Alberta

Newson Road was dedicated by the Canada Lands Company on May 22, 2012, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

William Francis Montgomery (Bill) Newson, DSO, DFC, CD, B. Eng., was born in Calgary, Alberta, on July 19, 1917. He attended Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, where he graduated in Civil Engineering in June 1939, and immediately joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He learned to fly at Camp Borden, Ontario, and his first assignment was to fly coastal operations, escorting convoys on the Atlantic crossings, often under very difficult weather conditions.

He transferred to the United Kingdom Ferry Command and joined the No. 408 Squadron and during operations his aircraft sustained serious damage on two occasions. For outstanding courage and leadership he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In June of 1943, he was posted as Squadron Commander to No. 431 Squadron. He demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in the completion of very long range bomber sorties, for which he was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross.

In October 1944, Group Captain Newson was appointed Commanding Officer of 405 Pathfinder Squadron where he remained to the end of hostilities in Europe. He was one of Canada's most outstanding bomber pilots of the Second World War. Following the Second World War, General Newson held a number of senior staff and command appointments in Canada and overseas. From 1964 to 1968, Brigadier General William Newson was Commander of the North American Radar Air Defense 36th Division in Topsham, Maine where he was responsible for the air defense of the northeastern approaches to North America. He was the first Canadian to command a North American Radar Air Defense base on American soil.

He retired from the Armed Forces in 1972 after accumulating nearly 6,000 flying hours. Newson was approached in 1977 to take on the role of Executive Vice President of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. He brought to fruition the concept of this unique institution and preserved the human aspects of Canadian aviation heritage for the benefit of the nation. He was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984. 

Morgan Road was dedicated by the Canada Lands Company on May 22, 2012, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

Born in Saskatoon in 1931, Flight Lieutenant Robert Morgan joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1949 and served over 35 years in the forces. He has resided in the Edmonton area since 1969.

Notably, he was awarded the George Medal in May 1957 for selfless action on July 21, 1955, while serving with 439 Squadron in Marville, France. His citation notes his ‘splendid courage’ in the rescue of the trapped pilot of a crashed fighter aircraft “with complete disregard for his own safety, ignoring flames and exploding ammunition… while standing over fuel tanks …removed the pilot ….Flight Lieutenant Morgan’s prompt, courageous, and sustained rescue efforts in the face of mounting danger, …saved the pilot’s life.”

Just prior to retirement, he was selected the 1985 Air Force Association of Canada’s National Airman of the Year.

Ad Astra Boulevard was dedicated by the Canada Lands Company on May 22, 2012, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

April 1, 1924, has been celebrated as the birthday of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The new Royal Canadian Air Force adopted the Royal Air Force’s motto Per Ardua Ad Astra – Through adversity to the stars – which replaced the Canadian Air Force’s original motto Sic Itur Ad Astra – Such is the pathway (or “This is the way”) to the stars.

Dragoon Place was dedicated by the Canada Lands Company on August 23, 2011, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

The Royal Canadian Dragoons is the most senior cavalry regiment in Canada, having been formed on December 21, 1883, in Quebec City when the 'Cavalry School Corps' was authorized to be formed. It was re-designated the 'Canadian Dragoons' on 14 May 1892.

Valour Mews was dedicated to all Canadian Forces Base Edmonton's men and women in uniform by the Canada Lands Company on August 15, 2007, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

Canadian Forces Base Griesbach was a major military facility in Edmonton from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. During that period thousands of Canada's military personnel were based here in Edmonton. Many saw duty in locations such as Korea, Cyprus, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and with Canada's other peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Valour is the most esteemed military attribute, extreme bravery marked by a willingness to continue on effectively in the face of a high risk of injury or death. So highly is the quality prized that the word was chosen by Queen Victoria herself for inscription on the Victoria Cross. But the qualities that are reflected in valour in battle are inculcated in military personnel from the very start of their service, dedication to duty, determination, selflessness, and a mental coolness that enables the person to cope with extreme pressure and adversity.

