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In 1940, early during WWII, Claude P. Dettloff photographed The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own Rifles) marching down the 8th Street hill to Columbia Street. As the Province photographer took pictures of the column, a young boy ran from his mother’s grasp to reach his father’s outstretched hand. The photo became known as Wait for Me Daddy and is one of the iconic Canadian images of WWII. Pictured are five-year-old Warren "Whitey" Bernard and his parents Bernice and Jack Bernard, as the family was about to be separated on October 1, 1940.

The men of the B.C. Regiment, the Duke of Connaught's Own Rifles, form an impressive line as they march down the street. But the focus of the image is on the real and touching scene of one family that is saying goodbye. In the centre of the image field, a pale-haired young boy has broken free of his mother's grasp (at left) to reach out to his uniformed father (at right), who is marching off to war. The father has turned to smile at his son; shifting his rifle to the other hand, he reaches out to his son one last time before they are to be separated by war.

The city established a mayor's task force in 2011 to develop a public art piece to commemorate this historic photograph and issued a call for artists in July 2012 for submissions for the creation of three bronze life-sized sculptures depicting the Wait For Me, Daddy photograph. The City of New Westminster commissioned sculptors Veronica and Edwin Dam De Nogales to create a war memorial sculpture which was installed near the place where the photo was taken. On October 4, 2014 in a public unveiling ceremony, Hyack Square became home for the Wait For Me Daddy monument that was immortalized in bronze, a Canadian Mint Coin and Canada Post Stamp. Warren 'Whitey' Bernard himself unveiled the sculpture.

The Wait For Me, Daddy photograph holds not only tremendous historical significance to New Westminster, but also to the rest of Canada, as it depicts the emotional connection between father and son, and the struggle that ensues when leaving to do one's duty in the armed forces.

This memorial was erected to commemorate the contribution of the Royal Engineers- Columbia Detachment (The Sappers), to the development of British Columbia and in paricular New Westminster.

The Columbia detachment of the Royal Engineers was a contingent created in August 1858 to assist the Governor of British Columbia in maintaining order during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. Commanded by Colonel Richard Moody, the 172 strong sapper contingent began arriving in BC in October and November 1858 just in time to face down a group of rebellious American miners in Yale, BC. Soon afterwards, they undertook several projects including the selection and surveying of the site for the capital- Queenborough, rechristened New Westminster by Queen Victoria in July 1859. Just a mile outside of the townsite, the Engineer's camp developed into a settlement of its own; the area is still known today as Sapperton. Moody and the Royal Engineers also built an extensive road network, including what became Kingsway, connecting New Westminster to False Creek (Vancouver), the Hope Trail and Cariboo Trail and improvements to the Dewdney Trail.   As part of the surveying effort, several tracts were designated "government reserves", which included Stanley Park as a military reserve. The Columbia Detachment was disbanded in July 1863 with most of its members electing to remain in BC.

The Pier Park Memory Band commemorates important events, people and organizations in New Westminster's history and includes 13 military memorials.

These memorials are:

This memorial was erected by the Royal Westminster Regiment Historical Society in 2004, commemorating the restoration of two 24 Pounder Field Howitzers. See inscription on plaque for details.

On November 19th, 1927, a memorial cairn was unveiled in New Westminster to honour the Royal Engineers. It was placed in front of the BC Penitentiary which can be seen in the background. It is now located in the roundabout on Governors Court, just west of the gatehouse building in the Fraserview development.

This memorial commemorates the Royal Engineers Observatory.

This memorial honours the victims of the Holocaust during the Second World War.

This neighbourhood was named in honour of the Duke of Connaught.

This arena was named in honour of Colonel Richard Clement Moody from the Royal Engineers.

This neighbourhood was originally planned and developed at the end of the Second World War to provide housing for returning Veterans.