Unveiled on July 1, 1924, the War Memorial in St. John’s, a national historic site, honours Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who served in WWI. For its 100th anniversary, a project led by landscape architects included the repatriation of a fallen Unknown Newfoundland Soldier from France, the design of a tomb to honourably house the remains, and the redesign of the broader site to enhance accessibility, sustainability and heritage preservation. Improvements included preserving historic granite elements and sculptures, improving accessibility, adding historically accurate metalwork and enhancing public space. Invasive plant species were replaced with native, improving biodiversity; historic planting beds were reintroduced, featuring flowers symbolic of wartime commemoration. At the project’s heart, a tomb for an Unknown Newfoundland Soldier, crafted from Canadian black granite and labradorite from Labrador, is adorned with a bronze bouquet of forget-me-nots, a symbol of remembrance. This is Canada’s second tomb for an Unknown Soldier, making Canada the only country in the world to receive such an honour. This rare project artfully blends old and new, creating a resilient, inclusive, and commemorative space that respects Newfoundland and Labrador’s wartime heritage, solidifying it as an important cultural landscape for many generations to come.
