Winnipeg, MB - Brookside Cemetery is encouraging the public to visit and remember the more than 11,000 war Veterans interred in its Field of Honour during the week prior to Remembrance Day.
In addition to free, organized tours, Veterans from the Second World War, the Korean War and Peacekeeping missions will be on hand to provide firsthand accounts of Canada's military history. As well, representatives from the Royal Winnipeg Rifles Museum will provide memorabilia displays and share related stories.
Brookside Cemetery is home to one of Canada's largest and most significant design of military interment sites.
The Field of Honour is the burial place of war Veterans, Peacekeepers, Merchant Marines and Military Service Men and Women from the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars and the Battle of Hong Kong. The Field of Honour also heralds Canada's only Commonwealth War Graves Commission ‘Stone of Remembrance’.
"Many people don't know that such an important Canadian wartime historical site is located right here in Winnipeg," says Jane Saxby, Cemeteries Administrator. "The Brookside Cemetery Field of Honour compares to the European and American Military Fields of Honour. We are offering free tours for schools and the general public during Remembrance Week, as a way to increase awareness of this historical asset and to share these important stories.”
2016 has been another year of significant anniversaries, including the 75th Anniversary of The Battle of Hong Kong and the 100th Anniversary of the Battles of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel.
Saxby encourages the public to visit the Field of Honour and take part in acknowledging the service our Veterans gave by placing a poppy and a Canadian flag, while learning about their bravery. A tour of the Field of Honour offers a unique way to understand the importance of Remembrance Day. “It is a day to remember and reflect on the sacrifices that helped shape the Canada we enjoy today," she adds.
Brookside Military Field of Honour is the final resting place for two of Manitoba's most famous Veterans: Sergeant Tommy Prince, the province's most decorated Aboriginal War Veteran, and Major Harry Coleburn, the soldier who owned the bear cub who later inspired the Winnie the Pooh series of children's books.
Field of Honour - General Public Tour
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2016
Time: 10:30 a.m. (tour is approximately 3.5 hours in duration and bus transportation is included within the cemetery)
A short Service of Remembrance will be held immediately after the tour, at the Stone of Remembrance in the cemetery grounds, commencing at 1:30 p.m. Everyone on the tour will be able to attend and then be taken back to the pick-up point on the tour bus.
Please Note: Advance registration is required for the general public tour. Those interested in taking the tour can contact Brookside Cemetery at 204-986-4348.