New Brunswick

HMCS Niobe, an aging British cruiser, was one of the first two ships purchased for the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910. Its weapons were removed when it was decommissioned in 1915 and its 6-inch guns were used to form a battery on Partridge Island in defence of the Saint John's harbour during the Second World War. One of these guns, a 6-inch H.E.D.C. Mark II with the serial number 749 (1898) is on display at the entrance to HMCS Brunswicker.

Nursing Sister Agnes Louise Warner served during the First World War in support of the French Army in France from August 1914 to January 1917. She received the Medaille D’Honneur in bronze, Medaille des Epidemies – L’Insigne Special en Or, and the Croix de Guerre. Agnes died on 23 April 1923 in Saint John and is buried in Fernhill Cemetery.

The front pew on the left side of St. John’s (Stone) Church has a plaque to indicate that it is the Garrison Officers’ Pew. It was named a Garrison Church in 1824, when the Lieutenant-Governor donated £600 to help defray the cost of building. The church is still used by the military to this day for special church services.

The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment Colours hang behind the altar of St. John’s (Stone) Church. Their Colours were emblazoned with “1793", the year the New Brunswick Militia unit was organized. The Napoleonic Wars were raging and in 1793 a ten-gun French privateer was reported cruising the Bay of Fundy. In defence, the Saint John Militia formed this unit as coastal artillery. Normally an artillery regiment's Colours are considered their guns. These Colours are an anomaly, as artillery regiments do not normally have Colours. They were laid up in the church in 1925 and, maintaining artillery tradition, were never replaced. The Colours presented in 1861 were not presented on behalf of the Sovereign, which is the current principle, but by the Ladies of Saint John.

The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery originated in Saint John, New Brunswick on 28 May 1869, when the New Brunswick Brigade of Garrison Artillery was authorized to be formed. “Heritage”, allows the current 3^rd Field Artillery Regiment to celebrate the existence of an artillery unit in Saint John since 1793. If firm documentary evidence were found establishing an unbroken record of service by the unit, the lineage could be pushed back. The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment Colours were presented on 18 December 1861 – when the unit was part of the New Brunswick Militia, not the Canadian Militia.   

In earlier times, Colours played a prominent part in many battles. They served to identify units in battle, often marking the focal point of a struggle. Captured Colours were a prized trophy and attracted enemy attention and inspired much gallantry. By the late 19^th and 20^th Century, however, they were no longer carried in battle, but their status as the heart and soul of a Regiment continued, and the laying up of Colours signifies and helps keep holy the memories of the men who sacrificed their lives.

The Standing Ready monument, dedicated to soldiers, sailors and aviators from New Brunswick, was unveiled on 11 November 2019. Its 105-mm gun can be rotated in the direction of various wars, conflicts and deployments that the Loyal Company has participated in since it was formed in 1793. 

Designed by Saint John architect Malcolm Boyd, it features sandbags circling the retired 105-mm Howitzer that was used by the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment in the 1960s and '70s. Their battles locations are engraved on blocks around the monument. Also featured are replica ammunition boxes, a sandbag wall made out of concrete, and a bench displaying the Royal Artillery Regiment’s motto: Ubique. A time capsule was buried beneath the concrete. The monument was constructed by Source Atlantic, FCC Construction and Stresscon and is located on land donated by Port Saint John.

73-year-old Casavant Pipe organ serves as unique war memorial to fallen Saint John Vocational School students. Alumni of the Saint John Vocational School, now Harbour View High School, commissioned the organ from the legendary Quebec-based organ builder Casavant Frères in the fall of 1943. 

It was installed and dedicated in a ceremony on March 18, 1944, to honour the students who had already enlisted and died in the war. Over the course of the Second World War, 834 students enlisted, including 86 young women. Fifty-three of them died. Simon Couture, vice-president of Casavant Frères, says the organ cost $4200 in 1943, a good deal a the time. The organ was not new actually, it was repurposed. This instrument was installed first in 1939 in a private home north of Montreal and we had to take the organ back after a few years because the client couldn't make the payments. The plaque contains the second last stanza of a poem written anonymously in 1944 to honour the fallen students of Saint John Vocational.

The RCAF Memorial Book lists the names of all those who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is on display at Trinity Anglican Church, and a page is turned daily. It was unveiled by parishioners of Trinity Anglican Church, sometime after World War II.

This memorial plaque is dedicated to Parishioners of Trinity Anglican Church who died serving Canada during World War I.

This memorial is dedicated to four New Brunswick units, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, The Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Merchant Marine; parishioners of Trinity Anglican Church, who died serving Canada during World War I & II.

In the Chancel, are the laid up colours of four New Brunswick units - King's and Regimental. They are the 62nd Regiment, Saint John Fusiliers, the 115th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, the 104th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force.

In the Nave are found flags and ensigns of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army, The Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Merchant Marine - which were in use at the time of the Second World War.

Riverview Memorial Park has a deep connection with Margaret Baizley and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, thanks to Baizley’s leadership and efforts in raising funds for the construction of the South African War Monument. Established in 1902, Riverview Memorial Park stands as a testament to the determination of Mrs. Baizley and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

The park is a tribute to the valiant servicemen who fought in the South African War, specifically the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment recruited from New Brunswick. G Company comprised many ex-members of the renowned 62nd Saint John Fusiliers and earned recognition for their bravery during the Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900, which led to the surrender of Pieter Cronje’s forces. Four men from Saint John lost their lives during the South African War, with three of them dying on the day of Cronje’s surrender on February 27, 1900. The local South African War Veterans used to gather at Riverview Memorial Park on Paardeberg Day, reenacting the battle and charging entrenched African forces. Colonel Reginald Fendick revived this ceremony on February 27, 1999, after two decades of absence.

There were several memorials placed in the park, the South African War Monument, a drinking fountain, two smooth-bore cannons and a captured First World War German gun (all three melted down in 1942 for the Second World War effort). Between 1900 and 1925 there were 11 memorial trees planted in memory of South African War soldiers, as well as park organizers and supporters. In 2017, three trees were planted as memorials to other Veterans. 

The Royal Canadian Regiment, 2nd Battalion at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, perpetuates the unit which played a decisive role in the victory at Paardeberg. For decades the New Brunswick Boer War Veterans Association held their annual remembrance ceremony in the park. In 2015, at the 115th anniversary of this battle, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment held a remembrance ceremony in the Park.