Ontario

The Sappers' Bridge memorial was erected by the Canadian Military Engineer Centennial 1903-2003 Committee and the National Capital Commission. The memorial bridge foundations and the plaques were unveiled on April 29, 2004 and are dedicated in honour of a century of contributing service by Canadian Military engineers.

Sappers' Bridge was built in 1827 to link the military barracks and hospital located on the present-day Parliament Hill to the engineering buildings in Lower Bytown. Sappers' Bridge was a great stone arch, with its eastern end connected to Rideau Street, while its western extremity joined a wagon trail winding towards Wellington Street. Sometimes after 1849, the wagon trail developed into Sparks Street with Sappers' Bridges linking Sparks Street and Rideau Street.

In 1872, Dufferin Bridge was built next to Sappers' Bridge, and connected Wellington Street directly to Rideau Street. These two bridges continued to serve Ottawa until 1912 when they were both demolished and replaced with what has become officially known as Plaza Bridge. It is said that Sappers' Bridge was so well built that initial attempts at blasting failed to damage the bridge and it had to be brought down by repeatedly dropping a large weight onto the bridgeworks.

With the construction of Plaza Bridge came the re-development of the Sappers'/Dufferin Bridge area. Parts were filled in, the old Post Office demolished and replaced, slightly more to the west, by the present-day Main Post Office, roads were realigned and the National War Memorial built on the old Post Office site, to create Confederation Square.

Sappers Staircase is also located here.

In 1988, Leslie Gault, nephew of Brigadier Hamilton Gault the founder of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, approached the Regiment with the idea of erecting a heroic-size bronze statue of his uncle. The Regimental Guard at its meeting of 19 March 1989, agreed and committed to its realization. The project was coordinated by Colonel J.D. Joly, and later by Colonel G.A.P. Lachapelle. 

This bronze statue was created by renowned bronze sculptor Don Begg of Studio West Bronze Foundry Ltd. in 1990 and unveiled on 9 May 1992. Three statues in honour of a great Canadian war hero, philanthropist, industrialist, public servant and founder of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry were commissioned to accurately portray him and his strict military demeanour.  Careful attention to detail and authenticity place Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Hamilton Gault in the uniform and rank, complete with regimental badges and war service medals, as he welcomed his soldiers returning to Ottawa from the First World War. The other two statues are in Calgary and Wainwright.

Andrew Hamilton Gault was born in England on 18 August 1882. He was descended from Scottish-Irish of Ulster who immigrated to Canada from Northern Ireland in 1842 and settled in Montreal. In 1900, at the age of 18, he was commissioned into the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles and served with distinction as a subaltern until the end of the South African War in 1901. He was awarded the Queen's medal with three clasps.

After the war he continued military service with the Canadian Militia, eventually becoming a Captain with the 5th Royal Highlanders (Black Watch). The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was raised in Ottawa in August 1914 as the result of an offer by Captain Andrew Hamilton Gault, by now a prominent business man, to provide $100,000.00 to finance and equip a regiment for overseas service. The Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was founded for service in the First World War on August 10, 1914, and paraded for the first time at Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, Ontario, on August 23, 1914. It was the last privately raised regiment in Canada.

Gault was appointed Senior Major and Second-in Command of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. He was the first Canadian to receive the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry in the field during the First World War when he was wounded while retrieving casualties under fire at St. Eloi on 28 February 1915. He was wounded again at the Battle of Frezenberg on 8 May 1915 and again for the third time at the Battle of Sanctuary Wood on 2 June 1916, ending his field service with the Regiment. Despite losing his left leg, he refused repatriation to Canada and returned to duty as a Staff Officer with the 3rd Canadian Division until the end of the war.

On 28 March 1918, Major Gault was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and rejoined the Regiment as Commanding Officer in November. Gault and the surviving members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry left France for England on 7 February 1919. The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry returned to Ottawa 19 March 1919 for their victory parade, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Gault. For his service in the Great War, Gault was also awarded the Order of the British Empire, the 3rd Class Russian Order of St. Anne with Crossed Swords and the Belgium Order of the Crown. He was Mentioned in Despatches four times and made Honourary Lieutenant-Colonel in 1920.

