British Columbia

This memorial is dedicated to the men of the 102 Battalion North British Columbians who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It was erected by the Town of Comox and the Royal Canadian Legion in front of the Post Office on Comox Avenue in approximately 1920.

In 1978 it was moved to the front of the Town Hall on Beaufort Avenue and it sat to the left of the entirely new Cenotaph built to include other casualties from all conflicts to that time.

In approximately 1995 it was determined that holding the Remembrance Day Parade on the sloping road at that site was very difficult for aging Veterans, who insisted on marching despite their age. Volunteers from Royal Canadian Legion Branch 160 poured the concrete slab and the original memorial was moved to the present site on Comox Avenue.

The granite plaques commemorating all First World War, Second World War and Korean casualties were relocated from the Cenotaph at Town Hall to the concrete apron in front of the this memorial. A granite plaque honouring “THOSE WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY” was added at that time. A Bronze plaque in honour of Peacekeepers was added by the Peacekeepers Association of Canada later.

The Cenotaph at Town Hall remains in its original location honoured by a plaque placed by The Town of Comox. There are Time Capsules, commemorating contemporary era, embedded in both of these Monuments.

The Campbell River Cenotaph was spearheaded by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 137. A committee began fundraising in early 1952 and it became a community effort to erect a cenotaph with a brass plaque naming the fallen soldiers from the community. The land was donated by Carl Thulin, who also drove to Victoria to pick up and deliver the large stone monument. It was installed on the shores of Willow Bay, across from the Legion on the corner of 12th Street. The BC Power Commission donated rocks for a small seawall to protect the cenotaph and loaned their workmen for construction. A flagpole for the cenotaph was donated by the Village Commission.

The cenotaph was dedicated on Remembrance Day, 1952, but did not yet have a brass plaque naming those who were lost. Remembrance Day 1959 saw the last service at the cenotaph’s original location. It was relocated with the construction of the Tyee Plaza. The plaque was added in 1961, shortly after it had been reinstalled in the Tyee Plaza, with the names of 10 men from the First World War, and seven men from the Second World War.

During the construction of Spirit Square in 2009, the cenotaph was moved to its current location. Due to the efforts of the Campbell River Genealogical Society, the plaque was updated with two new names from the First World War and corrected spellings for four of the original names.

Erected by Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 198, this memorial is dedicated to the men and women killed during war. In the early years of the Legion Branch Activities, from 1948 to 1960, Remembrance Day Parades were held outside the Branch Building and if the weather was inclement, the actual service was held inside the neighbouring Community Hall Building where a white plywood Cenotaph was used. On June 23, 1961, at the Cenotaph Park, his Honour the Lt. Governor of B.C. George Pearkes unveiled the recently constructed rock cenotaph. In November 1980 a dedication of the newly reconstructed cenotaph was held. It was dedicated by Gov. General Edward Shryer around this time. On March 14, 1984 there was a motion passed to put the cenotaph in Village Square. There is no mention in the minutes of a dedication ceremony being held but there was a visit of the Lt. Governor to the Village on May 14, 1985 so it may have taken place then. The Municipal Engineer of that era, Dennis Smith, states that he, with his backhoe, and Art Granger with his forklift, moved the cenotaph from the Legion grounds and placed it in the Village Square in July 1984. The cenotaph is in a beautiful setting, right by the ocean with flags flying. And now there is also a fountain there in memory of the late Mayor Gilbert Popovich, who was also a dedicated Legion member. He was the Mayor for 27 years. Now, Mr. John Rowell, the Legion's bookkeeper, is the Mayor.

