The Never Forgotten National Memorial will be a place for remembrance and gratitude. It will bring forth a new era of commemoration, allowing Canadians to honour Our Fallen in ways never previously experienced. This memorial will ignite inspiration within Canadians through its spectacular landscape and the establishment of a stunning new Canadian icon, the statue of Mother Canada, lovingly and respectfully modeled after Canada Bereft in Vimy, France. Explore the history of our Canadian Armed Forces; the significance of the memorial site and its importance for families of Our Fallen; the impact it will have on Canadians today and for future generations to come; and how you can contribute to the realization of this historic initiative.
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They were people like Ted Truskoski, a 17 year old soldier who died in battle and now rests in a country thousands of miles away from his home. More than 114,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders gave their lives overseas in defence of this great nation; brave men and women who never returned home.
Now is the time to Honour Them...Wherever They May Lie. The mementos below offers you a glimpse into the lives of those courageous individuals.
Listen to a letter written by an
8 year old girl to her father on
the front lines. (0:28 audio)
View a mother's condolence letter informing her of her son's death and place of burial.
There are over 2,500 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in 74 countries dedicated to fallen Canadians. The vast majority of these servicemen and women lost their lives in both World Wars, the Korean War, numerous peacekeeping missions and in recent international conflicts. The Never Forgotten National Memorial will proudly and respectively commemorate on Canadian soil these brave individuals who lost their lives so far from home in defence of this great nation and its never ending quest for international peace.
View locations of War Graves and key battles throughout the world.
(interactive map)
“Tens of thousands of Canadians who died while serving Canada in its Armed Forces lie buried far beyond our borders. The Never Forgotten National Memorial will be a magnificent addition to the commemorative landscape right here at home – a place on Canadian soil where citizens and visitors alike can pause and reflect on the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for values all Canadians hold dear.”
Bradley N. Hall
Former Secretary-General of the Canadian Agency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,
Ottawa, Ontario
The location of the Never Forgotten National Memorial
will take advantage of the Cabot Trail’s iconic ocean look-out at Green Cove on Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island. From this point, Mother Canada will stand tall with arms outstretched to embrace each and every one of Our Fallen who lost their lives in overseas conflicts, peacekeeping roles and Canadian missions.
Take a virtual tour of the Never Forgotten National Memorial.
View virtual tour.
Discover the spectacular landscape of the memorial site.
View slide show.
Their journey overseas began here.
View slide show.
The resting places of 114,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders.
View interactive map.
Beneath stormy seas and in distant lands lie men and women who never returned home. The Never Forgotten National Memorial will be a place for visitors to reach back through the generations and forge a very real connection with this young nation’s Fallen Heroes.
“This Memorial is a wonderful initiative that will give Canadians a steadfast symbol here in our country, to honour the unsurpassed bravery in the name of freedom and liberty, that Canadian soldiers displayed. The experience at the Vimy monument in France is incredibly moving, but not everyone is able to visit. This monument makes that symbol of sacrifice more accessible to Canadians.”
The Honourable Peter MacKay
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Regional Minister for the Maritimes
Mother Canada is only one of the many wonderful facets of the Never Forgotten National Memorial. The site will offer a number of interactive opportunities and touching tributes which will allow visitors to reach back through the generations and forge a very real connection with this young nation’s Fallen Heroes, be they relative, a friend or even a perfect stranger.
Explore the features of the site by hovering over the icons below which will uncover the details of each.
Commemoration Grounds
Procession Pathway
Point of Contemplation
The Commemorative Ring of True Patriot Love
Remembrance Point
Arrival at the site begins the Experience of the Never Forgotten National Memorial. Visitors will be introduced to the site and the dignity and meaning of the memorial experience. The following features form the Commemoration Grounds, where visitors can assemble, explore or learn about the site and Our Fallen.
At the southeast corner of the True North Commemorative Square is the proposed Interpretive Centre. The main hall of this facility will house a snack and gift shop, theatre, display area and visitor amenities and attractions.
