British Columbia

The Memorial Tablet was cast in the early 1920s by Victoria High School's art teacher Earl (Bunny) Clarke and unveiled by Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Walter C. Nichol on November 11, 1925. Funds were raised by staff, students, alumni and citizens. 

Clarke selected a female figure to demonstrate motherhood and sisterhood. The woman symbolizes grief. She holds a spray of flowers in her right hand and supports a shield with her left hand. Miss Margaret Hallam, the school's secretary, was the model used by Clarke for the right arm and hand.

The names of three teachers and 82 students who laid down their lives for their country in the First World War are engraved on the shield. The war was a time for patriotic heroism and the school took pride in its 11 military crosses and seven military medals.

The Victoria High School Great War Banner, which dates from Spring 1920, was made of linen flag cloth and designed to hang from a window of the upper floor of the school on the east side, facing Fernwood Street. Originally donated to the school by the Victoria Women's Canadian Club, it remained in storage for many years before being rediscovered in 2004.

The banner measures 10 feet 6 inches wide by 30 feet tall, and its white main field is fringed by a red border. There are seven white maple leaves along the top red border, one for each of the seven Nursing Sisters known to be connected with the school. Below these are nine maple leaves in three rows: three blue in the top row, then three red, then three blue. The red leaves memorialize the three teachers who were casualties of the war and are flanked by the blue leaves of their colleagues. 

Beneath this are leaves representing members of the student body who were at one time connected to the school, some having been students before the war began. There are 53 red maple leaves and 397 white maple leaves. Fifty-three red leaves honour the casualties of war known at the date of the banner’s creation. The 397 white leaves represent those who survived the war. The 53 red leaves are in the shape of an elongated shield, similar to the plaque of honour on the Memorial Tablet in the school’s main hall where the names of the fallen are listed.

Each maple leaf was handsewn onto the banner. The total of maple leaves, each representing a known individual connected to the school, is 466. The Great War Banner continues to be hung from the fourth floor windows on Remembrance Day.

On April 20, 1917, some 2,500 citizens gathered as 14 silver maple saplings were planted along the Vining Street entrance roadway, now a walkway, to honour Victoria High School students killed in the Battle of Ypres. The Women’s Canadian Club donated the trees and organized the ceremony. 

The dying trees were removed by the school district in 2011 and new trees were planted and rededicated on November 10, 2011. Red maple was chosen, in honour of both the original memorial trees and of the maple's symbolic significance to all Canadians. At the ceremony, the Victoria High Great War Banner was displayed hanging from the school facing Fernwood Road, as it was originally displayed in 1920. 

Another oak was planted the same day in 1917 as the original 14 maple saplings, along Grant Street between Fernwood and Camosun. It still stands in honour of British Field Marshal Earl Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, also a casualty of the First World War.

Central Saanich Cenotaph was erected in 2018 by the District of Central Saanich. The cenotaph is a symbol of the loss and sacrifice Veterans have made for Canada.

It was designed by Small and Rossell Landscape Architects. On the left side is artwork by a local Indigenous artist, Charles Elliott. His piece symbolizes a human being watched over by eagles, a sacred and wise creature; it also recognizes the contributions and losses of Indigenous peoples during conflicts. The right side is engraved with Canadian maple leaves to symbolize all Canadians who have served.

The Book of Remembrance was started in 1947 and records all deceased Veterans who previously re-sided in the Memorial Pavilion and now the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge).

The Memorial Pavilion, previously Veterans' Hospital, dates back to 1947 when the first patients were transferred from Gordon Health and Occupational Centre.

The Veterans' Chapel was constructed in 1952. Inspired by the Veterans' contribution to world peace, Dr. Douglas Kendell planned a series of stained glass windows for the Veterans' Chapel. With the aid of the Women's Auxiliary, a three year fundraising campaign resulted in 10 stained glass windows for the chapel. There are stained glass windows to honour the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Women's Services. The stained glass windows were commissioned by Goddard and Gibb of London, England. The Veterans' Chapel was dedicated in 1956.

Additional stained glass windows on the door and walls incorporate broken fragments of glass gathered from blitzed churches, abbeys, and public buildings of Europe and Great Britain during the Second World War.  Sources of the glass fragments include Christ Church, Oxford, Westminster Abbey, All Hallows Church and the Middle Temple Hall; Caen Monastery in Normandy; and Churches in Belgium and Germany.

In 1994, when the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge) was constructed, the Veterans' Chapel was relocated to the new building. The local branch of the War Amputations of Canada with the Veterans' Care Society played an active role in the restoration of the stained glass windows in their new location.

The Book of Remembrance is also located in the chapel.

The Women's Services window depicts the Angel of Mercy. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Medical Services insignias are in the corners. The inscription verse is from the Book of Revelation Chapter 2 and references healing from the Cross of Jesus.

The Veterans' Chapel was constructed in 1952. Inspired by the Veterans' contribution to world peace, Dr. Douglas Kendell planned a series of stained glass windows for the Veterans' Chapel. With the aid of the Women's Auxiliary, a three year fundraising campaign resulted in 10 stained glass windows for the chapel. There are stained glass windows to honour the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Women's Services. The stained glass windows were commissioned by Goddard and Gibb of London, England. The Veterans' Chapel was dedicated in 1956.

