Other

The Polish Combatants Association Memorial was erected by the Polish Combatants Association Branch No.13 on August 21, 1988. Dedicated to their fallen comrades on land, sea and air in the Second World War and to their deceased members to whom it was not given a return to a free Poland.

The Medical Corps Memorial was erected by the Manitoba Medical Alumni Association, dedicated to the memory of the graduates and students of the University of Manitoba Medical College, who laid down their lives in Wars of the Empire.

This memorial is dedicated by the veterans of the MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion, October 13, 1989, in tribute to the 1447 Canadians - 106 from Manitoba - who fought with the MacKenzie-Papineau Battalion in Spain from 1936 to 1939.

This plaque is dedicated by the Winnipeg Convention Centre, to the Wartime Pilots' and Observers' Association for service during the First and Second World Wars.

Erected by the Joint Veterans' Housing Society Inc. in 1989, dedicated to all veterans who volunteered to serve Canada in foreign wars and the defence of the democratic system.

The Tower Building was renamed the "John Osborn VC Tower", in honour of the Second World War heroes. (Refer to memorial number 46010-052.)

The John Robert Osborn VC Memorial, was dedicated on December 19, 1991 by his comrades to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his acts of heroism. The memorial made of three different types of granite interlocked together, was designed, manufactured and installed by Brunet Monuments. (Refer to memorial number 46010-053.)

National Defence - Directorate of History and Heritage - Victoria Cross - Second World War, 1939-1945 John Robert Osborn

John Robert Osborn was born in Foulden, England on 2 January 1899. During the First World War, he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Osborn came to Canada in 1920. In 1933, he joined The Winnipeg Grenadiers, a unit of the Non-Permanent Active Militia. When the Second World War began in September 1939, the Grenadiers went on active service and were stationed for a time in Jamaica. In October 1941, at the request of the British Government, the battalion was sent to reinforce the garrison in Hong Kong. On 8 December 1941, units of the Japanese Army moved against British defences in Hong Kong. By 18 December, three Japanese regiments had landed on the Island. Very early on the morning of 19 December, “A” Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers was ordered to clear the enemy out of a feature named Jardine’s Lookout, and then to advance on Mount Butler and recapture it. Soon after dawn, part of “A” Company led by Company Sergeant-Major Osborne mounted a bayonet charge and took the summit of Mount Butler. Three hours later, when three companies of Japanese troops counterattacked and forced his men down the western slope of the hill, Osborne calmly directed covering fire to keep the enemy at bay. At length, after Osborne’s party had rejoined the rest of “A” Company, the Japanese managed to surround the whole group. By mid-afternoon, having driven off two Japanese attacks and with ammunition running low and casualties mounting, the company commander, Major A.B. Gresham, decided to surrender and stepped out into the open with a white flag. He was immediately shot dead by the Japanese, who now began to throw grenades into “A” Company’s position. CSM Osborne picked up several of the grenades and returned them to the enemy. Finally, a grenade fell in a place where Osborne could not retrieve it in time. Shouting a warning as he shoved one man aside, he threw himself on the grenade, which exploded and killed him instantly. When the story of CSM Osborn’s leadership and sacrifice became known after the defeat of Japan, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

This memorial is dedicated, on D-Day June 6, 1999, to the members of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the Royal Canadian Air Force. (Refer to memorial number 46010-050.) Department of National Defence - "Garden of Memories" - The "Garden of Memories" was created to commemorate the participation of the province of Manitoba in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). To a larger scale, it is intended to perpetuate the glorious tradition of the Royal Canadian Air Force and its allies during the years of the Second World War (1939-1945). The project was started in 1996 by 500 (City of Winnipeg) Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada. The idea was to create a park where Veterans, friends and family members could place display stones engraved with the name of people associated with the BCATP of the Air Force community. The idea gradually gained strong support from 17 Wing Winnipeg and 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters. Through the dedicated work of members of the parent organisation, the three levels of government got involved as well as many other public and non-public organisations. The response from the community was also extraordinary. The project became international when veterans organisations from New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain, the other three major contributing countries in the BCATP, committed to dedicate many stones and chose to attend the Unveiling Ceremony. This ceremony was held on D-Day, June 6th 1999 and was attended by more than 1500 people including the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and many other distinguished guests. A fly-past of a Harvard and a Tiger Moth was certainly the high point of the ceremony. The Roundel: The Roundel is the symbol used to identify an aircraft as friend or foe. The Roundel presented at the Garden of Memories uses the Royal Flying Corp (RFC) colours: a blue ring on the outside with a white ring inside and a red center. The Quadrants: The Garden of Memories is divided into four quadrants each named after an aircraft used during the BCATP: Tiger Moth, Anson, Crane and Harvard. The Countries: The four major countries involved in the BCATP are honoured at the Garden of Memories: England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Each flag flies 24 hours a day and is illuminated at dusk. The Walkways: The pathways form a circular path around the Roundel and extend in the direction of each point of the compass: North, South, East and West. Four other walkways are laid outside the Roundel. This design represents the propeller of an aircraft. The Memorial: The Memorial is made out of granite and is cut in the shape of the province of Manitoba. On the Memorial is engraved the location of each British Commonwealth Air Training Plan station in Manitoba.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Headquarters No. 2 Training Command memorial (cut in the shape of the Province of Manitoba) is dedicated to the airmen who came to be trained here, the instructors and the civilian population of the Province of Manitoba. (Refer to memorial number 46010-051.)

Memorial Boulevard has a broad median which features the Winnipeg Cenotaph. The beautiful treed boulevard was a more fitting symbol than a traditional stone monument.

In November 1918, Canadians turned to the duty of commemorating the dead. Some promoted practical memorials like Roads of Remembrance. These linear tree-lined avenues had trees that were typically a single species, regularly spaced along each side of the avenue that would grow tall and stately. American elms were chosen for many of these avenues. A small plaque was used to assign a particular tree to a specific fallen soldier. In some cases, the next-of-kin was involved in purchasing the tree and/or plaque for the deceased soldier.

Roads of Remembrance were based on two symbol-laden images. The first was France’s tree-lined country avenues: “long straight roads, with large elms on either side, beautiful and useful, and loved by the Canadians overseas.” The second symbol was a living memorial: trees represented the victory of life over death. Memorial trees became living symbols of the sacrifices made in France and Belgium.

Memorial Boulevard, in front of the Manitoba Legislature is the only provincially owned road in the City of Winnipeg. The boulevard was reconstructed and repaved in 2019 as part of improvements before the 2020 Manitoba 150 celebrations.