The facility’s Founders Hall will recognize members of the Founders Club and other generous individuals and organizations who contribute to the creation of the Never Forgotten National Memorial. Naming rights located throughout the Founders Hall and other special areas of the Interpretive Centre will also recognize the contributions of project partners and other major donors.
The Interpretive Centre will also feature world-class display galleries devoted to private collections donated or loaned by individual collectors. Feature displays will be related to many major milestone events being commemorated at other areas of the memorial complex.
Interactive plaques placed in and around the Interpretive Centre will provide information about the history and lives of Canada’s war dead and display the locations of Commonwealth War Graves Commission sites throughout the world. These interactive displays will link to the data banks of the various commemoration initiatives and major institutes across Canada and around the world.
Nestled amongst white spruce and windswept juniper at the northeast corner of the True North Commemorative Square is the Recognition and Gratitude Pavilion — a place of shelter and contemplation with a clear view of Mother Canada on Remembrance Point.
While all of Our Fallen are commemorated equally within the memorial grounds, this special pavilion will offer a tribute to women on the home front who played a significant part in keeping the supply lines running for those fighting overseas while still looking after the needs of family and community.
The main square of the memorial’s Experience is the True North Commemorative Square. Edged by wild native vegetation, this introductory space serves as a gathering place and parade ground for ceremonies and celebrations.
Adorned with symbols of Canadian sacrifice, the Memorial Gateway expresses the gravity of the memorial. It is a reminder of the sacrifices of Canadian servicemen and women that have given us the privileges and freedoms we possess today. It is through here that visitors symbolically enter the world of Our Fallen, who rest in peace together with their Commonwealth Brothers-in-Arms around the world.
Consisting of an elevated steel walkway built in the style of a ship’s gangplank, the Procession Pathway is supported by fourteen sentry columns engraved with phrases expressing the major causes of international conflict. These sentry columns will bear silent witness to the weaknesses and the triumphs of the human spirit and will represent this nation’s noble commitment to hold strong in the face of adversity to remain true in a continuing search for international peace and compromise now and forever.
Crossing the Procession Pathway, visitors will see the phrases from ‘The Path to War’ engraved into the sentry columns. When returning back across the bridge, visitors will see the phrases from ‘The Quest for Peace’ on the reverse of each column. These fourteen phrases were deliberately chosen to represent the year 1914, when the world marched down the devastating path to war:
| The Path to War | The Quest for Peace |
| What if there was no hate | What if there is love |
| What if there was no pride | What if there is compromise |
| What if there was no anger | What if there is compassion |
| What if there was no greed | What if there is generosity |
| What if there was no fear | What if there is trust |
| What if there was no vengeance | What if there is forgiveness |
| What if there was no evil | What if there is good |
The Procession Pathway continues east, spanning a channel of granite boulders. This bridge over rocky terrain is the Point of Contemplation, reminding visitors of the numerous Canadians who left by sea for war, never to return home. The quiet and natural garden beneath the Point of Contemplation, planted serenely at the base of the Remembrance Point peninsula, is the second stage of the Journey of Remembrance and Contemplation – De Fleurons Glorieux Memorial Garden.
Below the Point of Contemplation, the beautiful De Fleurons Glorieux Memorial Garden will rest quietly above the tides. Visitors wishing to scatter the ashes of loved ones who served in the Canadian Armed Forces may do so here, surrounded by the serenity and beauty of the Maritime coast.
Inscribed into the spot at which the ashes may be scattered down into the garden will be the message May Your Spirit Forever Keep Us Strong and Free. It is here that the ultimate thanks is given to Today’s Fallen, whose sacrifices continue to ensure our safety, strength and freedom.
Spanning the landscape on both sides of the Procession Pathway will be rows of durable, ordered markers. Inspiring us to forever promote and defend peace, the markers are a stalwart and enduring symbol of the discipline and courage of those who served and died in the Canadian Armed Forces and Merchant Navy and for those who continue to stand on guard for Our Nation and all it holds dear.
