Each year, more than half a million visitors view Canada's Books of Remembrance in the Memorial Chamber on the second level of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
The Memorial Chamber remains a beautifully crafted room with a vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows and intricate carvings depicting Canada's record of war. The centerpiece of the Chamber is the main altar for the First World War Book of Remembrance. The steps on which the altar rests are made of stone quarried from Flander's Fields. Inlaid into the floor surrounding the steps are brass nameplates, hand-crafted from spent shell cases found on a battlefield, recording the major actions in which Canadian's took part in during the First World War.
Upon the altar is a glass-topped case of finely tooled brass with small statuettes of angels kneeling at each corner. Within this case rests the First World War Book of Remembrance, set on a special balancing lectern so that the pages are always level and easily readable through the protective glass. The remaining six books are displayed, resting on their respective altars around the room. The Second World War Book of Remembrance is positioned against the southern wall.
Stone altars for the Books of Remembrance have been created and installed to mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War. The altars are in keeping with the Memorial Chamber’s original design and support the preservation of the Books of Remembrance so that Canadians can visit them for decades to come.
In 1959, high temperatures and humidity inside the Memorial Chamber destroyed the bindings of the First and Second World War Books. Consequently, new red Levant (goatskin) leathers were obtained and both books were rebound. The Chamber is now temperature controlled, and the Books' glass enclosures also provide protection.
