In 1790, Major Samuel Holland, then official general surveyor, had four meridian lines drawn on the Plains of Abraham. According to tradition, one of those lines marked the spot where Wolfe died. It is considered the first monument to Wolfe. In 1832, the Governor General of Canada, Lord Aylmer, acknowledging the deterioration of the meridian line, had it replaced by a truncated column bearing only the inscription “Here died Wolfe victorious – September XIII – MDCCLIX”. In 1849, the British army contingent based in Canada raised funds and had a new column erected, topped by a helmet and a sword. The first plaque dating from 1832 was kept and a second one was installed (“Ce monument fut érigé par l’armée britannique au Canada…”). The new monument was protected with an iron fence. The National Battlefields Commission had the column reproduced in 1913, keeping the top pieces and both inscriptions from the third monument. A third plaque was added describing the history of the four monument. The iron fence disappeared and was replaced with a stone surround. On March 29th, 1963, the monument was destroyed, probably by nationalists. The National Battlefields Commission erected a fifth one on July 5th, 1965. The commemorative plaques were installed later. Those plaques were engraved in both languages. They are the three existing plaques and a fourth one mentioning the erection of the fifth monument.
Inscription
[facing the entrance, Wolfe-Montcalm Avenue/face à l'entrée, avenue Wolfe-Montcalm]
ICI MOURUT
WOLFE
LE TREIZE SEPTEMBRE
1759
HERE DIED
WOLFE
SEPTEMBER 13TH
1759
[east side, George-VI Avenue/côté est, avenue George-VI]
CE MONUMENT FUT ÉRIGÉ PAR
L’ARMÉE BRITANNIQUE AU CANADA
A.D.1849
PAR SON EXCELLENCE
LIEUT.GÉNL.
SIR BENJAMIN D’URBAN
COMMANDANT DES FORCES.
REMPLACANT CELUI ÉRIGÉ
PAR LE GOUVERNEUR GÉN.LORDAYLMER G.C.B.
ET QUI FUT DÉMOLI EN 1832.
LES DÉBRIS DUPREMIER MONUMENT
SONT ENFOUIS SOUS CELUI-CI.
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY
THE BRITISH ARMY IN CANADA
A.D. 1849
BY HIS EXCELLENCY
LT. GEN. SIR BENJAMIN D'URBAN
COMMANDER OF FORCES
IN REPLACEMENT OF THE ONE ERECTED
BY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL LORD AYLMER, G.C.B.
IN 1832
AND DESTROYED WITH PIECES REMAINING UNDER
PRESENT MONUMENT
[west side, George-VI Avenue/côté ouest, avenue George-VI]
LE PREMIER MONUMENT
FUT LA PIERRE QUE L’ARMÉE MEMEROULA ICI
AFIN DE MARQUER L’ENDROIT OU WOLFE MOURUT
1759.
UN DEUXIEME MONUMENT
FUT ÉRIGÉ EN
1832.
LE TROISIEME MONUMENT
FUT ÉRIGÉ PAR L’ARMÉEBRITANNIQUE CANTONNÉE
AU CANADA
1849.
LE QUATRIEME MONUMENT
REPRODUISIT LA COLONNE DU TROISIEME GARDANT
LES PIECES DE TETE ET DEUX INSCRIPTIONS, ET
FUT ÉRIGÉ PAR LA COMMISSIONDES CHAMPS DE
BATAILLE NATIONAUX
1913.
THE FIRST MONUMENT
WAS A STONE WHICH THE ARMY ROLLED HERE
TO INDICATE THE SPOT WHERE WOLFE DIED IN
1759
A SECOND MONUMENT
WAS ERECTED IN
1832
THE THIRD ONE
WAS ERECTED BY THE BRITISH ARMY
STATIONED IN CANADA
1849
THE FOURTH MONUMENT
REPRODUCED THE COLUMN OF THE THIRD ONE
WITH THE SAME DECORATIVE HELMET, TWO
INSCRIPTIONS, AND ERECTED BY THE NATIONAL
BATTLEFIELDS COMMISSION
1913
[facing the Musée du Québec/face au Musée du Québec]
CE CINQUIEME MONUMENT FUT
ÉRIGÉ PAR LA COMMISSIONDES CHAMPS DE
BATAILLE NATIONAUX EN JUILLET 1965
AFIN DEREMPLACER LA COLONNE QUI FUT
DÉTRUITE LE 29 MARS 1963.
THIS FIFTH MEMORIAL WAS
ERECTED BY THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELDS
COMMISSION IN JULY 1965
IN REPLACEMENT OF THE COLUMN WHICH
WAS DESTROYED ON MARCH 29TH 1963.
Visitor information
James Wolfe's Passing Memorial Pillar
1291 Wolfe Montcalm Avenue
Québec
Lat. 46.8000684
Long. -71.2249991
front view
Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec