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. 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.

War memorials in Canada

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. 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.

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Battle Hill Monument		Southwest Middlesex, Ontario		Commemorates the Battle of Longwoods, fought during the War of 1812.
Battle of Cook's Mill Monument		Cooks Mill, Ontario		Commemorates the Battle of Cook's Mill, fought during the War of 1812.
Battle of Crysler's Farm Monument		Morrisburg, Ontario		Dedicated to those who fought and died in the victory at Crysler's Farm.
Battle of Eccles Hill Monument		Frelighsburg, Quebec		Commemorates the Battle of Eccles Hill, fought during the Fenian raids.
Battle of Lundy's Lane Monument		Niagara Falls, Ontario		Dedicated in 1895, the monument commemorates members of the British Army and Canadian militia during the Battle of Lundy's Lane.
Battle of Trois-Rivières Monument		Trois-Rivières, Quebec		Commemorates the British and Canadian soldiers who fought at the Battle of Trois-Rivières during the American Revolutionary War.
British Empire Loyalist Cairn		Regina, Saskatchewan		Dedicated to American settlers and the United Empire Loyalists who sided with the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Brock's Monument		Queenston, Ontario		Dedicated to Major General Isaac Brock, one of Canada's heroes of the War of 1812.
Canadian Volunteer Monument		Toronto, Ontario		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.
Defence of York Monument		Toronto, Ontario		In memory of officers, non-commissioned officers and men who were killed or died of wounds defending York.
James Wolfe Monument		Quebec City, Quebec		Dedicated to General James Wolfe, remembered chiefly for his victory over the French, and establishing British rule in Canada.
Liverpool Memorial Cairn		Liverpool, Nova Scotia		Highlights the role of privateers from the area during the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Monument aux Braves		Quebec City, Quebec		Commemorates the Battle of Sainte-Foy, fought during the Seven Years' War.
Peace Arch		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.
Royal Navy and Provincial Marine Memorial		Kingston, Ontario		Dedicated to the officers and seamen of the Royal Navy and the Provincial Marine who served in Lake Ontario during the War of 1812.
Stoney Creek Battlefield Memorial		Hamilton, Ontario		Commemorates the victory at the Battle of Stoney Creek, fought during the War of 1812.
Sebastopol Monument		Halifax, Nova Scotia		Forth oldest war monument in Canada and the only Crimean War monument in North America.
United Empire Loyalist Memorial		Tusket, Nova Scotia		Dedicated to the United Empire Loyalists who settled the area during, or after the American Revolutionary War.
Wolfe and Montcalm Obelisk		Quebec City, Quebec		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 during the Seven Years War.
War of 1812 Monument, Ottawa		Ottawa, Ontario		Monument commemorating diverse contributions to the defence of Canada during the War of 1812
War of 1812 Monument, Toronto		Toronto, Ontario		Commemorates the successful defence of British North America against American forces in the War of 1812

North-West Rebellion and the Boer War

Memorial name	Image	Location	Map	Notes
Boer War Memorial		Montreal, Quebec		Sculpted by George W. Hill
Boer War Memorial Fountain		Halifax, Nova Scotia		Commemorate Canadian combatants during the Second Boer War. Located in the Halifax Public Gardens
Boer War Monument		Windsor, Ontario		Unveiled in 1906, the memorial was originally situated next to a post office, and later moved to Jackson Park in 1932.
Central Memorial Park		Calgary, Alberta		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		Dedicated to those who served with the Canadian army during the North-West Rebellion.
South African War Memorial		Halifax, Nova Scotia		Created by Hamilton MacCarthy
South African War Memorial		London, Ontario		Commemorates those from Middlesex County, Ontario who served during the Second Boer War. Unveiled in 1912 by the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire; rededicated in 2000.
South African War Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario		Located in Confederation Park it commemorates the Canadian participation in the Boer War.
South African War Memorial		Quebec City, Quebec		Sculpted by Hamilton MacCarthy.
South African War Memorial		Toronto, Ontario		Commemorates the Canadian participation in the Boer War
Volunteers Monument		Winnipeg, Manitoba		Commemorates the members of the 90th Winnipeg Battalion of Rifles during the North-West Rebellion

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		Regina, Saskatchewan		Honours Saskatchewan soldiers who died in World War I.
Animals in War Memorial / Les animaux en temps de guerre		Ottawa, Ontario		A memorial by David Clendining to animals that have served for Canada in military conflicts since World War I and is located in Confederation Park
Ashburnham Memorial Park		Peterborough, Ontario		Memorial to the men of Peterborough who died in the First World War.
Bell Island Seaman's Memorial		Lance Cove, Newfoundland		Dedicated to commemorate sailors killed by Nazi Germany U-boats in World War II.
Bronze Angel		Montreal, Quebec; Vancouver, British Columbia ; 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		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.
Coronation Park Memorial		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		Ottawa, Ontario		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		Dedicated to those who died in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War,
Fredericton Cenotaph		Fredericton, New Brunswick		Initially dedicated to those who died in the First World War, later expanded to include the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Canadian Merchant Navy.
Great War Memorial		Niagara Falls, Ontario		Memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Halifax Memorial		Halifax, Nova Scotia		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		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		Victoria, British Columbia		Dedicated to Canadian volunteers of the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion during the Spanish Civil War.
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario		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		Dedicated to the local men who fought and died in both World Wars.
Memorial Gates		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan		Military memorial which is a part of the University of Saskatchewan.
Montreal Cenotaph		Montreal, Quebec		Dedicated to Montrealers who died in the First World War.
Montreal Clock Tower		Montreal, Quebec		Dedicated to Canadian naval sailors who died during the First World War.
Monument des Braves		Shawinigan, Quebec		Commemorates those who died in the First World War, and Second World War
National War Memorial		St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador		Memorial for soldiers who served with the Dominion of Newfoundland during the First World War.
Ottawa Memorial		Ottawa, Ontario		Dedicated to missing airmen of the Second World War. Sometimes known as the Commonwealth Air Force Monument.
Peace through Valour		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		Renfrew, Ontario		Commemorated to residents of Renfrew who served in the First World War and Second World War.
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
Saskatoon Cenotaph		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan		Designed by Francis Henry Portnall, 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		Dedicated to citizens of Sherbrooke who fought in the First World War
Soldiers' Tower		Toronto, Ontario		Commemorates members of the University of Toronto who served in the World Wars.
Victory Square		Vancouver, British Columbia		Dedicated to Vancouverites who served in the First World War.
Vimy Memorial Bandshell		Saskatoon, Saskatchewan		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		Honours those from the town of Montreal West who died in the First World War