British Columbia

The two narrow windows in the chancel are made of 11th century glass fragments from the Canterbury Cathedral in England that was shattered during Second World War bombing raids. The glass fragments were, by special permission of the Cathedral, given to Archdeacon Greig, a parishioner during the war. These windows, a memorial gift from Mrs. Greig and her family, were dedicated on December 6, 1970.

St. John's Shaughnessy Memorial Church was designed by Major G. L. Thornton Sharp and built in 1949 to stand as a memorial honouring all Vancouver’s sons and daughters who answer the call to serve their country. Funds for the project were raised from all over the Lower Mainland, some coming from outside the Anglican community, but nevertheless bonded by a common desire to build a living memorial. The cornerstone was laid by J.E. McMullen K.C., on May 29, 1949, and it was dedicated on June 18, 1950. 

Founder's Portrait is located in the East Transept of Canadian Memorial Chapel, between the Ontario and Quebec windows. The portrait of the Reverend Lieutenant-Colonel (Lt.-Col.) G.O. Fallis, CBE, ED, BD, DD, the founder of Canadian Memorial Church. The portrait by Kenneth Forbes, R.C.A., was unveiled by Lt.-Col. Fallis' daughter, Mary M. Fallis, on November 16, 1942. Captain Howard Green, MP, gave the address and a congregational reception was held afterwards.

Canadian Memorial Chapel was born in the hearts of private soldiers who, guided by a sergeant, formed a working party to bury six of Canada's war dead. On a November night of 1915, in the Ypres Salient, France, one of the soldiers said to Reverend Lieutenant-Colonel Fallis, "Padre, after the war is over some chaplain should build a memorial in Canada in memory of fellows like these who have given their all." From that moment on, he would never lay away their beloved dead without the idea of a memorial chapel in his mind.

Canadian Memorial Chapel was dedicated on November 9, 1928. Regular services began on November 11, 1928, exactly ten years after the 1918 Armistice. As the first hymn was being sung the chief usher handed Lt.-Col. Fallis a cable. It was a message of congratulations from His Majesty King George V.

In the first week of the Second World War, Major-General R.O. Alexander, Command Officer in MD 2, Toronto, called Lt.-Col. Fallis to his office. "Fallis," he said, "you are the Senior Reserve Chaplain in this district. Get yourself a uniform and report for voluntary duty until Ottawa appoints. Already the help of the chaplains is needed." Thus began his second period of active military duty as a Chaplain and five more years of mutual devotion with men of The King's Forces.

The Transfigured Soldier was erected in Canadian Memorial United Church by the widows, wives and mothers of Great Britain’s Heroes’ Association and was dedicated by Mrs. J.C. Kemp. It depicts a soldier dying on the battlefield with Jesus ministering to him. 

The Sailor and The Airman were both erected in Canadian Memorial United Church by Mr. William Poulton and their inscriptions are to be read together. For many years, Mr. Poulton and his wife had taken a great interest in Canadian Memorial Chapel. 

A tribute to the many young Canadians who lost their lives on the high seas while serving in Canada’s navy, The Sailor depicts an ordinary seaman with sincerity, strength and courage standing out in his strong face.

The Airman honours the hundreds of young Canadians who gave their lives in flimsy aircraft with the Royal Flying Corps or Royal Naval Air Service  and, when the two joined, the Royal Air Force. It was reproduced from a painting by Sir William Orpen, R.A., and depicts the extreme youthfulness of those who served in the Royal Air Force in the First World War. It was unveiled by Mrs. N. B. Gale, sister of the late Mrs. Wm. Poulton and dedicated by Reverend Arthur Bischlager, Naval Chaplain, Esquimalt.

The Nurse was erected in Canadian Memorial United Church by Nursing Sisters of the First World War and dedicated by Captain the Reverend E.D. McLaren, MA, DD. The spiritual expression on the face of the nurse typifies sacrificial service. This window was held in special regard by the congregation because for years the surviving members of the Nursing Sisters attended their Remembrance Day service.

Peace Arch Provincial Park is a 22-acre park commemorating the Treaty of Ghent from the War of 1812. A giant commemorative, concrete arch straddles the border of Canada and the United States. The 67-foot Peace Arch is jointly maintained by the two countries.