At the end of the Procession Pathway, visitors will approach a threshold of two stone entry pillars to arrive at the granite peninsula surrounded by a panoramic view of the ocean.
Facing east, visitors look in the direction of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the many battle sites, memorials and cemeteries of Europe, Africa, Asia, and beyond.
When returning from Remembrance Point, visitors will cross a symbolic bridge home across the Procession Pathway. Passing the military markers from this new perspective, visitors will recognize the undying loyalty of the Canadian people in passing on the memory of Our Fallen to future generations. This symbolic throwing of the torch will become an extension of the bond of love and respect so deeply held for Our Fallen... One that shall never be broken... Ever!
The end of the Procession Pathway opens to a circular promontory known as The Commemorative Ring of True Patriot Love. This marks the With Glowing Hearts National Sanctuary stage of the Journey of Remembrance and Contemplation as an inspiring, panoramic view of the coastline opens up. Facing east, visitors will look towards the resting places of Our Fallen, whose care and commemoration has been forever respectfully entrusted into the capable and loving hands of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The With Glowing Hearts National Sanctuary will forever house an ever-growing number of sealed capsules of sacred soil and seawater gathered from overseas cemeteries and battle sites where our servicemen and women gave their lives. Embraced by the very heart of Canada, these elements will forever bond visitors to Our Fallen – Wherever They May Lie.
Inscribed around the With Glowing Hearts National Sanctuary will be the notable engagements in which Our Fallen gave their lives. These inscriptions also recognize those who served under the Dominion of Newfoundland and the British Armed Forces and Her Allies.
Beyond The Commemorative Ring of True Patriot Love, the statue of Mother Canada stands gracefully upon Remembrance Point looking east to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. As the focal point of the site, Mother Canada reaches out to symbolically welcome home Our Fallen. This is the fourth and final stage of the Journey of Remembrance and Contemplation — Mother Canada.
At the very tip of Remembrance Point, beneath Mother Canada, visitors will have an opportunity to scatter the ashes of our Canadian Armed Forces members into the tides below. This location, known as the We See Thee Rise Observation Deck, marks the conclusion of the Journey of Remembrance and Contemplation.
“The Never Forgotten National Memorial is a vital, inspiring, and much-needed tribute to those Canadians who sacrificed their lives overseas to defend the principles of democracy and freedom. In my opinion, it is of paramount importance that this national memorial be recognized and supported by all as an enduring symbol of the values of the generations to whom our nation is forever indebted.”
Robert A. O’Brien
Past Chairman of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy and Director of Churchill Centre
Toronto, Ontario
Canada’s vast and beautiful landscape paired with traditional and evolving forms of commemoration will set the stage for a loving memorial that will ensure Our Fallen Heroes are never forgotten.
The magnitude of this memorial exceeds beyond the site itself, and is intended to become a truly Canadian initiative. Learn more about the events that will help to shape this Memorial’s national efforts…
Experience the symbolic return of Our Fallen firsthand on this national tour…
Celebrate the contributions of the women on the home front in a series of special events…
Discover an unprecedented commemorative initiative that honours the Fallen…
Understanding the role of the simple letter and its importance and significance in the world of Our Fallen…
Explore the past conflicts of Our Fallen, as well as the present efforts taking place at the site, and planned future initiatives.
Beginning on Commonwealth Day, the repatriated soil and seawater capsules will be brought to Ottawa for respectful public viewings before being toured across Canada on the National Homecoming Tour. This tour will take the capsules to Victoria, BC before proceeding east again towards the Never Forgotten National Memorial. The Homecoming Tour will give those unable to make the trip to Remembrance Point a chance to experience the symbolic return of Our Fallen firsthand.
The National Homecoming Tour will end with the grand arrival of the capsules in Halifax during the beginning of the last week of May. From there, the last leg of the Tour will take the capsules to Sydney and Cape Breton Island. On the second Sunday of June, one week before Father’s Day, Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces representatives will participate in a ceremony in which the capsules will be laid to rest at the memorial’s With Glowing Hearts National Sanctuary at Remembrance Point.
