Did you know that 951 Canadian Army fatalities in WW2 have no known grave? They are commemorated on CWGC memorials listed below.
NASSAU MEMORIAL, Bahamas (2)
HALIFAX MEMORIAL, Nova Scotia, Canada (138)
THE QUEBEC MEMORIAL, POINTE CLAIRE FIELD OF HONOUR, Quebec, Canada (92)
SAI WAN MEMORIAL, China, including Hong Kong (228)
BAYEUX MEMORIAL, Calvados, France (268)
CASSINO MEMORIAL, Italy (193)
RANGOON MEMORIAL, Myanmar (1)
GROESBEEK MEMORIAL, Gelderland, Netherlands (96)
MEDJEZ-EL-BAB MEMORIAL, Tunisia (1)
BROOKWOOD 1939-1945 MEMORIAL, Surrey, United Kingdom (200, victims of the Dieppe Raid)
I was surprised to see 92 memorialized at the Quebec Memorial in Pointe Claire, far away from any field of battle.
The CWGC Ottawa office explained that “Historically, there was no legislation to protect veteran graves in Quebec and the process was not in place for VAC/CWGC to be notified when a burial concession expired. In the cases where the family did not renew the grave, it was lost or resold.”
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission built the Quebec Memorial at the Montreal Pointe Claire National Field of Honour to commemorate Commonwealth war burials in the Province of Quebec whose graves can no longer be marked or maintained. The Memorial consists of two large blocks of granite, as well as a walkway from Currie Circle
The additional information field for the individual commemorated at the Quebec Memorial indicates where interment occurred.
Lost CWGC burials could still be recognized at the cemetery with a plaque similar to this in England. All is not lost, the cemetery’s CWGC page does list those in lost graves.
A special thanks to CWGC staff members Paul in England and Catherine in Ottawa for prompt and informative responses to my queries.
Comparing the number of Canadian dead with no known grave in the Second World War to the First is a stark reminder of how different these two wars were. Almost one-quarter of Canada’s war dead between 1914 and 1919 have no known grave or are buried but unidentified. Trench warfare and the senseless practice of attacking the enemy in large numbers undoubtedly contributed to many of the “unknown”. By contrast, since the Second War was essentially one of movement, only a very small percentage of the dead have no known grave, almost half the number being victims in the fighting at Hong Kong and the Dieppe Raid. Thank you for posting the number and the locations/events.
Thanks for the info John.