The Last Post Fund in the Post-War Years

The end of the Second World War in 1945 saw more than a million Canadians returning to civilian life - a huge population of Veterans whom the Last Post Fund would serve. Burials did not increase as much immediately following the Second World War as they had after the First World War, largely due to the improved social services that had become available in Canada. The first decade following the war saw the Last Post Fund average about 700 to 800 burials a year, most being First World War Veterans.

As the years passed, Canada’s wartime Veteran population aged and the number of burials naturally increased. The early 1960s saw a sharp rise in Last Post Fund burials as Veterans of the Second World War grew older and began to pass away in increasing numbers.

The Last Post Fund evolved in other ways as well. For example, it allowed Veterans who had not been honourably discharged from the military to qualify for assistance, and also made the process of determining financial need less demanding for the deceased Veterans’ families.

The late 1980s and 1990s saw the Fund become increasingly linked with Veterans Affairs Canada. This culminated in 1998 with the organization assuming full responsibility for delivering Veteran Affairs Canada’s Funeral and Burial Program across Canada. Today, the Last Post Fund is the sole agency of burial services for Veterans in Canada.