden of the Unforgotten		Oshawa, Ontario	43°53′39.66″N 078°51′46.07″W	Dedicated to the servicemen of Oshawa who lost their lives during the First World War, Second World War and the Korean War
Monument aux braves de N.D.G.		Montreal, Quebec	45°28′20.89″N 073°36′49.44″W	Commemorates the combatants who died during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
National Aboriginal Veterans Monument		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′18.04″N 075°41′34.66″W	Commemorates the Aboriginal peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) who served with the Canadian forces during armed conflicts.
Next of Kin Memorial Avenue		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	52°08′49.36″N 106°39′29.27″W	Memorial for the First World War and ensuing wars.
Old City Hall Cenotaph		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′07.70″N 079°22′54.21″W	Dedicated to Torontonians who lost their lives during the First World War, Second World War and the Korean War.
Ontario Veterans Memorial		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′40.63″N 079°23′28.04″W	Dedicated to the Canadian military who served from the Fenian raids to the Campaign Against Terror.
Memorial Chamber		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′29.64″N 075°41′59.64″W	Located in the Peace Tower, it holds all seven volumes of the Books of Remembrance, recording every Canadian killed in service, from Canada's first overseas campaign, the Nile Expedition, to the present.
Peacekeeping Monument		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′43.58″N 075°41′47.49″W	Commemorates Canadian soldiers who served, or are currently serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions.
Per ardua ad astra		Toronto, Ontario	43°39′16.56″N 079°23′17.6″W	Dedicated to Canadian airmen who fought.
Saskatchewan War Memorial		Regina, Saskatchewan	50°25′58.7568″N 104°37′2.6688″W	Honours those who died in WWI, WWII, Korean War, military training, peacetime operations, nurses who served, including a plaque honouring Saskatchewan War Brides who married Canadian service men.
Scarborough War Memorial		Toronto, Ontario	43°42′08.98″N 079°15′14.03″W	Commemorating the soldiers from Scarborough who died in World War I, World War II and Korean War.
Regina Cenotaph		Regina, Saskatchewan	50°26′52.88″N 104°36′44.18″W	Honour those Regina citizens who served in the First, the Second and the Korean Wars.
The Response – Canadian National War Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′26.53″N 075°41′43.79″W	Commemorates the Canadian participation and its soldiers fallen in armed conflict.
Royal Canadian Navy Monument		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′14.99″N 075°42′37.45″W	Commemorates the men and women who have served or are serving with the Royal Canadian Navy.
Shaunavon War Memorial		Shaunavon, Saskatchewan	49°38′52.12″N 108°24′23.34″W	Designed by Francis Henry Portnall (1926) to honour those citizens who served in the War
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′26.53″N 075°41′43.79″W	Dedicated to all the unidentified Canadian soldiers and is part of the National War Memorial.
Trenton Cenotaph		Trenton, Ontario	44°06′01.44″N 077°34′31.44″W	Dedicated to all Canadians fallen in conflict
Valiants Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario	45°25′27.92″N 075°41′42.67″W	Commemorating fourteen signal figures from the military history of the country, from French colonial rule, to the Second World War.
London Cenotaph		London, Ontario	42°59′15.66″N 081°14′48.54″W	Commemorates the local soldiers who died during the First, the Second and the Korean Wars.
Thunder Bay Cenotaph		Thunder Bay, Ontario	48°26′15.9″N 089°13′34.88″W	Commemorates the local soldiers who died during the First, the Second and the Korean Wars.
Welland-Crowland War Memorial		Welland, Ontario	42°59′51″N 079°15′31″W	Designed by Elizabeth Wyn Wood, commemorates not only the war dead but also those who served at home.

