Located on the Lake Ontario waterfront in a beautiful setting in Spencer Smith Park, Burlington, Ontario, the Naval Ship's Memorial Monument is the result of the tireless efforts of the Royal Canadian Naval Association Burlington Branch.
The monument was unveiled on May 14 1995, the 50th Anniversary of VE Day with approximately 5000 spectators including over 1000 veterans in attendance.
The cairn and ships remembrance wall is Cambrian Black granite with the names of the 527 warships that served during World War II, in the Royal Canadian Navy under the ensign, and the 360 ships that sailed under the Red Duster of the Canadian Merchant Navy. The ships names are in gold, the crests are carved and in full colour.
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| The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 31 warships and the 2024 Naval Personnel of the ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY and the 75 ships and 1466 merchant seamen of the CANADIAN MERCHANT NAVY who were lost during World War II. |
| A six foot bronze statue of a seaman tops off the cairn. The Bell of H.M.C.S. Burlington is mounted atop the centre column of the ships remembrance wall. (see picture below) |
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| H.M.C.S Burlington |
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HMCS Burlington was commissioned on
6 September 1941 as a Bangor Class minesweeper. |
A jack-stay transfer between J250 (HMCS
Burlington) and HMCS Gananoque. |
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| The Royal Canadian Navy renewed its minesweeping force with these ships early in the war. Smaller than the corvettes, they were also able to be built on the Great Lakes. While several were present on D-Day to sweep the approaches to Normandy, most were used primarily as coastal escorts. |
| Type: Minesweeper |
Class: BANGOR Class (39-40 Programme) |
| Displacement: 672 tons |
Dimensions: 54.9 x 8.7 x 2.4 meters (180 x 28.5 x 8 feet) |
| Armament: 1-4" Gun, 1-3" Gun, 2-20mm |
Pendant (Hull Number): J250 |
| Length: 180 ft |
Width: 28.5 ft. |
Draught: 8.3 ft. |
Top Speed: 16 |
| # Officers: 6 |
# Crew: 77 |
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| Laid Down: 4-Jul-40 |
Launched: 23-Nov-40 |
| Commissioned: 6-Sep-41 |
Paid Off: 30-Oct-45 |
| Builder: Dufferin Shipbuilding Co. Toronto, Ont. |
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| Remarks: Shortly are being commissioned the sleek new craft sailed into Burlington for a day of festivities before steaming off to server convoy escort and minesweeping duties on the Atlantic coast. The Burlington played an important role during the war and was paid off (decommissioned) on 30 October 1945. Shortly thereafter it was sold for scrap. The ship's engraved bell was retrieved and presented to the IRON DUKE Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps in trust for the city. It was moved to the Navel Ship Memorial Monument in 1995. |
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| Remembrance Day Music: "O Canada". .Last Post. .Lament. .Reveille. ."God Save The Queen" |
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In honour
of the man of
Burlington and
Nelson Township
who served in the great war
1914 -1919 |
1939 -1945
In honour of the men and woman of
Burlington and Nelson Township
who made the supreme sacrifice
in World War II
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| Passant Thelma |
Breckon P.J.
Budgen J.E.C.
Chapman R.B.
Cooper D.
Cripps A.H.
Cupido A.
Curtis J.E.
Deforest W.C.
Forgett R.J.L.
French G.V.
Green E.S.
Griffith M.H.
Hedley W.J. |
Hooks J.
Johnson A.E
Kearse P.H.
Koropchuk G.
Kurtz D.
Langford G.
Maude F.
MacDonald A.R.
MacFarlane D.W.
McConachie R.J.
McCulloch D.M.
Mercer R.L.
Muddle L.R.
Peart D.R. |
Power N.F.
Reynolds H.G.
Rogers L.H.
Rutzki J.
Smith C.H.
Souvern G.B.
Stevens H.H.
Taylor N.A.
Toomer V.
Treversh J.
Tuck B.
Watson G.H.
Williamson J.W.
Wilson W.S. |
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| Burlington War Memorial |
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The Burlington Cenotaph* now stands in a small park on the north side of City Hall on Brant Street. It was dedicated in April 1922 by Lord Byng and was then located in Spencer Smith Park on the shore of Lake Ontario. It was moved to its present location after the construction of the new City Hall in 1962.
The Cenotaph is a ten foot column of grey stone on a two tier stone base. On the top of the column is a seven foot bronze statue of a Canadian soldier in WWI battle-dress.
More than 300 Burlington and Nelson Townshipmen answered the call of duty in 1914. Thirty eight never returned. Their names are engraved on both sides of the Cenotaph. On the back of the column are engraved the names of 17 key WWI Canadian battle locations such as Vimy Ridge, Arras, Mons, Ypres and the Somme.
On the front of the column is a large bronze plaque four feet by three feet in size, with the names inscribed of 43 service people from this area who died in WWII.
The Korean Vets are remembered by an engraving on the base of the column.
* A Cenotaph is a memorial marker erected in honour of a person, or persons, whose remains are elsewhere.
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