We fully understand and respect that this program is a complex endeavour. However, we feel this is a matter of tremendous national significance and that it is absolutely key to the fabric of the memorial project. We retain the option to continue to discuss this program’s viability with all relevant government departments and agencies.
The Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation proposes a commemoration project to span the width and breadth of this nation across the length of the iconic Trans Canada Trail. The Necklace of Tears will proudly commemorate Our Fallen across the very heart of Canada, creating an unprecedented link of love and respect embracing all corners of this young nation.
This project will allow visitors to the NFNM website to “adopt” a member of Our Fallen. Once one of Our Heroes is selected, the donor can arrange to have a commemorative upright marker placed on the trail at a location of their choosing. These distinctive markers will be specially manufactured to withstand vandalism and the harsh elements of the Canadian landscape. In addition, symbolic ‘link’ stones will be placed between markers to resemble the links of a necklace, uniting each and every member of Our Fallen in a single chain across the places they held so dear. Travelers exploring the trail will be able to scan these small monuments using a smart device for a full description of the fallen hero being commemorated as well as his or her resting place.
The special adoption of Our First Nations Heroes and Our Heroes of Lost Continuance will be strongly encouraged and financially supported across this unprecedented, nationwide commemorative initiative.
Today, communication is everywhere – cell phones, emails, text messages and social media. The proposed Letters to Our Fallen program will encourage future generations of young Canadians to experience a far more simple time.
To be based in homes, schools, clubs and libraries across the country, this program will provide a unique opportunity for young Canadians to actually compose heartfelt letters to Our Fallen. To be delivered directly to the memorial, each and every letter will be respectfully responded to in kind and mailed back by a dedicated volunteer member of the memorial staff.
On the first Sunday of May prior to Mother’s Day weekend, National Recognition and Gratitude Day, the Never Forgotten National Memorial will host a series of celebratory events to honour the numerous contributions recognized of women on the home front in the Recognition and Gratitude Pavilion.
“I couldn’t be prouder to be the Ambassador for what is surely the most compelling and patriotic project that I have ever had the honour of supporting.”
Major-General (Ret’d) Lewis Wharton MacKenzie
Carp, Ontario
The Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation has developed recognition opportunities, at varying levels, for both Canadian and International donors. Additionally, there will be exclusive opportunities for major donors and partners to be recognized in the naming of halls, galleries, and displays throughout the memorial site. All donors to the Foundation will be eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
Learn more about major gifts.
As a living, breathing and fully interactive memorial, the Never Forgotten National Memorial will offer ongoing marketing opportunities for individuals and corporate partners. Partners will have the opportunity to share their passion for this Canadian memorial with their employees, customers, suppliers, friends and allies throughout the world.
Learn more about partnership opportunities.
Close slide show and return to Location.
Soldiers traveled from all across Canada to this region, beginning their voyage overseas.
This Maritime location proudly reaches out of the Port of Halifax, the historic place where
so many of our servicemen and women left their homes for battle — many never to return.
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Troops depart
Canadian Pacific | A15503
Coaling the Ship, HMCS Niobe
George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 20030174-011
At the dockside, HMCS Niobe, Halifax
George Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 20030174-020
HMCS Cayuga at SeaGeorge Metcalf Archival Collection CWM 19900321-002
Loading of cargo aboard an unidentified merchant ship.
R. Wright/Library and Archives Canada/PA-184171
Convoy in Bedford Basin, Halifax, N.S.
Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-112993
Handley Page 'Hampden' aircraft aboard merchant ship en route to England.
Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-105314
Relatives awaiting the arrival of Canadian soldiers from overseas aboard the troopship S.S. ILE DE FRANCE, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 1945.
Lieut. Richard Graham Arless / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-192969
View from H.M.C.S. ASSINIBOINE of an unidentified Royal Navy destroyer taking over the escort of Convoy HX180 from its Royal Canadian Navy escort, 19 March 1942.
