British Columbia

The annual Korean War Veterans Ceremony in Burnaby is held at the Ambassador of Peace Korean War Memorial in Central Park for veterans, their families, diplomats, politicians, the RCMP, Burnaby fire fighters, top members of the National Aboriginal Veterans Association, the Richmond Squadron Air Cadets and members of the regional Korean Canadian community. The memorial honours 36 BC soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Korean War.

These three tennis courts were created as a living memorial to honour the 51 former students of Burnaby South High School who lost their lives in the Second World War. The courts and a cenotaph were dedicated on the school grounds on November 10, 1948, by the South Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion Branch 83 and students of the school.

The Burnaby South High School land was obtained by the city in 1989 and named Burnaby South Memorial Park on November 3, 1993.

This 1.5 acre park was named Burnaby South Memorial Park on November 3, 1993, by the Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission's Parks, Names and Signs Committee, at the request of the Burnaby Heritage Advisory Committee (now the Community Heritage Commission.) The land was previously the site of the Burnaby South High School, but obtained by the city in 1989.

Within the park there are Memorial Tennis Courts and a Cenotaph that were dedicated in 1948 to the memory of 51 former students of the older school who died in the Second World War.

On October 2, 2004, the canteen in the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 16 was named in honour of Ernest Alvia “Smokey” Smith V.C. The Legion sign was updated to include a picture of Smoky that his wife, Ester, took of him before they were married.

Legion Branch 16 and the Ernest Alvia “Smokey” Smith V.C. Canteen closed in November 2016.

This cenotaph was erected on the grounds of Burnaby South High School to honour the 51 former students of the school who lost their lives in the Second World War. The cenotaph and Memorial Tennis Courts were dedicated on the school grounds on November 10, 1948, by the South Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion Branch 83 and students of the school.

The Burnaby South High School land was obtained by the city in 1989 and named Burnaby South Memorial Park on November 3, 1993.

This civic cenotaph was erected by the Burnaby Civic Employees Union (now CUPE Local 23) in 1923 to honour their members who lost their lives in the First World War. It was originally located in front of Burnaby's old Municipal Hall on Kingsway near Edmonds, (now the site of Edmonds House & the Burnaby Public Library) until it was moved to the museum in 1974. The monument was designed and built by William Williamson, a stonecutter who operated the Westminster Monumental Works. The use of rough faced local granite and its rustic nature brings this structure within the Arts & Crafts style. It was designated by Burnaby Council in 1992.

Veterans Memorial Manor was officially opened on August 27, 1986, with the Honorable George Hees Minister of Veterans Affairs, Honorable Stewart McInnes Minister of C.M.H.C., Mayor Michael Harcourt, and approximately 200 invited guests. Platform guests included Albert Bianchini – Dominion President Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans; Anthony Stacey – Dominion President Royal Canadian Legion; Fred Winn – Provincial President of the Legion; Warren Matheson – B.Bc. President of Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans and Legion Padre Harry Lennox. The Master of Ceremony was Stewart Kelly – President of the Veterans’ Memorial Housing Society.

The memorial gymnasium was officially dedicated on October 26, 1951. This building was a result of a student alumni campaign to honour men and women of British Colombia who served in the First World War and Second World War. Accommodates about 2,222 people in permanent seating, additional 600 seats in bleachers and another 40 in floor seats.

The Jericho Beach Flying Boat Station 1920-1947.Four separate veterans' organizations, 801 (Vancouver) Wing, Air Force Association of Canada; Air Crew Association (Vancouver Branch); Air Force Officers Association and the British Columbia Veterans Commemorative Association, have a formed an informal to erect an educational monument to record the little known story of the Jericho Beach Flying Boat Station, constructed in 1920 through the auspices of the Federal Air Board of the day. Jericho Beach was the first Canadian Air Force and, in 1924, the first Royal Canadian Air Force station in British Columbia, marking an important milestone in Air Force history. The station also has a rich history in pioneering aviation and in the development of British Columbia's remote coastal communities via the civil flight services provided to various Federal and Provincial government ministries. These services include patrolling, mapping, inspection and transportation, encompassing all areas of British Columbia's rugged coastal waterways during the 1920's and early 1930's. In the years leading up to the Second World War the station played a vital role in expanding British Columbia's coastal air defences and, with the establishment of Western Air Command, was responsible for all Royal Canadian Air Force activities in Western Canada. With the replacement of flying boats by long-range land-based aircraft at the end of the war and Jericho Beach Air Station closed in March 1947, the base was taken over by the Army as a military centre. In 1969 the military vacated the former Jericho Air base property when it was transferred to the City of Vancouver. In the ensuing years the property was developed as a park under the jurisdiction of the Vancouver Parks Board and the hangars, personnel quarters and most of the other facilities were removed and the station's role in history disappeared along with its structures. Another interesting element of the Jericho Beach story involves third-generation major British Columbia ship-builder, Clarence Wallace, builder of the Second World War "Victory" ships, who later became Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1950 - 1955), had four sons in the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 1944 he presented the station with a sports field in the name of his four sons, all serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. His oldest son was a Hurricane pilot in the Battle of Britain and was lost in action over Europe a year later. Two sons were Spitfire pilots and both were shot down in 1944, one over Albania, the other over France just after D-Day, surviving the war as Prisoners of War. The presentation was marked by the dedication of a cairn and plaque, the event widely reported by the media. In the years following the transfer of the property the Wallace Field was incorporated into the extended sports field area and, sometime around 1980, the cairn was demolished and the plaque disappeared, another piece of history was erased. In the late 1990's and early 2000's, interest in the missing plaque was revived and through efforts of 801 Wing the plaque was unexpectedly discovered (2000), after narrowly escaping disposal as unwanted metal trash. It was turned over to 801 Wing after consultation with David Wallace, the last surviving son, subsequently leading to the current effort in conjunction with Second World War veterans to restore the Wallace Monument and plaque, also include plaques recognizing the historical importance of the Jericho Beach Seaplane station and the contribution of all military personnel who served there. This has now been achieved. This memorial was dedicated on Sunday, 19 October 2008.

Established in 1958 through a local improvement by-law initiative whereby residents in the area agreed to directly fund original building costs, this busy centre is located on Memorial Park West (7.5 hectares), a verdant greensward bounded by large shade trees and comprising playfields, playgrounds and a bank of six tennis courts. The park's original name was Dunbar Park but this was changed following the First World War to Memorial Park. The "West" was added onto the park's name following the amalgamation of West Point Grey and South Vancouver Municipalities with the City of Vancouver where a park with the same name already existed. Vancouver Parks Board - About the Park - Memorial West Park's lively playing fields and courts attract many people from the surrounding neighbourhood. A charming interplay of restrained, forested areas and manicured, active spaces, most people will find something wonderful waiting at this park. It is easy to get lost in thought wandering the trails that link the active sports areas with the peaceful woodland. History - Originally known as Dunbar Park and part of the Point Grey Municipality, sometime after 1921 the site was renamed Memorial Park to commemorate the soldiers who died in the First World War. Following amalgamation of the Point Grey and South Vancouver Districts with the City of Vancouver, the "West" was added to the name to distinguish it from South Vancouver's Memorial Park South. In 1937, to commemorate the coronation of King George VI, Mrs. A. Atkinson, one of the first Presidents of the Point Grey Women's Institute, planted an oak from Britain's Windsor Great Park while reading verses of her own composition in honour of the occasion.