Nova Scotia

The Royal Canadian Navy Forces Memorial Wall honours the men and women who died during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War during their service with the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve.

It was originally on the 3rd floor of Admiralty House, when just the 3rd floor was the museum. Sometime in 1970, the Admiralty House went through a renovation and expanded the museum to all floors of the house. Unfortunately, during this renovation, the memorial wall was taken down and the location of the plaques that made up the memorial wall is currently unknown.

This stained-glass window was commissioned on May 4, 1985 for the 75th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy. The window is currently installed on the 3rd floor of the Naval Museum of Halifax's Admiralty House. At the moment the window is not available for public viewing from the inside of the museum, but it can be viewed from the outside when facing the north wall of the museum. 

Admiralty House is the former official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the North American Station of the Royal Navy. Construction of this Georgian-style home overlooking Halifax’s historic dockyard commenced in 1814 and was completed in 1818. The first resident was Admiral David Milne, followed by many notable residents such as Admiral Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald. On the grounds of the Admiralty House is the Admiralty Garden which was created c. 1814 and has plaques and monuments displayed to honour Admirals and other military personnel.

The Canadian Government took possession of the house in 1905. It served as a hospital during the First World War, until the roof was badly damaged in the 1917 Halifax Explosion. Once repaired, the house was lent to the Massachusetts Halifax Relief Commission who used it to assist the people of the North End community that were still recovering from the devastation of the explosion. From 1925-1954, Admiralty House was home to the Wardroom, and contained offices and living quarters. Eventually, the home became a library, school, and now is home to the Naval Museum of Halifax.

A granite Cairn with a bronze plaque commemorating the death of the Duke of Annville who after being shipwrecked in the Autumn of 1746 died.

In addition to the monument at its head office in Toronto, the Canadian Bank of Commerce honoured employees from each branch who served in the First World War. In 1920, the bank published a record of the part played by officers of the bank in the Great War. This two-volume commemorative set began as a series of eleven pamphlets, published between August 1915 and January 1919, which included letters from bank employees on active duty.

These letters from trench, billet, prison camp, captured objective, and hospital ward, provide first-hand impressions of the fields on which Canada fought. Included are photographs, biographical information and excerpts from staff letters. The letters cover a wide range of subjects - from the hell of living in the trenches, to longing for a pair of good Canadian boots, to thanking those at home for rum and chocolate. They serve as poignant reminders of what these young people endured during the Great War.

This memorial is dedicated to the staff who gave their lives and their services in the Armed Forces of Canada or its Allies during the Second World War 1939-1945.

November 9, 2000 11:30 AM - The province announced today that Highway 102 between Miller Lake and Truro will be designated as Veterans Memorial Highway.

Premier John Hamm and Ronald Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, said the designation will commemorate the effort and sacrifice of veterans who served Canada at home and abroad. "I am pleased that the province is passing along an ongoing tribute to veterans," said Premier Hamm. "I hope this commemoration serves daily as a reminder of the toil and sacrifice of our veterans and contributes to the lasting memory of those who served our country." "I am proud that my province and department have played a role in bringing forward this tribute," said Mr. Russell. "It is important that everyone remember the role veterans have played in protecting rights and freedoms for Canadians."

The sign unveiling ceremony was held in the Red Chamber of Province House. Royal Canadian Legion members, veterans, Males and members of the public attended. Premier Hamm and Mr. Russell were joined at the unveiling by Clarence Daw, president of the Royal Canadian Legion -- Nova Scotia Command and Rev. Wren Fred Bryant. Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture, and MLA Bill Longville, chair of the House standing committee on veterans affairs, also participated. "I want to thank all veterans for their role in preserving democracy in Canada and abroad," said Mr. Longville. "Thousands upon thousands of veterans have fought and sacrificed for this great country and this is one way we can pay our respect," said Mr. Daw. "This is the crowning glory in the Legion's millennium-year celebrations, and it comes at the appropriate time, two days before Remembrance Day."

Two large highway signs, each about 10 feet tall by 17 feet wide, will be placed next to the highway on the northbound lanes near Miller lake and on the southbound lanes by Exit 14 near Truro. The signs will read Veterans Memorial Highway with the words Lest We Forget underneath. A poppy and the provincial road symbol will grace the top corners. Four smaller signs, each about four feet tall by two-and-half feet wide, will be placed midway along the highway, near Skewback and Brookfield. The smaller signs will read memorial Highway with the provincial highway symbol separating the words. In the interest of safety, the road will continue to be referred to as Highway 102 by emergency personnel. Up to 40,000 vehicles travel on Highway 102 every day.

The Halifax Memorial was built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Government of Canada. It commemorates 3,267 Canadian and Newfoundland sailors and soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars, and who were formerly commemorated by a memorial standing on Citadel Hill, Halifax.