In 1939, Hamilton Gault was recalled for active duty with the Canadian Army in England and was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1940 and to Brigadier-General in 1942. He commanded a Canadian Army Reinforcement Holding Unit until ill health forced him to retire later that year. He returned to Canada and his Canadian home at Mount St. Hilaire in Quebec in 1944. In 1947, Gault founded the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Association and served as the first National President. He always maintained his connection with the Regiment and gave advice on Regimental matters which were always referred to him. Gault was appointed honourary Lieutenant-Colonel in 1948 and visited the Regiment in Calgary in 1953 and in Germany in 1954. He was appointed the first Colonel of the Regiment shortly before his death 28 November 1958. 

McNaughton Avenue was erected by the city of Ottawa and unveiled in approximately 1943. The avenue memorial is dedicated to General Andrew McNaughton, CH, CB, CMG, DSO, CD, PC (1887-1966).

McNaughton joined the Militia in 1909 and went overseas with the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. By the end of the war he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and in command of the Canadian Corps Artillery.

In 1920 he enlisted in the Army and in 1922 was promoted to Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Chief of the General Staff in 1929. He returned to civilian life and from 1935 to 1939 became head of the National Research Council of Canada.

In 1939 McNaughton led the 1st Canadian Infantry Division into the Second World War and took command of the 1st Canadian Corps upon its formation in 1940. General McNaughton was appointed Commander of the 1st Canadian Army when the latter was created in 1942 and took the brunt of the blame for the Dieppe Raid. Due to pressure by critics and weakened by health problems, McNaughton resigned his command in December 1943. In 1944, prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King appointed McNaughton as Minister of National Defence.

Mutchmor Public School was erected by the city of Ottawa Public School Board. The school was unveiled on December 23, 1895 and is dedicated to John Mutchmor, Veteran of the War of 1812.

Mutchmor Public School opened under the name Mutchmor Street Public School taking its name from the adjacent Mutchmor Street. The street itself, and by association the school, were named for John Mutchmor, an Upper Canada homesteader. A number of years after the school opening, the street was renamed 5th Avenue, however the school retained its original name, eventually changing it slightly to Mutchmor Public School.

John Mutchmor is also honoured on Mutchmor Road in Ottawa (off of Main Street starting at the Cuban embassy and extending to McGillivray Street). It is unknown when Mutchmor Road was named and whether it was named as a replacement for the loss of Mutchmor Street.

Crerar Avenue is dedicated to Henry Duncan Graham "Harry" Crerar CH, CB, DSO, KStJ, CD, PC (April 28, 1888 - April 1, 1965).

General Crerar was born in Hamilton and attended the Royal Military College (RMC) of Canada. He raised to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel in the First World War, remained in the Army after the war and was appointed Director of Military Operations and Military Intelligence in 1935 and Commandant of RMC in 1938. He had a reputation of being a brilliant mind and the best officer on the Canadian General Staff.

He served in the Second World War, initially as a Brigadier on the General Staff at Canadian Military headquarters in England. In early 1940 he was appointed Vice Chief General Staff in Canada and then later that year he became Chief of the General Staff. He became General Officer commanding 2nd Canadian Division in England in 1941, General Officer Commanding 1st Canadian Corps in England and then Italy in 1942 and General Officer Commanding 1st Canadian Army in 1946.

Crerar retired from the military in 1946. Later, he occupied diplomatic postings in Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands and Japan.

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Dutch tulip Celebration Garden and plaque were erected by the CNA and unveiled sometime after 2002. This memorial is dedicated to the Canadian Nursing Sisters of the Second World War and Sharon Nield (Director nursing Policy 1943-2002).

This memorial was erected by the Blessed Sacrament parish and unveiled on Christmas 1946, in grateful memory of the parishioners who gave their lives in the Second World War.

The Blessed Sacrament Church First World War Plaque is also located here.

This memorial was erected by the Blessed Sacrament parish and unveiled on Armistice Day (11 November) 1920 by Reverent John J. O`Gorman, P.P. in memory of his parishioners and comrades of the overseas military forces of Canada.

The Blessed Sacrament Church Memorial Organ is also located here.

Architect John A. Pearson conceived the idea of a Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower as a national shrine: a noble tribute to Canadians who had given their lives during the Great War in France and Flanders. At a very early stage in the project's development, the architect decided to ask British, French and Belgian governments to provide stone for use within the Memorial Chamber.

In the summer of 1921, Pearson visited Europe and, on his own initiative, shared his project with officials in Great Britain, France, and Belgium. He showed them his architectural drawings and indicated the quantities of stone needed. In addition, he made trips to the main battlefields and arranged to collect stones at each site. His efforts were very successful: by August 1923, all of the stone required for the floor, walls and ceiling of the Chamber had arrived in Ottawa. Visitors to the Memorial Chamber are connected to those who perished by treading on the same ground.

