Beechwood Cemetery

Beechwood Cemetery
Cross of Sacrifice erected in honour and memory of all war veterans in 1959
Location	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Area	64.7 hectares (160 acres)
Architect	Moses Chamberlain Edey; Robertson Martin Architects
Architectural style(s)	Neo-Gothic
Governing body	The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation; The Beechwood Cemetery Company
Website	Beechwood Cemetery web site
National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	2001

Beechwood Cemetery, located in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 75,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn and Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden, Canadian Forces Veterans, War Dead, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and men and women who have made a mark on Canadian history. In addition to being Canada's National Cemetery, it is also the National Military Cemetery of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police National Memorial Cemetery.

A woodland cemetery founded in 1873, it is 64.7 hectares (160 acres) and is the largest cemetery in the city of Ottawa.

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 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Memorial Cemetery. Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, opened the Beechwood National Memorial Centre on April 7, 2008.

Pipe Major Sgt Tom Brown is the "on call" piper for the National Military Cemetery at Beechwood where he can perform up to a dozen outdoor funerals a year.

When new colours (flags) 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 retired colours of Canada's army, air force and naval regiments are mounted at ceiling level in the Hall of Colours in the National Memorial Centre.