When it became apparent that the old memorial had deteriorated to the extent that it was unworthy of its purpose of commemorating Canadian war dead, it was demolished. The panels upon which the names of the war dead were inscribed were consigned to the sea with appropriate ceremony of 7 November 1966.

The new memorial consist of a great granite Cross of Sacrifice twelve metres high, similar in design to those in the Commission war cemeteries around the world. The cross is mounted on a large granite podium bearing panels of bronze upon which are inscribed the names of those whose graves are at sea.

Following the First World War, Canada and New Zealand requested that the commemoration of their dead, lost at sea, should be in their respective countries. The original Halifax Memorial was built in 1924 and upon it were inscribed the names of 415 sailors, all but 41 of the Canadian war dead “missing, presumed lost” at sea.  The 41 were lost in the Pacific Ocean and their names are inscribed on the Victoria Memorial, Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria, British Columbia.

After the Second World War the names of 2,852 Canadian sailors and soldiers lost at sea in that war were added to the Halifax Memorial. A special section was also included for the sailors of the Newfoundland Merchant Navy who between 3 September 1939 and 31 December 1947 went to sea never to return.  The ‘missing’ sailors and soldiers of the First World War are commemorated on the Beaumont-Hamel memorial in France.

Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served in the Royal Navy and who were lost at sea are commemorated with their Commonwealth comrades on the great memorials at Chatham, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Lowestoft, Liverpool and Lee-on-Solent in England.

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships and visiting warships when entering or leaving Halifax Harbour and passing the Halifax Memorial between Colours (0800 hours daily) and sunset ?pipe the still’ to render honours.

(Adapted from the Order of Ceremony at the Unveiling of the Halifax Memorial, 12 November 1967.) 

The South African War Memorial honours those who served and those who fell during the war, 1899 - 1902. It is one of two memorials erected in Halifax to honor Boer War combatants, the other being the Boer War Memorial Fountain in the Public Gardens. On October 19, 1901, the Prince of Wales laid the cornerstone for the monument and gave medals to returning soldiers. Two weeks later, on November 1, the heroes of Paardeberg returned and marched triumphantly down George Street.

The statue was made by Hamilton P. MacCarthy. At the base of the statue are four panels. One panel is of the departure of troops from Halifax en route to South Africa; another is the Battle of Witpoort, which made Harold Lothrop Borden the most famous Canadian Casualty of the War; another depicts the Battle of Paardeberg (Canada's most significant battle of the war, with the most casualties); and the fourth panel is of the Siege of Mafeking. These panels honour the three Canadian Services that fought in the war: the infantry, mounted rifles and artillery. The Nova Scotia Princess Louise Fusiliers and the Nova Scotia Highlanders participated in the war.

Hamilton P. MacCarthy was born on 28 July 1846 in London, England. He studied with his father, sculptor Hamilton Wright MacCarthy and at the Royal Academy Schools. MacCarthy moved to Toronto, Ontario, in 1885. Thirteen years later he moved to Ottawa and studied at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. MacCarthy had 15 children and his son Coeur de Lion MacCarthy was a sculptor who produced numerous commemorative works after the First World War.

Other memorials by Hamilton MacCarthy include: Lieutenant Harold Lothrop Borden Memorial in Nova Scotia; Soldiers Monument in Prince Edward Island; South African War Memorial, General Isaac Brock Monument and Boer War Memorial in Ontario; Boer War Memorial in Quebec.

The Wellsford Parker Monument : This Monument was erected in 1860 in memory of Major A.F. Wellsford and Captain W.B.C.A. Parker. These two Halifax men both perished during the Crimean War. In September of 1855, they participated in the assault on the Great Redon, part of the Eastern defences of Sebastopol. George Laing is credited with constructing this rare pre-confederation war memorial. Laing also built the Federation Building in Halifax (now restored as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia) Funds for construction were raised through public subscription and a grant from the Nova Scotia Government. Dates of major Crimean War Battles Alma — 8 September 1854 (OS), 20 September 1854 (NS) Balaklava — 13 October 1854 (OS), 25 October 1854 (NS) Inker man — 24 October 1854 (OS), 5 November 1854 (NS) Thorny — 13 August 1855 (OS), 25 August 1855 (NS) First attack on the Great Redon – 18 June 1855 (NS) Second attack on the Great Redon – 8 September 1855 (NS) OS means Old Style (Russian calendar) NS means New Style (British calendar) In the 1850s these two calendars were twelve days apart. Siege of Sevastopol (Sebastopol) October 1854 to September 1855.

The first burial at the Old Burying Ground came a day after the arrival of Edward Cornwallis, who established a settlement in 1749. The earliest gravestone dates from 1752. The entrance is dominated by the lion-topped Welsford-Parker Monument, the only such memorial to the Crimean War in North America. The site has been restored, and visitors are encouraged to ramble through Halifax’s past. Interpretation plaques on site help you delve into history. Open dawn to dusk from May to October, the Old Burying Ground is located on Barrington Street, at Spring Garden Road.