The official ceremony hasn’t happened yet, but the War Memorial in St. John’s has been designated a National Historic Site.
In August, local military historians John Fitzgerald and Gary Browne received word from then federal minister Catherine McKenna. Browne said “We haven’t wiped the smiles off our faces because we are so happy that it has come about.”
(Photo courtesy Memorial University Archives.)
The National War Memorial in St. John’s opened on July 1, 1924. That was fifteen years before the National War Memorial was built in Ottawa.
Fitzgerald says after he, Browne and others fought for recognition for Padre Nangle at the Memorial, they wondered why the site had never been granted historic status.
Fitzgerald says when they contacted the historic sites board, they were told the committee does not commemorate commemorations.
Not long after, Browne and Fitzgerald pointed to the artistic significance and the fact that the memorial was inspired by John McCrea’s famous poem, In Flanders Fields.
Fitzgerald says the designation is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the age of the memorial and the need funding for upkeep. He says “by 2024 it’s going to need some help and restorations.”
Browne and Fitzgerald are already planning a special event to mark the 100th anniversary of the War Memorial.
“We don’t glorify war, because war is horrible.” Browne says. “We glorify the men and women who faced so much.”
Next week, when veterans and others gather on Remembrance Day, it will be the first time they do so with the new designation.
