National War Memorial (Newfoundland)

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National War Memorial (Newfoundland)

The National War Memorial in St. John's, Newfoundland is the most elaborate of all the post World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
monuments in Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
.

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Encyclopedia

The National War Memorial in St. John's, Newfoundland is the most elaborate of all the post World War I

World War I

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
. It was erected at King’s Beach on Water Street where, in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert

Humphrey Gilbert

Sir Humphrey Gilbert was an English adventurer, explorer, member of parliament, and soldier from Devon, who served the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England....
claimed Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is a Provinces and territories of Canada of Canada, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast in northeastern North America....
for England

England

Field Marshal

Field marshal is a military officer rank. Today it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general....
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, Order of the Thistle, Order of the Bath, Order of Merit, Royal Victorian Order, Order of the Indian Empire, Aide de Camp was a United Kingdom soldier and senior commander during World War I....
. The term "National" refers to this monument being built by the Dominion of Newfoundland

Dominion of Newfoundland

The Dominion of Newfoundland was a Dominion from 1907 to 1949. The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic Ocean coast and comprised the Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland....
, before it became part of Canada.

Design

The Great War Veterans' Association and the Newfoundland Patriotic Association launched the campaign to have it established. They developed a committee to establish the design and undertake the fund-raising to pay for the proposed memorial. Construction of the National War Memorial was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel Father Thomas Nangle, the Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
Padre of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment - traces its origins to 1795, and since 1949 it has been a militia or reserve unit of the Canadian Forces....
.

The design was for a semi-circular, graduated plateau rising from the entrance stairway on Water Street

Water Street, St. John's

Water Street, developed in the early 16th century, is the oldest street in North America. It became a commercial trading outpost for the Basque people, French people, Spanish people, Portuguese people, and English people....
to the cenotaph on Duckworth Street. The five figures were designed by two English sculptors, F.V. Blundstone (top and sides) and Gilbert Bayes (front), and were cast in bronze by E.J. Parlanti from London, England. These figures represent Newfoundland's involvement in World War I.

At the top of the central pedestal is a figure of a woman. It symbolizes Newfoundland's willingness to serve and the spirit of loyalty to the Empire

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
. She is holding a flaming torch in her left hand as a symbol of freedom. In her right hand, she is holding a sword poised and ready to battle, if she must. From the sides of the central pedestal, two wings of granite protrude. On the west wing, representing the Newfoundlanders who joined the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve

Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve

The Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve was a military reserve force founded in 1902 in what was then the Colony of Newfoundland#History of Newfoundland and Labrador, a part of the British Empire....
, is a sailor holding a spyglass. On the east wing, representing the men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, is a soldier in full battle gear, loading his rifle, searching the horizon for "the enemy".

Out in front, on the lower pedestal, are fishermen in oil skins and rubber boots, and a lumberman with his axe slung over his shoulder, symbolizing the Newfoundlanders who served with the Merchant Marine and the Forestry Corps. Over their heads is a granite cross symbolizing the sacred nature of the war memorial. Below, is a bronze plaque stating that the memorial was erected by "a grateful people to honour its war dead". Similar plaques were added on both sides of the pedestal to commemorate the Newfoundlanders who died in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
, and the War in Afghanistan.

Ceremonies

Each year the National War Memorial is the site of several ceremonies to commemorate those soldiers who died in past wars.

April 25 is the date of the commemoration of the Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli

The Gallipoli Campaign took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the World War I. A joint British Empire and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman Empire capital of Constantinople , and secure a sea route to Russia....
offensive in World War I
July 1, also known as Memorial Day, is the date of remembrance of Battle of the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is a memorial site in France dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during the First World War....
November 11, is Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the World War I....
, or Armistice Day
Armistice Day

Armistice Day is the anniversary of the symbolic end of World War I on 11 November 1918. It commemorates the Armistice with Germany signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Rethondes, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front , which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour...
, the anniversary of the official end of World War I