In 1988, Capt. (Ret’d) Lloyd Jones formed a committee to create a memorial tribute to those Saskatchewan men and women who had died in World War 1 in a suitable location on the legislative grounds in Regina’s Wascana Centre. The committee looked at a number of potential sites before the present location was selected. The committee registered as a ‘Not for Profit’ charitable organization and set about to raise funds to erect the memorial. The project got underway in 1988 and was dedicated by the Honorable J.E.N. Wiebe, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Saskatchewan in November of 1995.
The Saskatchewan War Memorial was constructed from 1988-1995 in memory of 5,348 young men and women from Saskatchewan who were killed in the First World War. This memorial is located just west of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building, near Wascana Lake and the Albert Memorial Bridge. The Saskatchewan WWI Memorial was, at first, the site of a memorial statue which now forms the left corner of the Memorial. In 1926, the 28th Battalion Association built its own memorial statue on the Legislative Grounds. The statue contains a plaque in memory of those who lost their lives in the First World War. Sixty years later, in 1986, a second plaque was unveiled to honour members of the 1st Battalion, Regina Rifle Regiment, who fell in the Second World War.
From 2000-2005, there was much discussion about completing this project by adding a memorial to those Saskatchewan citizens who gave their lives in World War ll, the Korean War and during Peacetime Operations. Mr. Bill Henderson designed a memorial that would be located next to, and one that complemented the existing WWI memorial. The first sod for the commencement of construction was turned by the Duke of Edinburgh on 18 May, 2005, during the visit of Her Majesty. Construction was completed and the Memorial dedicated by Her Honour, Dr. Lynda Haverstock, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan on 2 October 2005. The Flag Staff and World War ll, Korea and Peacetime Operation Memorial were added in 2005. The two phases of the memorial project cost approximately $900,000.00 and contains the names of approximately 10,000 Saskatchewan men and women who gave their lives for their country and province.
The final stage of construction was the addition of a First World War Nursing Sister statue located on the left pylon of the memorial. The statue depicts a Nursing Sister in a Canadian Army Medical Corps uniform. Created by renowned bronze sculptor Don Begg of Studio West Bronze Foundry Ltd. in 2007, it was dedicated to the nurses who tirelessly cared for injured Canadian servicemen during the Great War.
From time-to-time, the Committee will add the names of fallen Saskatchewan men and women who die in operations with the Canadian Forces.