For the Chamber's Altar, Great Britain provided a block of Hoptonwood limestone. Belgium presented black marble for the wall plinths and altar steps, as well as Saint Anne Marble for the clustered columns which support, at each corner of the room, the intricate fan vault. For the walls and vault, the French government gave Chateau-Gaillard stone: in Pearson's words, “one of the most beautiful stones of France.” The Memorial Chamber is a solemn room which encourages reflection, a sense of peace and respect. It is remarkable for its detailed Gothic Revival style, which gives the small space a lofty appearance due to the exceptional height of its walls. Placed behind an open tracery screen, the outer walls consist of a blind arcade at the lower level, surmounted by magnificent stained glass windows.

The commemorative nature of this unique shrine is strongly underlined by the provenance of its fine materials, and by its carefully planned decoration, from sculpture to stained glass windows. Initial plans called for the names of over 66,000 Canadians who died from the causes of war between 4 August 1914 and 30 April 1922 (the date of the final demobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force) to be carved into the chamber's stone walls. When the space proved inadequate, it was decided to create a Book of Remembrance in which each name would be inscribed.

As designed, the focal point of the Chamber is an altar containing the Book of Remembrance that holds the names of over 66,000 Canadians who died during the First World War. The altar rests on steps made of stone quarried from Flanders Fields. Today, there are six more altars around the Chamber containing Books of Remembrance listing those who died in conflicts from the Nile Expedition to the Korean War, and in the service of Canada to this day.

This memorial Niche (no. 1) was created by artists/sculptor Ira Lake and A. Fortescue Duguid, from 1926 to 1928. It is made of Chateau-Gaillard stone and marble. The walls are divided into 17 niches, each comprising a cusped blind arch crowned with a gablet and finial, and incorporating a marble slab at the lower level.

The sculptural ornamentation, based on research by Col. A. Fortescue Duguid and assisted by Captains J.I.P. Neal and F. Cummins, includes the following elements

1. Moulding: Badges and insignia of Canada's 178 pre-1914 militia regiments. Niche no. 1: The Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), The Governor General's Body Guard, 1st Hussars, 2nd Dragoons, 3rd The Prince of Wales' Canadian Dragoons.

2. Pierced quatrefoil panels: Badges and insignia of the Canadian cavalry, and field units other than infantry. Niche no. 1: Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians), The Fort Garry Horse.

3. Diaper background: Badges and insignia of all the French and British regiments and Colonial forces that served in Canada prior to Confederation. Niche no. 1: French regiments serving prior to 1760: Carignan-Salières, Guienne, Béarn, Berry, La Sarre, La Reine, Languedoc, Corps Royal de l'Artillerie.

4. Gablet crockets: Badges and insignia of reinforced battalions. Niche no. 1: 6th (Western Canada) Battalion, 9th Battalion, 11th Battalion, 12th Battalion, 17th Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada), 23rd (Montreal) Battalion, 30th (British Columbia) Battalion, 32nd (Manitoba and Saskatchewan) Battalion, 33rd Battalion, 34th Battalion, 35th Battalion, 36th Battalion.

5. Gablet springers (shields): Badges and insignia of all branches of the Canadian Corps. Niche no.1: Canadian Artillery and Royal Navy, RCN, RCNVR.

6. Arch quatrefoil and cusps: Badges and insignia of fighting battalions. Niche no.1: Maple Leaf Badge, 1st (Western Ontario) Battalion, 2nd (Eastern Ontario) Battalion.

7. Arch spandrels: Medals and war decorations of the Allied countries. Niche no.1: Victoria Cross and Distinguished Service Order.

8. Shield: Coats of arms appropriate to the historical scenes noted below. Niche no.1: Arms of the city of Plymouth (Great Britain).

9. Low relief panel: Historical scenes and services rendered by Canadians during the Great War. Niche no.1: The Crossing (October 1914)

10. Marble panel: The original narrative panels describing the various theatres of war, campaigns and battles were replaced in 1982 at the request of the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The new panels, engraved in both official languages, give a complete history of Canadian Forces' contribution to peace over the years, starting with the Fenian Raids and ending with the Korean War. Citations were added from the Bible, poems and other literature, including works by Lt-Col. John McCrae, Gabrielle Roy and Earle Birney.