Lt Gerald M. Moses / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada
The destroyer H.M.C.S. ST. FRANCIS, which is escorting a convoy, prepares to take on fuel from a tanker at sea, 7 November 1942.
Gerald M. Moses / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-116335
Longshoremen loading cases of T.N.T. explosive into the hold of an unidentified merchant ship, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 29 November 1942.
Lt George A. Lawrence / Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-106527
Ratings clearing ice from the forecastle of H.M.C.S. LUNENBURG, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, January 1942.
Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-105685
Delivery of mail to an unidentified River-class destroyer, possibly H.M.C.S. ST LAURENT, of the Royal Canadian Navy, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, June 1941.
Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-105442
Steamship SAND MERCHANT.
Library and Archives Canada / PA-033036
More than 114,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders were buried in foreign countries, lost at sea or otherwise consumed into the landscapes of war. The Never Forgotten National Memorial will be oriented towards the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France. Our Mother Canada will symbolically reach out to the statue of Canada Bereft – that memorial’s very own soul and spirit.
Click on the maple leaf icon to unveil the final resting places of Our Fallen heroes.
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As of February 5, 2016, Parks Canada announced that it would no longer be a partner or a supporter in the Never Forgotten National Memorial, and would as well, refuse permission for its construction at the Green Cove site. While the NFNM Foundation remains as a registered charity and continues to accept donations, we would however like to make it perfectly clear, that we are not actively engaged in any and all fundraising activities, that would be specifically intended for the sole purpose of the actual construction of this very same memorial at the Green Cove, or for that matter, at any other alternative and/or suggested sites.
However, we have and will remain strongly committed to our current mandate/goal of “Keeping The Flame Alive” for the sole purpose of achieving the final successful realization of the Never Forgotten National Memorial, and with that, in the creation of Mother Canada at that very same Green Cove site, and one that will forever be in the sanctity and the protection of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
A warm welcome and please do take a moment to properly review the considerable amount of information that is available on this site.
A great deal of careful attention, planning and research has gone into its creation and we sincerely hope that you will passionately agree, as we do, that there is indeed an absolutely vital need for this national memorial to be proudly built on Canadian soil.
If so, then we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to contact your local MP to clearly express your strong personal support and enthusiasm for the successful realization of the Never Forgotten National Memorial, and with that, in the patriotic creation of Mother Canada at the Green Cove site, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Now more than ever, it’s even more important for those of us who continue to support the successful realization of The Never Forgotten National Memorial and the creation of Mother Canada at the Green Cove site on the Cabot Trail, to take a far more direct and bolder course of action. If you do indeed truly believe that a national memorial “Honouring ( All ) Canadian War Dead – Wherever They May Lie” rightly deserves to exist within the sanctity, the protection and the rugged beauty of The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, then once again, we respectfully continue to strongly request from all of you, the following course of action:
Please reach out and question in the clearest of terms, whomever now represents your interests in this current situation of a minority government within Parliament, to act in the following manner. That they must promise to encourage a far more pro-active position within their parties, being one that insists on the immediate return of Parks Canada to the bargaining table with the Never Forgotten National Memorial (NFNM) Foundation.
And furthermore, that they demand that Parks Canada does so within a crystal clear mandate, to respectfully and in good faith, professionally work out whatever differences or challenges remain unsolved or unaddressed, in order for them to move forward with officially granting a License of Occupation (aka Building Permit) to the NFNM Foundation.
For it is only with the possession of this legal document, that the NFNM Foundation will then fully commit to immediately proceed with an official national and international fundraising campaign, but based only on the following legal understanding:
That if the Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation proves to be equally successful with whatever funding requirements are clearly established and done so well in advance. That the Foundation will and with no further delays and obstructions, proudly begin construction on Phase One of this historic public/private initiative, at the Green Cove site on the world-famous Cabot Trail.
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Thank you.