The Korea Veterans Association of Canada erected a Wall of Remembrance to the 516 Canadians who are commemorated in the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 β 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 β present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
Book of Remembrance.
The Wall was dedicated on July 27, 1997 and is located at
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
's Meadowvale Cemetery. The Korea veterans who were present for the unveiling, marched to the site to pay homage to their fallen comrades. The Wall of Remembrance is about 200-feet long, two-feet high and curves on a slope with plaques of the names of those who died. Together 26,791 Canadians served in the Korea War and approximately 7,000 continued to serve in the theatre between the ceasefire and the end of 1955.
The idea of a Wall of Remembrance came about when two members of Unit 57 of Korea Veterans Association (K.V.A.) were gathering information about a specific comrade who had been killed in Korea and a member of the family requested a picture of the comrades' grave in
Pusan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
. The family were more than delighted to obtain a picture and it was then that the President, Bill Allan, came up with the concept of a Wall of Remembrance.
He solicited the support of the Secretary of the Unit and Past Presidents George Mannion, David Barker and members of Unit 57. They developed the plan, initiating meetings between the Corporation of Meadowvale Cemeteries and several government agencies to build the Wall of Remembrance. The committee raised $300,000.00 from the private sector.
The Wall of Remembrance (the Wall) was constructed of gray Barre granite, which matched the existing Veterans' Memorial. Approximately 200 feet in length, the Wall curves gently to follow the roadway which circles around the Veterans' Memorial. A low-profile retaining wall approximately two feet high, the Wall follows the natural topography which slopes gently towards the roadway. The Wall leans backwards at an angle of approximately 50 degrees.
The central feature of the Wall consists of three panels: a rectangular block flanked by two wings which slope down from the centre. They are four feet wide and approximately five feet high at the highest point. The rectangular block in the centre features the Korean Veterans Association insignia, the Canadian forces insignia, the United Nations insignia, and the names of the participating Canadian Forces.
On one wing is a poem by Jack LaChance, on the other, a verse from Laurence Binyon's famous poem "For the Fallen", information relating to the dedication of the memorial, and the names of the organizing committee responsible for getting this project off the ground.
The memorial, itself, consists of seven sections on each side of the central feature. Each section contains four rows of 6" X 10" bronze plaques, which are replicas of those gracing the graves of the comrades in Pusan.
See also
*
Korean War Memorial, Canberra
The Australian National Korean War Memorial is on Anzac Parade, the principal ceremonial and memorial avenue in Canberra, the national capital city of Australia.
The Korean War began on 25 June 1950 when the forces of North Korea invaded South ...
, Australia
*
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It memorializes those who served in the Korean War.
History
The ...
, Washington, D.C.
*
Philadelphia Korean War Memorial
The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia was initially dedicated on June 22, 2002 and was formally rededicated on Memorial Day, May 28, 2007 after additional work was completed. Each name of the more than 600 service ...
*
United Nations Memorial Cemetery
The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea (UNMCK; ), located at Tanggok in the Nam District,; also seeKorea 1:50,000 Pusan Sheet 7019 III (1947) an City of Busan,As a transliteration from Korean, the city name λΆμ° () was typically spel ...
, in
Pusan, Korea
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
, where many Canadian war dead are buried
*
War Memorial of Korea
The War Memorial of Korea is a museum located in Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It opened in 1994 on the former site of the army headquarters to exhibit and memorialize the military history of Korea. It was built for the purpose ...
, Seoul, Korea
References
Korea Veterans Association of CanadaGives the story of the wall.
Test of Willis a Canadian documentary b
Richard Neilson in 2002 that covers the story of the Canadian involvement in the Korean War. The end of the documentary profiles the Korean War Memorial Wall and interviews Bill Allan who spearheaded the effort to build the wall
{{Brampton, Ontario
Canadian military memorials and cemeteries
Buildings and structures in Brampton
Monuments and memorials in Ontario
Korean War memorials and cemeteries
Tourist attractions in Brampton