Constructed and unveiled on November 12th, 1922, in memory of those who served and died during World War I. Later, a second plaque was added to the west side of the cairn to honour the World War II dead and, in early 1987, a new plaque to honour the veterans of the Korean War was placed on the cairn. Vancouver Daily Province reported on June 10th, 1922: The Governor-General, Lord Byng of Vimy, has been asked to unveil the war memorial cairn at Sandwick when he is on his way to the Yukon this summer. The war memorial cairn is for the whole district of Comox (excluding Cumberland) and is unique both in conception and construction. Although to the top of the cross it is eighteen feet high, it will certainly not cost more than five hundred dollars, about half of which has already been raised. The low cost is explained by the fact that the labour has been performed voluntarily by the community as a whole. Last November, when the foundation stone was laid, dozens of farmers rose at dawn to load stones taken off their farms to help erect the cairn. Thus, nearly every farm in the valley has contributed to the material of the cairn. While some wagons were hauling rocks, others were at the river loading sand to make the concrete with which the stones are cemented together and the whole of the district turned out to load and unload the wagons and pile up the stones. The design was largely the inspiration of Mr. S.H. Hopkins, district agriculturist, and all who have seen it praise the simplicity and fitness of the memorial to its project. There is nothing ornate, nothing of the workshop about it -- it is a pyramid of stones gathered from the farms which the lads it commemorates knew and loved so well, on the apex of which rises a cross. At the base it is twelve feet square of masonry, reinforced with concrete. The cairn of stones is topped with a solid concrete cap, into which the cross is sunk. A place has been left in front of the monument for the tablet, which will be of marble and upon which there are forty names to be engraved. The tablet will be three feet at the base, two feet at the top and five feet high. While the design has been the work of Mr. Hopkins, the execution of it has been in the hands of Mr. Andy Smith, assisted by working parties of citizens. In addition to the voluntary work which has made the cairn so essentially a community matter, of the hundreds who attended the foundation-stone laying everyone dropped a stone on the cairn, thus contributing his quota to this permanent memorial. The setting of the memorial is particularly happy. It is built on land given by Mrs. Dingwall, where the Island Highway starts to climb the Sandwick hill by the little white Anglican Church. From its apex the view is of the great glacier of the Beaufort Range which broods over Courtenay, of the pleasant pastureland where the greensward is dotted with Jersey herds, of the blue waters of Comox Bay. It is the oldest settled portion of the valley -- the very core and centre of the district which the native Puntledge Indians called the Vale of Plenty. By the sweat of brow and the labour of hands, for the most part, this memorial has been raised. It is no set design from a stonemason's yard, but the united homage of the whole community to those Comox lads who counted not the cost -- and paid in full. As Rev. Father Beaton pointed out at the foundation-stone laying, the cairn is the symbol of the Celtic people, who marked the abiding place of their dead with a cairn, and the cross that of the Anglo-Saxons, thus representing the two roots of the British people have been woven. Subscriptions are being called for the few hundred dollars needed to complete the monument, and there is no expectation that the task of raising the money will be difficult.

Nick Gregson was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Legion Grandview Branch in 2014 to create a veteran's memorial mural. The mural features poppies, service members and cadets.

The Bank of Nova Scotia erected a plaque in memory of former bank officers who died in service during WWI: 

A. Etheridge

C.H. Lloyd

R.C. Wyse

The plaque was originally erected in the former Main Branch, 602 West Hastings.

The Roll of Honour features photographs of the Japanese Canadian soldiers who died during the First World War and was erected in 1920. It is a strong reminder of the Japanese Canadian community's enduring pride and gratitude for the young men who sacrificed their lives for their adopted country and for their community. Of the 222 Japanese Canadians that served, over 50 did not return.

When the community was forced to leave Vancouver in 1942, Corporal Sainosuke Kubota, secretary of the Japanese Branch 9 of the Canadian Legion, of the British Empire Services League, took the Roll of Honour with him. He safeguarded the tribute and the Legion flag for twenty-five years until he brought it back to its home in Vancouver for the celebrations of the Japanese Canadian centennial in 1977. A descendant of samurai from the famous Satsuma region of Japan (known today as Kagoshima), Kubota considered returning the Roll of Honour to be his final obligation to his comrades. He passed away the following year.

The following is a translation of a poem Kubota wrote for his fallen comrades, which he read in 1931 in honour of the Veterans receiving the right to vote:

Although you are gone, you are not dead,
Surely the setting sun will rise again for you.
Your heroic spirit will live in our hearts,
We take the torch from your hand to fight and carry on.

Erected by Canada Post, this memorial plaque (approximately 2' wide by 3' high) is dedicated to the Vancouver Post Office employees who were killed in the First and Second World Wars. When was the memorial unveiled? Written records of when the plaque was first unveiled are not available. It is known that it was erected shortly following the First World War and placed in the Main Lobby of the Vancouver Post Office which at that time was located at the north-west corner of Granville and Hastings Streets. The plaque was recast following the Second World War to accommodate three additional names. The plaque was moved to the Retail Lobby of the current Vancouver main Post Office, 349 West Georgia Street when the building was opened in 1956. Over the years a number of renovations have taken place in the lobby and the plaque was no longer in the public area. Renovations in September of 2009 required relocation of the plaque and it was moved to the public area and is now mounted on a pillar in the south-east corner of the Retail Lobby.

