The Second World War

With the onset of the Second World War in 1939, the Last Post Fund again found itself working against the backdrop of war. While it continued its important core duties, the Fund again supported the war effort in many other charitable and patriotic ways. Once again, many of the organization’s employees and members enlisted for active service. Ironically, the number of burials actually decreased somewhat during this period. The booming wartime economy in Canada meant fewer Veterans were living in poverty and therefore fewer were in need of the services of the Last Post Fund.

It was a busy time in other ways for the Fund during these years. The Papineau Avenue Military Cemetery in downtown Montréal had fallen into serious disrepair and something needed to be done. This graveyard was the resting place of soldiers (and their family members) who had served with the British garrison in Montréal from 1814 to 1869. The graves included that of Lieutenant-General Sir Benjamin d’Urban, who had been commander-in-chief of British forces in North America when he died in Montréal in 1849.

After much preparatory work, the remains were transferred to a new portion of the Last Post Fund’s Field of Honour. The large monument that marked the general’s grave was also moved, with the British soldiers’ graves forming a ring around this central monument in what became known as the “D’Urban Circle.”

This era marked a significant milestone for the Last Post Fund in another way. In 1946, shortly after the end of the Second World War, Arthur Hair died. Fittingly, he was laid to rest at the Field of Honour after a lifetime of tireless effort for his fellow Veterans.