Remembrance Day Parade at Memorial South Park
This story was inspired by an email from Detective 849 Grant “Tugger” Thompson (retired), as to the connection between the Vancouver Police and the Memorial South Park Cenotaph.
The first Cenotaph in the British Empire dedicated to those who had given the ultimate sacrifice was built at the old South Vancouver Municipal Hall¹. The Hall was attached to the South Vancouver Police Department and adjacent to the Fire Department at 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street.
A movement started in 1918 to establish a suitable memorial in honour of South Vancouver citizens who rallied to the Colours and gave their lives for the Empire during the Great War. This movement initiated by the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Mothers and Wives Association, was the first organization of its kind in the British Empire².
This early 1920s map of the Municipality of South Vancouver, shows the main portion of Mountainview Cemetery, bordered on the south by East 43rd Avenue (also known as Wilson Road). East 43rd Avenue later became 41st Avenue (under By-Law 2028) and all surrounding roads were adjusted accordingly, when Point Grey, South Vancouver and Vancouver amalgamated in 1929.
Today, this site we know as the home of John Oliver Secondary School.
¹ Local newspapers up until the start of WW II indicate that South Vancouver was the first Cenotaph in the British Empire. Other research indicates it was the first war memorial in the Vancouver area.
² Once again, this information was gleaned anecdotally from local newspapers of the day. The Ladies Auxiliary to the Great War Veterans’ Association was also named as the advocators & erectors of this monument.
The Cenotaph, a single white column, was representative of an “empty tomb” from the far away fields of France. It was officially unveiled on Armistice Day – November 11, 1920. The inscription on the Cenotaph read “THEIR NAMES SHALL LIVE FOR EVERMORE. OUR GLORIOUS DEAD.”
Armistice Day Ceremonies in South Vancouver occurred annually every November 11. The parade traditionally started from 51st (today’s 49th Avenue) and Fraser, marching northbound to 43rd (today’s 41st) Avenue and the Cenotaph. This historical parade continued until November 11, 1939, the start of WW II.
For many years, a more permanent and grander home was sought for such a tribute, with numerous sites put forth and declined. It was finally decided that the location would include a large park for the people of South Vancouver, directly off of 43rd Avenue (41st), between Prince Albert and Ross Streets, just down from Municipal Hall and the epicenter of the community. It was to be called Memorial Park.
South Vancouver Municipal Engineer E. Dundas Todd designed Memorial Park. A pavilion was to be built, accessed by a broad 145-foot tree-lined boulevard. The Great War Veterans’ Association and the Army and Navy Veterans’ Association supported this proposed memorial; school children sold “bricks” towards the pavilion. About $3000 was raised.
On May 22, 1926, the 37-acre Memorial Park and Pavilion were officially opened.
It wasn’t until Armistice Day 1939 that the Cenotaph was relocated to Memorial Park. By this time the Park had been rebranded as Memorial South Park, upon amalgamation 10 years earlier on January 1, 1929. The Cenotaph, now an old wooden structure crumbling from the ravages of time, was cemented over and mounted upon a granite base. It was rededicated “To the memory of the men and women who served in defense of their Country.”
The Cenotaph today stands in the centre circle at the end of the tree-lined boulevard within the park.
For the Vancouver Police, Remembrance Day Services commence at John Oliver School, with a brief march across the street to Mountain View Cemetery, and to the graveside of Constable Robert McBeath, V.C. Here, initiating in 2000 and every year since, an homage is paid to those Vancouver Police officers whose lives were lost during the first and second World Wars.
While the original Armistice Day Parades marched north on Fraser Street and then east on E. 41st Avenue, today, the South Vancouver tribute always starts at John Oliver School, travelling east along E. 41st Avenue. Since 1926, all Parades have followed Memorial South Park’s tree-lined boulevard, coming to a halt at the Cenotaph.
The Memorial Cross (also referred to as the Silver Cross) was first issued in 1919. A gift from Canada, it was and continues to be issued as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice by widows and mothers of Canadian sailors, soldiers, and aviators who have died for their country.
Addendum
The location of John Oliver School is significant as it was the original location of the South Vancouver municipal hall, police station, fire hall, and sports field. The school began in 1912 as South Vancouver High School, sharing the same school grounds as Lord Selkirk Elementary at 22nd and Commercial. Due to popular demand and increased enrolment, it was moved to 49th and Knight Street (General Gordon School, later becoming Sir Sanford Fleming Elementary).
South Vancouver’s first standalone high school was eventually built in 1920-21. This building (in what would be today’s sports field) was the first and for a long time, the only high school in the municipality. It was dedicated to the Honourable John Oliver (then Premier of British Columbia). More buildings followed as the population continued to climb. The main school that we see today was erected in 1950 on 41st Avenue. The original building suffered a massive fire and was destroyed on December 9, 1959.
Other References
City of Vancouver Archives
Street Names of Vancouver by Elizabeth Walker; 1999