Memorial details

Memorial type
Composite
District
City Of Westminster
Town
Westminster
County
Greater London
Country
England
Commemoration
First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: 3 June 1994
    Attended by: HM Queen Elizabeth II
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
3132

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Current location

By the Canada Gates on Constitution Hill at The Mall end near Buckingham Palace
Green Park
Green Park
Westminster
City Of Westminster
Greater London
SW1A 1AA
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 29017 79845
Denomination: Undefined

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Description
Two sloping granite blocks, forming a shallow pyramid with inset bronze maple leaves and water flowing over them. The intersecting path lead to a compass rose, pointing towards Halifax, Nova Scotia, from where many Canadian troops left Canada to fight in Europe. There are dedicatory inscriptions, in English and French, on two plaques set into upright marble slabs, and on the roundel of the compass rose which is set into the paving blocks in front of the memorial. The overall ensemble was designed to reflect the above trees.
Inscription
Left hand plaque: THIS MONUMENT COMMEMORATES/ THE NEARLY 1,000,000 CANADIANS/ ALMOST ALL VOLUNTEERS,/ WHO SERVED IN BRITAIN/ IN THE TWO WORLD WARS/ AND ESPECIALLY THE 110,000 CANADIANS/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THOSE WARS/ FOR THEIR COUNTRY/ AND FOR THE CAUSE/ OF FREEDOM/ THROUGHOUT THE WORLD./ IT WAS UNVEILED BY HER MAJESTY/ QUEEN ELIZABETH II/ IN THE PRESENCE OF HER MAJESTY/ QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER,/ AND ALSO THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES/ THE DUKES OF EDINBURGH, YORK AND KENT,/ THE PRINCESS OF WALES,/ THE PRINCESSES MARGARET AND ALEXANDRA,/ AND ALSO THE PRIME MINSTERS OF CANADA/ AND THE UNITED KINGDOM/ AND THOUSANDS OF VETERANS./ 3RD JUNE 1994 Right hand plaque: CE MONUMENT COMMÉMORE/ LE MILLION DE CANADIENS/ PRESQUE TOUS VOLONTAIRES/ QUI ONT SERVI AU ROYAUME-UNI/ AU COURS DES DEUX GUERRES MONDIALES/ ET SURTOUT LES 110,000 CANADIENS/ QUI ONT DONNÉ LEUR VIE/ PENDANT CES GUERRES/ POUR LEUR PAYS/ ET POUR LA CAUSE/ DE LA LIBERTÉ;/ DANS LE MONDE ENTIER./ IL A ÉTÉ INAUGURÉ PAR SA MAJESTÉ/ LA REINE ELIZABETH II/ EN PRÉSENCE DE SA MAJESTÉ/ LA REINE ELIZABETH LA REINE MÈRE,/ ET AUSSI DE LEURS ALTESSES ROYALES/ LES DUCS D'EDIMBOURG, DE YORK ET DE KENT,/ DE LA PRINCESSE DE GALLES,/ DES PRINCESSES MARGARET ET ALEXANDRA/ ET AUSSI DES PREMIERS MINISTRES/ DU CANADA ET DU ROYAUME-UNI/ ET DE MILLIERS D'ANCIENS COMBATTANTS,/ LE 3 JUIN 1994 Roundel, centre left section: "IN TWO WORLD WARS,/ ONE MILLION CANADIANS/ CAME TO BRITAIN/ AND JOINED THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. FROM DANGER SHARED, OUR FRIENDSHIP PROSPERS." Roundel, centre right section: "AU COURS DES DEUX GUERRES MONDIALES,/ UN MILLION DE CANADIENS/ SONT VENUS EN GRANDE-BRETAGNE,/ SE JOINDRE À LA BATAILLE POUR LA LIBERTÉ HUMAINE. FACE AU DANGER COMMUN, NOTRE AMITIÉ AUGUMENTE." Roundel border: THIS MONUMENT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROSITY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE IN CANADA AND BRITAIN, AND IN PARTICULAR CANADIAN VETERANS OF BOTH WARS WHO DONATED WILLINGLY FOR THIS CAUSE. (SEE FILE FOR REST OF INSCRIPTION)
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 0
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Undefined
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze
  • Paving
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Granite
  • Memorial
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Undefined
  • Roundel
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Undefined
Listing information
Condition
History
24 August 2022 - ca. November 2022: Water feature temporarily closed. 2016 - April 2017: Closed for maintenance. 2011: Maintenance to the water feature.
Trust fund/Scholarship
Yes
Purpose: Canada Memorial Foundation has established a scholarship in order to fund an exchange for British and Canadian students and enable them to spend a year in each other countries, pursuing a postgraduate course.They fund two scholarship for each country per year, paying tuition, travel and accommodation costs.
Sponsorship
Corporate
Responsibility
Veterans Affairs Canada
Reference
  • Daily Telegraph 7 February 10 February and 4 June 1994
  • Daily Telegraph, 10 February 1992
  • Evening Standard 11 March and 3 June 1994
  • Daily Telegraph 9 May 2011 page 27 Obituary of Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Williams (1920-2011), whose letter to the paper prompted the formation of a committee to erect the memorial.

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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