New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Naval Memorial was unveiled on 24 June 2022 and commemorates the long and storied history of New Brunswick’s significant role in the naval and maritime heritage of Canada. It provides a constant reminder of all those who lost their lives while serving their country at sea in the cause of peace. The memorial was erected by HMCS Brunswicker and the New Brunswick Royal United Services Institute.

The main monument resting on Plaza Maris recalls the bow of HMCS Saint John adorned with anchors. The imprint of waves in the pavement indicates the “waves over wave” that are their “crosses row upon row.” Embedded in the pavement, port side and aft of the monument, is the shadow of a Canso aircraft, such as those which flew escort over the convoys. At starboard, is a silhouette of a Cyclone helicopter, mindful of the loss of this aircraft o the Saint John-built frigate, HMCS Fredericton.

Stone benches shaped in the format of nautical bollards have been installed around the site. A nautical staff flag pole crowns the site.

This plaque was dedicated by Saint John employees of the New Brunswick Telephone Company Limited in honour of their comrades who served in the Second World War. It is not known where the plaque is located now.

This plaque was dedicated by Saint John employees of the New Brunswick Telephone Company in honour of their comrades who gave their lives in the First World War and those who served. It is not known where the plaque is located now.

Stairway to Service was unveiled on June 3, 2022. It features a set of 13 granite steps and a walkway which memorializes those who performed military service for Saint John and Canada. When the Royal Canadian Legion Jervis Bay Memorial Branch No. No. 53 had to put a new set of stairs in the park, Harold Wright, Legion president, came up with the idea to make the stairs a monument.

More than 200 names of people who served from the First World War to the present are featured, with room for 200 more names. Engraved on the top of the stairway are boots and shoes prints of two Saint John Veterans who served during the Second World War: the late George O. Kelley, who died in December at age 103, and Glennis (Boyle) Boyce. One side of the steps has outlines of boot prints going down, representing those going off to military service. The other side of the steps has outlines of boot prints going up, representing those returning home from military service. Three of the steps have hand prints of children engraved in the center to represent families waiting for their loved ones to return from service.

Royal Canadian Air Force Plaque

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.