Valour Gate was dedicated to all Canadian Forces Base Edmonton's men and women in uniform by the Canada Lands Company on August 15, 2007, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

Canadian Forces Base Griesbach was a major military facility in Edmonton from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. During that period thousands of Canada's military personnel were based here in Edmonton. Many saw duty in locations such as Korea, Cyprus, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and with Canada's other peacekeeping missions throughout the world. Valour is the most esteemed military attribute, extreme bravery marked by a willingness to continue on effectively in the face of a high risk of injury or death. So highly is the quality prized that the word was chosen by Queen Victoria herself for inscription on the Victoria Cross. But the qualities that are reflected in valour in battle are inculcated in military personnel from the very start of their service, dedication to duty, determination, selflessness, and a mental coolness that enables the person to cope with extreme pressure and adversity.

Flanders Field Park was dedicated to Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s famous war poem, In Flanders Fields by the Canada Lands Company on June 23, 2004, as part of their redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base (Griesbach Barracks).

On November 1, 2015, the park was officially dedicated to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous war poem, In Flanders Fields. The park features unique walkways and walls made of brick which mimic the trenches in the First World War, poppy beds, a bronze plaque with the poem in the author’s original handwriting, a storyboard with the story of McCrae and how he came to write the poem and another storyboard with the story of how the poem itself became tied to remembrance and the poppy became the symbol of remembrance.

Castle Downs Recreation Society were the driving force behind the storyboard. In November 2014, they began working with Canada Lands Company and local military reserve units – the 15th Field Ambulance reserve unit and the 20th Field Artillery Regiment – to help bring the project to life.

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario in 1872, he served with an artillery battery in the South African War and had a successful civilian medical career. When the First World War broke out in 1914, the patriotic 41-year-old enlisted again and would be appointed as a medical officer with the First Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery.

During the Second Battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915, McCrae was tending to the wounded in a part of Belgium traditionally called Flanders. On May 2, a close friend was killed in action and this painful loss inspired McCrae to write In Flanders Fields the next day. It would be published in Britain’s Punch magazine and quickly became one of the best-known poems of the war, helping make the poppy an international symbol of remembrance. Sadly, Lieutenant-Colonel McCrae would not survive the conflict, dying of illness in January 1918.

The Village of Griesbach, a residential area in North Edmonton bounded by 153 Avenue NW to the north, Canadian Forces Trail to the east, 137 Avenue NW to the south and Castle Downs Road NW to the west, is the unique result of the redevelopment of Edmonton’s former Canadian Forces Base by Canada Lands Company in 2003. The land of Griesbach previously provided housing for military personnel and was established in 1950 as Griesbach Barracks. It was named after Major-General William Antrobus Griesbach (1878–1945), a Veteran of the South African War, First World War and Second World War.

Canadian Forces Base Edmonton (Griesbach Barracks) was a major military facility in Edmonton from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. During that period thousands of Canada's military personnel were based here in Edmonton. The theme of Griesbach was developed to honour the deep military roots of the land on which it's built and recognizes military heroes and battles in which local military units participated. This theme is reflected in a variety of ways, including streets, parks and lakes.

This Heintzman & Co. piano, currently on long-term loan to the Edmonton Garrison Officers’ Mess, is a unique memorial to the horses of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians).

This stained glass window commemorates the service of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in the Heimer Area 1965-1968. It depicts a their regimental badge and two lambs and was manufactured by Entw. J. Richstatter Ausf. Wilh. Derix Düsseldorf-Kakerswerth.

The window was in Saint George’s Chapel at Currie Barracks, Calgary, Alberta. Saint George’s Chapel remained active for a short period after the Calgary Base closed in 1996. The stained glass window was moved to the Edmonton Garrison Chapel of Saint Luke & Saint John on 15 June 1997.