Beechwood Cemetery is the national cemetery of Canada, located in Vanier,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario. Over 82,000 people are buried in the cemetery, including Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn, Prime Minister Robert Borden, and several members of Parliament, premiers,

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

personnel and veterans, Royal Canadian Mounted Police personnel, Canadian Security Intelligence Service intelligence officers, and

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

rs, alongside other notable Canadians. In addition to being Canada's national cemetery, it contains the National Military Cemetery of the

and the National Memorial Cemetery of the RCMP.

Honours and designations

Beechwood has received various honours and designations because it is recognized as an example of 19th-century rural cemeteries and as a place of national significance and importance as a depository of Canadian history. It was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2001. The cemetery has served as the National Military Cemetery of Canada since 2001 and has served since 2004 as the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery. Governor General Michaëlle Jean opened the Beechwood National Memorial Centre on 7 April 2008. In 2017, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's National Memorial Cemetery was established at Beechwood.

Pipe Major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

Sergeant Tom Brown is the "on call" piper of the National Military Cemetery at Beechwood, where he can perform up to a dozen outdoor funerals a year.

Hall of Colours

When new

military colours In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

are received or a unit is disbanded, colours are treated with utmost respect to military service and are never destroyed. After being carried on parade for the last time, the colour party presents the colours prior to the ceremony in which they are laid up for safekeeping in the Hall of Colours. Designed by Robertson Martin Architects, the Hall of Colours features a memorial stained glass window featuring an oak tree in leaf honouring Canadian military chaplains. The Hall of Colours was supported by a donation of $50,000 from Dominion Command of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

. The retired colours of Canada's army, air force, and

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

regiments are mounted at ceiling level in the Hall of Colours in the National Memorial Centre. They include: * Royal Canadian Navy's 30-year-old Queen's Colour (2008) * 2nd Battalion Royal 22^e Régiment Queen's Colour and Regimental Colour * 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Queen's Colour and Regimental Colour *

412 Squadron No. 412 Transport Squadron is one of three Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) transport squadrons attached to Ottawa, Ontario. The squadron operates with a strength of about 29 out of the ''Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr. Annex.'' ''The An ...

's retired Standard (2011) * Royal Canadian Dragoons' 2nd. Guidon (2012) * Les Fusiliers du S^t-Laurent Queen's Colour and Regimental Colour (2012) *

436 Transport Squadron 436 Transport Squadron is a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force. It currently operates the CC-130J Super Hercules from 8 Wing Trenton in Trenton, Ontario. History 436 Transport Squadron was originally a squadron of the Royal Canadian Air For ...

's retired Standard (2012) *

400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron 400 "City of Toronto" Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron is part of 1 Wing, and as such a lodger unit of Canadian Forces Base Borden. The squadron operates the CH-146 Griffon. History The squadron was formed as No. 10 Army Co-Operation ...

's Standard (2013) * 411 Tactical Helicopter Squadron's Standard (2013) *

3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (3 RCR) is a regular force light infantry battalion of the Canadian Forces. 3 RCR's most notable service occurred in Korea, Germany, Bosnia and Afghanistan. In 2006–2010, the battalion was deployed ...

's Regimental Colour (2014)

History

Scouts placed wreaths on the graves of Macdougall and Bernard, Fathers of Confederation in Beechwood Cemetery

Canadian soldiers who were killed in the line of duty and war veterans have been buried in Beechwood Cemetery since the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

of 1885. The cemetery contains the National Military Cemetery which consists of two sections managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, a Veterans Section owned by Veterans Affairs Canada, and the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces, created in 2001 and owned and managed by the federal

Department of National Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

. The first monument in the cemetery was erected by members of the 2nd Ottawa Field Battery in the 1870s. The sculptured sandstone cairn is dedicated to the memory of their former commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John B. Turner. Erected in the 1870s by members of the 2nd Ottawa Field Battery, a sculptured sandstone statue on shaft is dedicated to the memory of a former commander, Captain James Forsyth. The cemetery inspired a classic Canadian poem "In Beechwood Cemetery" by

Archibald Lampman Archibald Lampman (17 November 1861 – 10 February 1899) was a Canadian poet. "He has been described as 'the Canadian Keats;' and he is perhaps the most outstanding exponent of the Canadian school of nature poets." ''The Canadian Encyclope ...

with its memorable final line, "They know no season but the end of time." Moses Chamberlain Edey designed the cemetery entrance gates in 1891. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for the graves of 98 Commonwealth (mainly Canadian) service personnel of World War I and 113 of World War II. The commission also maintains the Ottawa Cremation Memorial, in a shelter adjoining the newer of the veterans' plots, which lists 26 personnel who were cremated in Canada and the US in World War II.
CWGC Cemetery Report. Noted for its Neo-Gothic architecture, the mausoleum at Beechwood was built by Canada Mausoleums Ltd. in the early 1930s. After a few years of operation, in a time of depression and financial difficulties, the mausoleum became the property of the cemetery. The building features stained glass windows designed by noted stained glass artist

James Blomfield James Jervis Blomfield (1879-1951) was an English-born Canadian artist and designer. He is best known for his design of the coat of arms of Vancouver and as a pioneer in the field of stained glass art in Canada, with an extensive body of works ...

. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission erected a memorial, known as a Cross of Sacrifice, incorporating a bronze sword inlayed in a granite cross in memory of the war dead buried in the cemetery's field of honour. On 5 March 2009 Environment Minister

Jim Prentice Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate ...

introduced legislation to designate Beechwood as the National Cemetery of Canada due to "its location here in our national capital, Beechwood serves as a focal point for our national memorial events, including Remembrance Day, and it is an appropriate place to conduct state burials." This was done to "serve as an important symbol of Canadian unity and pride and a means of preserving and promoting Canada's rich history and our diversity." The bill was passed on March 6. The bill received royal assent on April 23, 2009. The multi-faith aspects include a monument to

Our Lady of Fatima Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

Élisabeth Bruyère Élisabeth Bruyère or Bruguier (March 19, 1818 – April 5, 1876) was the founder of the Sisters of Charity of Bytown and opened the first hospital there and the first bilingual school in Ontario. Biography She was born Élisabeth Bruguier ...

St. Marie-Marguerite d'Youville Marguerite d'Youville, SGM (; October 15, 1701 – December 23, 1771) was a French Canadian Catholic widow who founded the Order of Sisters of Charity of Montreal, commonly known as the Grey Nuns. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990, b ...

St. Charbel Charbel Makhlouf, O.L.M. ( ar, شربل مخلوف, May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898), born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf and venerated as Saint Charbel, was a Maronite monk and priest from Lebanon. During his life, he obtained a wide reputation for ...

(for the Lebanese community) and a pagoda in the Chinese section of the cemetery and an Aboriginal Tribute Garden.

Interments

A full list of notable individuals buried at Beechwood can be found on the cemetery's website. List by death year: * Thomas McKay (1792–1855), businessman, a founder of the city of Ottawa * Sir William Johnstone Ritchie (1813–1892), second Chief Justice of Canada *

Hewitt Bernard Hewitt Bernard, (1825 – 24 February 1893) was a Canadian lawyer, militia officer, editor, and civil servant. Life and career Bernard was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica. He was educated in Bath, England, and practiced law education in Jam ...

(1825–1893), lawyer, Father of Confederation *

Henry Wentworth Monk Henry Wentworth Monk (April 6, 1827 – August 24, 1896) was a Canadian Christian Zionist, mystic, Messianist, and millenarian. Some have credited him with predicting the formation of the United Nations and both World Wars, although these cl ...

(1827–1896), Canadian Christian Zionist * Thomas Fuller (1823–1898), architect, designer of the Parliament Buildings of Canada *

(1861–1899), poet *

Sir John George Bourinot Sir John George Bourinot, (October 24, 1836 – October 13, 1902) was a Canadian journalist, historian, and civil servant, sole author of the first Canadian effort in 1884 to document ''Parliamentary Procedure and Practice'', and remembered ...

(1837–1902), historian, political scientist, newspaper publisher * Sir William McDougall (1822–1905), lawyer, politician, Father of Confederation * Sir Henry Newell Bate (1833–1906), Canadian industrialist, first Chairman of the National Improvement Commission (National Capital Commission), founder of Beechwood Cemetery, Founder of All Saints Anglican Church (Ottawa) * Andrew George Blair (1844–1907), statesman, Premier of New Brunswick * Hod Stuart (1879–1907), ice hockey player, member of Hockey Hall of Fame *

Sir Sandford Fleming Sir Sandford Fleming (January 7, 1827 – July 22, 1915) was a Scottish Canadian engineer and inventor. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to colonial Canada at the age of 18. He promoted worldwide standard time zones, a prime meridian, ...

(1827–1915), engineer, inventor *

Wilfred Campbell William Wilfred Campbell (1 June ca. 1860 – 1 January 1918) was a Canadian poet. He is often classed as one of the country's Confederation Poets, a group that included fellow Canadians Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carman, Archibald Lampman, a ...

(1858–1918), poet * Sir Cecil Spring Rice (1859–1918), British Ambassador to the United States * John Macoun (1831–1920), noted naturalist after which the Macoun marsh wild life area in the cemetery is named *

Arthur L. Sifton Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton (October 26, 1858 – January 21, 1921) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917. He became a minister in the federal cabinet of Canada thereaf ...

