Nova Scotia

The Brookfield cenotaph was erected in front of the fire hall in 2006. 

When local doctor Karen Ewing returned home after seeing WWI and WWII battlefields and memorials in Europe, she felt strongly that, since many people would not be travelling to Europe, there should be a memorial in Bass River. Dr. Ewing began with a letter campaign to all levels of government, as well as companies, organizations, and individuals that might be willing to donate funds or materials for such a park. She then approached Dominion Chair Co, a local company to ask for a piece of land that had remained vacant for years in the heart of Bass River. The memorial park is dedicated to remembering, honouring, and celebrating all men and women who served of are serving in Canada's military in conflicts past and present.

The Veterans Memorial Park (VMP) was designed by Dr. Karen Ewing in the form of a Celtic flower. The three gardens enfold eight black granite monuments set on red gravel. On the left is the Garden of Sorrows, formed as a mock WWI trench with no flowers and only black mulch and white sandbags. Behind the monuments is the Garden of Remembrance, with old-fashioned white and green shrubs, bulbs, perennials, and grasses. To the right is the Garden of Hope, in full colour, again filled with shrubs, bulbs and perennials from all around the world to inspire the visitors to look forward to the day when we will all live in peace with each other. The park is ringed by native trees with lawns and red gravel paths.

In addition to the black granite monuments, there are three stone benches dedicated to the families, the parents and the children who give so much when a family member goes away to serve. Behind the garden sits a sculpture, created and donated by a local welder, of the world surrounded by barbed wire. As the wire circles upward, it changes to olive branches and, at the tip, a peace dove takes flight. It is a symbol of our continued hope for peace.

Finally, there is a Forgotten Heroes monument, conceived of and donated by a local student. It is dedicated to the sacrifice of all the animals that have been used during war time and peace time.

This memorial recalls a historic injustice Canadians should pause to remember, as we recall the First World War and the valour of all those Canadian men, and some women, who served. It is a tribute to mark the memory of the thousands of "enemy aliens" who had their civil rights stripped, and were subsequently imprisoned during Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920, following the implementation of the War Measures Act. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act - adopted on August 22, 1914 during the First World War. It was used to imprison Ukrainian-Canadians, and other ethnic groups, including German, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, and Armenian communities, into one of Canada's 24 internment camps.

Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and former chair of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA), had taken it upon himself to lead the way and organize the memorial. In the CTO ("One Hundred") project, 100 aluminum plaques were simultaneously unveiled at 100 different locations across the country at 11:00am local time on August 22, 2014. The first plaque was unveiled in Amherst, Nova Scotia, followed by a wave of plaque unveilings moved west, from province to province, culminating in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The plaques, which cost $1,000 to make, were funded by the generosity of the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Interment Recognition Fund.

Each plaque features a photo of internment prisoners confined behind a wire fence at the Castle Mountain Internment Camp in Banff, Alberta. The Castle Camp, which was built in 1915 at the base of Castle Mountain, was a Canadian internment camp which held immigrant prisoners of Ukrainian, Austrian, Hungarian, and German descent.

Bayview Memorial Health Centre is a single-story, 10 bed facility that includes 8 long-term care beds. In early 2014, a large addition to the facility was officially opened that added more recreation space and common areas as well as much needed storage. This facility was erected by the citizens of Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia, and is dedicated to Veterans of the First & Second World War from the Advocate Harbour region.

The three wings of the monument are made from Hallmark black granite.  The base is made from light barre grey granite.

"Dedicated to all those who served in times of war or peace."

The armoury is named in honour of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J Murray.

The armoury is named in honour of Colonel James Layton Ralston, PC, and is the historic home of the Nova Scotia Highlanders Regiment. 

James Layton Ralston, PC (September 1881 - May 1948) was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia and graduated from law school at Dalhousie University in 1903. He practiced law in Amherst and subsequently was elected in the 1911 provincial election. Ralston served with the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) in World War I, was decorated for bravery, rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the Nova Scotia Highlanders. Following WWI, he pursued a military career in Canada's post-war army, rising to the rank of Colonel.

Ralston left the military to run in the 1926 federal election, and though he was not elected he was named the Minister of National Defence (MND) by Prime Minister MacKenzie King just before winning a seat through a by-election. He remained MND until 1930 and continued in politics until 1935, before returning to his law practice. With the coming of WWII, Ralston returned to politics in 1939 and was once again named Minister of National Defence in 1940, a position he held until 1944 when he was replaced by Andrew McNaughton. James Layton Ralston died in Montreal in 1948.

The North Nova Scotia Highlanders Mural was painted by Jennifer Kathleen Morris Cormier for the Year of the Veteran. It was dedicated on 20 August 2005. It is dedicated to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders of the Second World War.

Needs further research

Needs further research