War memorials overseas

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Canada Memorial		Green Park, London, England	51°30′10.36″N 000°08′33.48″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

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial		Beaumont-Hamel, Somme, France	50°04′24.80″N 002°38′53.09″E	Commemorating the Royal Newfoundland Regiment's participation in the Battle of the Somme.
Bourlon Wood Memorial		Bourlon, France	50°10′24.51″N 003°07′09.14″E	Commemorates the participation of Canadian soldiers and memorial for Canadian soldiers who died during the First World War.
Canadian National Vimy Memorial		Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France	50°22′46.55″N 002°46′26.36″E	Commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Courcelette Memorial		Courcelette, France	50°03′15.12″N 002°45′05.19″E	Commemorating the Canadian participation in the Battle of the Somme.
Courtrai Newfoundland Memorial		Courtrai, Belgium	50°50′19.47″N 003°17′06.69″E	Commemorating the actions of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the Battle of Courtrai.
Dury Memorial		Dury, France	50°14′02.90″N 002°59′50.12″E	Commemorating the breaking of the Drocourt-Quéant Line.
Gueudecourt Memorial		Gueudecourt, France	50°03′54.31″N 002°51′13.24″E	Dedicated to the Newfoundlanders who fought during the Battle of Le Transloy.
Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) Memorial		Zonnebeke, Belgium	50°50′03.79″N 002°56′50.08″E	Commemorating the defence of the Ypres Salient.
Le Quesnel Memorial		Le Quesnel, France	49°46′29.96″N 002°36′33.85″E	Commemorating the Canadian participation in the Battle of Amiens.
Masnières Newfoundland Memorial		Masnières, France	50°07′24.4″N 003°12′42.2″E	Commemorates the actions of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during the First Battle of Cambrai, of World War I.
Menin Gate		Ypres, Belgium	50°51′07.41″N 002°53′28.55″E	Commemorating the defenders that died in the Ypres Salient and whose graves are unknown.
Monchy-le-Preux Memorial		Monchy-le-Preux, France	50°16′14.17″N 002°53′35.95″E	Commemorates the Royal Newfoundland's participation during the Battle of Arras.
Passchendaele Memorial		Passendale, Belgium	50°53′51.89″N 003°00′47.63″E	Commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele.
Saint Julien Memorial		Ypres, Belgium	50°53′58.65″N 002°56′26.41″E	Commemorating the Canadian participation in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Portuguese Fireplace		Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England	50°52′08.36″N 001°37′26.81″W	Also known as the Canadian Fireplace it commemorates the Canadian Forestry Corps and lumbermen who worked with the Portuguese
Thelus Military Cemetery		Thelus, France	50°21′40.72″N 002°47′17.336″E	Commemorating the Battle of Vimy Ridge, including the graves of almost 300 Commonwealth soldiers, most of whom are Canadian.

Second World War – present

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Bergen op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery		Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands	51°30′07″N 004°19′49″E	Cemetery for 1118 Commonwealth soldiers, 971 of whom are Canadian. It is adjacent to the Bergen op Zoom War Cemetery, which contains the graves of 1284 Commonwealth soldiers.
Canadian WW2 Section		Brookwood, Surrey, England	51°18′01″N 000°38′27.39″W	Brookwood has a WW1 and this WW2 Canadian Section adjacent to the Canadian Records Hall with sculpted beaver and legend 'A Mari usque ad Mare'
Gapyeong Canada Monument		Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea	37°52′36.71″N 127°31′48.79″E	Dedicated to the sacrifices made by the Canadian forces during the Korean war, especially at the Battle of Kapyong.
Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery		Groesbeek, Netherlands	51°47′53.92″N 5°55′54.76″E	Cemetery for the dead from the Second World War.
Kandahar Airfield Memorial and Memorial Inuksuk		Kandahar, Afghanistan	31°30′21″N 065°50′52″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		Floriana, Malta	35°53′40.57″N 014°30′28.27″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	Located where 378 Canadians are buried. An identical monument is in downtown Ottawa.
National Canadian Liberation Monument		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."

See also

• Canadian War Museum
• List of Canadian Victoria Cross recipients
• List of Royal Military College of Canada Memorials and traditions
• List of conflicts in Canada

Further reading

• Philip Longworth, The Unending Vigil: A History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 1917–1967 (1967).
• Robert Shipley, To Mark Our Place (1987).
• Herbert Fairlie Wood and John Swettenham, Silent Witnesses (1974).

External links

• Memorials to Canadians' Achievements & Sacrifices
• National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials (NICMM)