Sam Hill, a prominent American businessman, conceived the idea of the Arch to mark the War of 1812 treaty. Financed and built by Sam, the arch was initially known as Sam's Peace Arch. Designed by Augustus Warren Gould of Gould and Champney, construction began in 1920. The Peace Arch was fitted with two iron gates, left open to symbolize peace between the two great nations, and dedicated on 6 September 1921. Sam laid a hollow cornerstone within which he placed a hammered steel box made from a captured slave ship. Inside the box, he placed a piece of the Beaver and Mayflower. 

The Peace Arch was a vision Sam shared with his Canadian friend, former Mayor of Victoria British Columbia, Alfred Todd. Alfred recognized the ties between the United States and Canada were not just different, but exceptional. The two partnered for more than seven years to memorialize this harmony with an arch that would serve as a portal of peace between the two nations. 

The lands around the Arch were acquired through donations and fundraising efforts. Two decades later, on November 7, 1939, the Peace Arch and surrounding lands on the Canadian side were officially dedicated as Peace Arch Provincial Park. The flower garden in the parks is in the shape of the Canadian flag. 

The Soldier was erected in Canadian Memorial United Church by the Amputation Association of Canada on behalf of their membership, who continue to be a living testament to the sacrifices that occur in war. It was dedicated by Brigadier-General Harold McDonald, CMG, DSO. 

In the west transept of Canadian Memorial United Church is a plaque honouring the men of this church who fell in the Second World War. It was donated, along with a picture of the grave of the Unknown Soldier, by Mrs. Louis Bennett.

Canadian Memorial Chapel was born in the hearts of private soldiers in the First World War who, guided by a sergeant, formed a working party to bury six of Canada's war dead. On a November night of 1915, in the Ypres Salient, France, one of the soldiers said to Reverend Lieutenant-Colonel (Lt.-Col.) George Fallis, CBE, ED, DD: "Padre, after the war is over some chaplain should build a memorial in Canada in memory of fellows like these who have given their all." From that moment on, he would never lay away their beloved dead without the idea of a memorial chapel in his mind.

The organ was being constructed by Casavant Freres of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec and was not intended to be a special memorial. Lt.-Col. Fallis was invited to address several Rotary Clubs in Oregon, where Senator R.A. Booth was district governor. At the senator’s home, Lt.-Col. Fallis told his family the story of Canadian Memorial Chapel, which was to be dedicated on Remembrance Day, 1928.

The next morning at breakfast, Senator Booth said that he and his wife were amazed to hear that some fifteen hundred Americans were killed while serving with the Canadian army. He suggested, in the interest of international good will, that he should start a movement to have the organ erected in memory of those citizens of the United States of America who had crossed the border, joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and had given their lives. He went on to say that if this appealed to the Trustees of Canadian Memorial Chapel, he would start the fund by subscribing five thousand dollars. The organ was costing thirty thousand. Senator Booth worked faithfully towards funds for the organ, as did many of his friends in Portland, Seattle, Eugene, Tacoma, and other Pacific Coast cities.

The Reverend Captain R. J. Edmison of South Orange, New Jersey, gained loyal support from interested citizens of the United States on the Atlantic Coast. He had been a beloved Padre overseas and was minister of First Presbyterian Church.

Each Sunday morning a dear old member of Lt.-Col. Fallis’ church, Mrs. William Alcorn, would pause at the church door to say she was praying daily to God that he would be given the physical strength to carry on his heavy task. One Sunday she handed him a letter in which she wrote that while she was saying her daily prayer for him, God revealed to her that Lt.-Col. Fallis was to write John D. Rockefeller Jr. and ask him for a subscription toward the Memorial Organ. He accepted the letter as a notion of a very old lady. Sunday after Sunday, she would ask if he had written Mr. Rockefeller. One day she handed him a second letter and it was a rebuke at his lack of faith. She said every time she prayed for him, God would reveal to her that he should write. To please the dear lady, Lt.-Col. Fallis wrote, never dreaming that he would get a reply in which Mr. Rockefeller sent twenty-five hundred dollars.

The Memorial Organ was dedicated on November 18, 1928, by Senator Booth. It was followed by an organ recital by Mrs. Montgomery Lynch of the Music Faculty of the University of Washington in Seattle. Her program was from composers of nine nations, symbolizing the international character of this organ.

In April 1960, the organ was reconstructed and rededicated in memory of those who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars. In 1971, it was rebuilt and rededicated in memory of all members of the Armed Forces who lost their lives in the service of their country.