(1858–1921), statesman, Premier of Alberta *

John Rudolphus Booth John Rudolphus Booth (April 5, 1827 – December 8, 1925) was a Canadian lumber tycoon and railroad baron. He controlled logging rights for large tracts of forest land in central Ontario, and built the Canada Atlantic Railway (from Georgian ...

(1827–1925), lumber tycoon * James Creighton or J.G.A. Creighton (1850–1930), 'father' of organized ice hockey, law clerk of the Senate * Frank Maurice Stinson Jenkins (1859–1930), founder, and the first captain of the Ottawa Hockey Club, orchestra conductor * Sir George Eulas Foster (1847–1931), politician *

Charles H. Mackintosh The Honourable Charles Herbert Mackintosh (May 13, 1843 – December 22, 1931) was a Canadians, Canadian journalist and author, newspaper Ownership, owner and Editor-in-chief, editor, and politician. He served as mayor of Ottawa from 1879 to ...

(1843–1931), Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories, 1893–1898, Member of Parliament, 13th Mayor of Ottawa, (1879–1881), owner/editor of the Ottawa ''Citizen'' (1874–1892) * Sir Robert Borden (1854–1937), 8th Prime Minister of Canada * Eddie Gerard (1890–1937), Hall of Fame ice hockey player *

Harvey Pulford Ernest Harvey Pulford (April 22, 1875 – October 31, 1940) was a Canadian athlete at the turn of the twentieth century, winning national championships in ice hockey, lacrosse, football, boxing, paddling and rowing. A highly regarded defenceman w ...

(1875–1940), Hall of Fame ice hockey player * Charles Stewart (1868–1946), politician, Premier of Alberta * Duncan Campbell Scott (1862–1947), poet *

Percy Algernon Taverner Percy Algernon Taverner (June 10, 1875 – May 9, 1947) was a Canadian ornithologist and architect. https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v065n01/p0085-p0106.pdf He was born Percy Algernon Fowler in Guelph, Ontario in 1875. When h ...

(1875–1947), ornithologist * John Duncan MacLean (1873–1948), teacher, physician, politician and the 20th Premier of British Columbia *

Faith Fyles Faith Fyles (1875–1961) was the first botanical artist with the Canadian federal government, department of agriculture (now Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Her work resulted in the expansion of the herbarium in Ottawa. Biography Fyles wa ...

(1875–1961) pioneering Canadian government female botanist and artist * Henry Crerar (1888–1965), Canadian Army General and diplomat *

Andrew McNaughton Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

(1887–1966), Commander-in-Chief Canadian 1st Army in WW II, statesman *

William Arthur Steel William Arthur Steel MC (November 3, 1890 – November 28, 1968) was a Canadian Army officer during World War I and a radio pioneer. Steel was born in 1890 in Castleton, Ontario and graduated from electrical engineering from the University of Tor ...

(1890–1968), Canadian radio pioneer * Charles Foulkes (1903–1969), Canadian Army General, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, negotiated the WWII Nazi surrender in the Netherlands * Harry L. 'Punch' Broadbent (1892–1971), Hall of Fame ice hockey player * Clint Benedict (1894–1976), Hall of Fame ice hockey player * Cecil Duncan (1893–1979), Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president * Johnny Fauquier (1909–1981), Hall of Fame aviator, WWII hero, DFC, DSO * Tommy Douglas (1904–1986), politician, voted "The Greatest Canadian" *

Gordon F. Henderson Gordon Fripp Henderson, (April 17, 1912 – August 17, 1993) was a Canadian intellectual property lawyer who joined the law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in 1937, and later became its chairman. He was known for his advocacy on intellectual ...

(1912–1993), lawyer, Chancellor of the University of Ottawa * Hardial Bains (1939–1997), founder of the Marxist Leninist Party of Canada * Ray Hnatyshyn (1934–2002), statesman, Governor General of Canada *

Lou Lefaive Louis Ernest Lefaive (February 13, 1928 – July 4, 2002) was a Canadian sports administrator and civil servant. He served in multiple executive roles which included, the director of Fitness and Amateur Sport, director of Sport Canada, preside ...

(1928–2002), Canadian sports administrator and civil servant * Nichola Goddard, (1980–2006), CAPT, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery. First Canadian female soldier killed in action *

Maurice Nadon Maurice Jean Nadon (July 8, 1920 – December 21, 2009) was the 16th Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, serving from January 1, 1974 to August 31, 1977. Nadon was born in Mattawa, Ontario Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario, ...

(1920–2009), former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner *

Mauril Bélanger Mauril Adrien Jules Bélanger (June 15, 1955 – August 15, 2016) was a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, he represented Ottawa—Vanier in the House of Commons through a by-election victory in 1995 until his death ...

(1955–2016), Member of Parliament for Ottawa—Vanier

References

;Bibliography * *

External links