National Field of Honour
The cemetery gates.
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| Details | |
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| Established | 1909 |
| Location | Pointe-Claire, Quebec |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°26′38.80″N 73°50′15.58″W / 45.4441111°N 73.8376611°WCoordinates: 45°26′38.80″N 73°50′15.58″W / 45.4441111°N 73.8376611°W |
| Type | Military Veterans |
| Owned by | Last Post Fund |
| No. of graves | 22,000+ |
| Official name | Last Post Fund National Field of Honour |
| Designated | 2007 |
The National Field of Honour is a military cemetery for Canadian and Allied Veterans and their loved ones. It is located in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Last Post Fund.
On June 8, 2007, the National Field of Honour was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
The National Field of Honour was founded and is maintained by the Last Post Fund, a charitable organization founded by Arthur Hair in 1909.
The Last Post Fund’s mission is to ensure that no Veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at time of death. Its primary mandate is to deliver the Veterans Affairs Canada Funeral and Burial Program which provides funeral, burial and grave marking benefits for eligible Canadian and Allied Veterans. In addition to delivering the Funeral and Burial Program, the Last Post Fund supports other initiatives designed to honour the memory of Canadian and Allied Veterans.
The National Field of Honour was consecrated on September 21, 1930. As of 2010, more than 22,000 burials and interments have been made here. The National Field of Honour is distinct among Canadian military cemeteries in that all the headstones are laid flush with the ground. All Veterans whether they were Generals or Privates lie beside each other as equals. There are among them 16 war graves of World War II which are registered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The National Field of Honour is opened to visitors from Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, but anyone can come and stroll the grounds over the weekend. As you stroll through the National Field of Honour, you will notice that each street is named to honour distinguished Canadian Veterans. There are also three commemorative circles which have been built to honour different war heroes. A new Columbarium has been added to the cemetery and Veterans' ashes can be placed into the Columbarium walls. A water garden has also been recently donated and in the summer you can sit beside the pond and examine beautiful flowers. There are benches all around the Field for visitors to relax and enjoy the landscape of history.
The entrance to the National Field of Honour is through the Gate of Remembrance, a medieval arch flanked by twin towers. The south tower houses an ecumenical chapel. The Gate was built in 1937 at a cost of $11,850, $5000 of which was donated by the city of Pointe-Claire, taking 13 weeks to complete. The Gate of Remembrance serves as a memorial to all those who made the supreme sacrifice for their country. It has served a number a purposes through the years once as the home of the groundskeep and for a time housed the Last Post Fund archives. The chapel was added in 1973, with funds given by former LPF director Bruce Brown. The architect of the Gate of Remembrance is Harold J. Doran and was built by Francis King. Harold J. Doran is often recognized as the architect of Benny Farm in NDG, built in 1946-7, a social housing project for World War II veterans.
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