Additional stained glass windows on the door and walls incorporate broken fragments of glass gathered from blitzed churches, abbeys, and public buildings of Europe and Great Britain during the Second World War.  Sources of the glass fragments include Christ Church, Oxford, Westminster Abbey, All Hallows Church and the Middle Temple Hall; Caen Monastery in Normandy; and Churches in Belgium and Germany.

In 1994, when the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge) was constructed, the Veterans' Chapel was relocated to the new building. The local branch of the War Amputations of Canada with the Veterans' Care Society played an active role in the restoration of the stained glass windows in their new location.

The Air Force window depicts St. Raphael, a leader of squadrons of angels, presumably the most suitable Patron Saint for Air Force personnel. The Lancaster bomber of the Second World War is in the middle background. The Air Force motto" "Per Aruda Ad Astra" means "Through Adversity To the Heavens." The Air Force emblem consists of a soaring eagle beneath a crown.

The Veterans' Chapel was constructed in 1952. Inspired by the Veterans' contribution to world peace, Dr. Douglas Kendell planned a series of stained glass windows for the Veterans' Chapel. With the aid of the Women's Auxiliary, a three year fundraising campaign resulted in 10 stained glass windows for the chapel. There are stained glass windows to honour the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Women's Services. The stained glass windows were commissioned by Goddard and Gibb of London, England. The Veterans' Chapel was dedicated in 1956.

Additional stained glass windows on the door and walls incorporate broken fragments of glass gathered from blitzed churches, abbeys, and public buildings of Europe and Great Britain during the Second World War.  Sources of the glass fragments include Christ Church, Oxford, Westminster Abbey, All Hallows Church and the Middle Temple Hall; Caen Monastery in Normandy; and Churches in Belgium and Germany.

In 1994, when the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge) was constructed, the Veterans' Chapel was relocated to the new building. The local branch of the War Amputations of Canada with the Veterans' Care Society played an active role in the restoration of the stained glass windows in their new location.

The Navy window depicts St. Nicholas, the Patron Saint of sailors, in a squat ship. He holds three bags of gold, which according to popular legend, he gave to three impoverished brides for their dowry. He was Bishop of Myra, Turkey, about 342 A.D. His feast day is December 6. Because of his generosity, he became associated with Christmas presents. The Royal Canadian Navy crest of crown and anchor are incorporated. The Royal Canadian Navy Ensign beside the window was the gift of Royal Canadian Navy Chaplains.

The Veterans' Chapel was constructed in 1952. Inspired by the Veterans' contribution to world peace, Dr. Douglas Kendell planned a series of stained glass windows for the Veterans' Chapel. With the aid of the Women's Auxiliary, a three year fundraising campaign resulted in 10 stained glass windows for the chapel. There are stained glass windows to honour the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Women's Services. The stained glass windows were commissioned by Goddard and Gibb of London, England. The Veterans' Chapel was dedicated in 1956.

Additional stained glass windows on the door and walls incorporate broken fragments of glass gathered from blitzed churches, abbeys, and public buildings of Europe and Great Britain during the Second World War.  Sources of the glass fragments include Christ Church, Oxford, Westminster Abbey, All Hallows Church and the Middle Temple Hall; Caen Monastery in Normandy; and Churches in Belgium and Germany.

In 1994, when the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge) was constructed, the Veterans' Chapel was relocated to the new building. The local branch of the War Amputations of Canada with the Veterans' Care Society played an active role in the restoration of the stained glass windows in their new location.

The Army window depicts St. George, himself a warrior, and the Patron Saint of soldiers. His tunic shows a red cross on a white background, which was adopted hundreds of years later as the flag of England, prior to its inclusion in the Union Jack (1603). The dragon at his feet is symbolic of evil adversaries. Crossed swords and maple leaves comprise the Canadian Army emblem below.

The Veterans' Chapel was constructed in 1952. Inspired by the Veterans' contribution to world peace, Dr. Douglas Kendell planned a series of stained glass windows for the Veterans' Chapel. With the aid of the Women's Auxiliary, a three year fundraising campaign resulted in 10 stained glass windows for the chapel. There are stained glass windows to honour the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine, and Women's Services. The stained glass windows were commissioned by Goddard and Gibb of London, England. The Veterans' Chapel was dedicated in 1956.

Additional stained glass windows on the door and walls incorporate broken fragments of glass gathered from blitzed churches, abbeys, and public buildings of Europe and Great Britain during the Second World War.  Sources of the glass fragments include Christ Church, Oxford, Westminster Abbey, All Hallows Church and the Middle Temple Hall; Caen Monastery in Normandy; and Churches in Belgium and Germany.

In 1994, when the Lodge at Broadmead (now known as Veterans Memorial Lodge) was constructed, the Veterans' Chapel was relocated to the new building. The local branch of the War Amputations of Canada with the Veterans' Care Society played an active role in the restoration of the stained glass windows in their new location.