Memorial Plaque - First World War Frank Edward Carr, Pvt. 7th Battalion BC Regiment, 16412, Born December 19, 1886 Ryde, Ontario, Enlisted September 18, 1914, Died April 26, 1915, No known grave, Second Battle of Ypres, Name listed on Menin Gate, Ypres. Mathew Henry Harlock, Pvt. Canadian Army Medical Corps, 33354, Born June 8, 1882 Burton on Trent, England, Enlisted September 25, 1914, Died June 27, 1918, Lost at sea, Sinking of the Llandovery Castle Hospital Ship, name listed on the Halifax Memorial. Note: Also killed with the sinking of the Llandovery Castle was Wilfred Howie Gemmel (522922) a Postal Clerk from London, Ontario. Henry Harry Jackson, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 129532, Born November 5, 1893 Cumberland, Ontario, Enlisted September 21, 1915, arrived in France August 13, 1916, Died September 16, 1916, Kemmel Chateau Cemetery, Battle of Flers-Courcellette in the Bozincourt Region. John Jamieson, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, Born June 10, 1886 Glasgow, Scotland, Enlisted September 21, 1915, Arrived in France on August 13, 1916, Died November 25, 1916, No known grave, Battle for Vimy Ridge, Name listed on Vimy Memorial. Thomas Charles Morris-White, Driver, 1st Brigade Canadian Garrison Artillery, 339472, Born July 17, 1881 Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Enlisted December 16, 1916, Died June 17, 1918, Brighton Borough Cemetery. Clarence Roy Palmer, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 1015816, Born October 30, 1892 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Enlisted July 22, 1916, Arrived in France May 23, 1917, Wounded July 28, 1917 in the Avion Sector, Rejoined Regiment January 12, 1918, Died march 30, 1918, No known grave, Name listed on Vimy Memorial. Charles Herbert Peart, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 116417, Born May 18, 1893 Dublin, Ireland, Enlisted June 1, 1915, Arrived in France January 14, 1917, Died May 24, 1917, La Chaudiere Cemetery. James Pender, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth highlanders, Born August 19, 1882 Nanaimo, BC, Enlisted September 21, 1915, Arrived in France August 13, 1916, Died November 23, 1916 Abbeville Cemetery, Fell in the Bozincourt Trench System. Alexander Filmore Quinn, Lance Corp. 72nd Battalion BC Regiment, 16685, Born August 5, 1880 Glencoe, Ontario, Enlisted September 28, 1914, Died June 3, 1916 No known grave, Name listed on Menin Gate, Ypres. Joseph Richardson, Gunner, 2nd Brigade Canadian Field Artillery, 338914, Born May 7, 1896 Barrow-in-Furness, England, Enlisted may (?), 1916, Died August 27, 1918, Buried Southbrook (Hollybrook) Cemetery, United Kingdom. Francis Wenman Wright, Pvt. 72nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, 129464, Born September 13, 1893 San Franciso, California, Enlisted September 17, 1915, Arrived in France August 13, 1916, Died April 9, 1917 No known grave, Battle for Vimy Ridge, Name listed on Vimy Memorial. Second World War Melvin Ralph Derrick, Sgt Royal Canadian Air Force, R/107000, Died August 19, 1942 No known grave, Dieppe Raid, Name on Runneymede Memorial, United Kingdom. John Gibson, Pilot officer Royal Canadian Air Force, J/85485, Died March 25, 1944, Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany. Walter Pyle Thomas, Flight Officer (Navigator) Royal Canadian Air Force, J/54162, Died, July 17, 1945, Chittagong War Cemetery, Dampara, Bangladesh.

This park was designed by Municipal Engineer E. Dundas Todd as a memorial to soldiers who perished in the First World War.

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation - Memorial South Park - About the Park - This large park is enjoyed by sports teams and neighbours alike. The formal tree-lined entry leads to the war memorial that gives the park its name; the track and beyond is a popular place to exercise and socialize. The pond is a quiet place to watch dragonflies and ducks.

History - Originally known as Wilson Park (West 41st Avenue was known as Wilson Road at the time) this site was acquired by tax sales and was part of the South Vancouver Municipality before the City was amalgamated in 1929. Municipal Engineer E. Dundas Todd designed the park as a memorial to soldiers who perished in the First World War. Vancouver's first Cenotaph, located at South Vancouver Municipal Hall was relocated to the park later on November 11, 1939. The new park was officially opened on May 22, 1926. For many years the park played host to whippet racing but the most exciting event had to be an emergency plane landing on the football field during the Second World War. It seems the trainer plane from the No. 18 Elementary Air Training School at Boundary Bay had gotten off course, was low on fuel and had to make a forced landing. (Refer to memorial number 59027-001)

In 1948, Grandview Heights in northeast Vancouver was developed as a sub-division to provide low rental housing for Veterans after the Second World War. Initially the streets were to be named after wildlife, but this was changed and the streets were named after personalities, battles and events from the two World Wars. The Chair of the Street Naming Sub-Committee was Alderman Halford Hal Wilson, who served as a Major during the Second World War.

Worthington Drive and Worthington Place were named on March 23, 1948, to commemorate Lieutenant Colonel Donald Grant Worthington and Major John "Jack" Robert Worthington of the British Columbia Regiment (The Duke of Connaught's Own). The only sons of Dr. George Harvey and Ada Matilda (nee Marshall) Worthington, of Vancouver, British Columbia and brothers of Elizabeth Louise Worthington. In memory of his sons killed in the Second World War Dr. George Harvey Worthington willed $100,000 to the University of British Columbia where both sons attended. Lieutenant Colonel Donald Grant Worthington and Major John "Jack" Robert Worthington were killed in the Battle for Hill 159 when a mix up in communication led tanks into a fatal battle with German Panzers.