National War Memorial

The National War Memorial is a World War I memorial in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was erected at King's Beach on Water Street where, in 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England (following John Cabot's 1497 expedition). It was formally unveiled on Memorial Day, 1 July 1924 by Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig. Donations poured in from across the island for the memorial. Construction was supervised by Lieutenant-Colonel Father Thomas Nangle, the Roman Catholic Padre of Royal Newfoundland Regiment and (Ret) Captain Gerald (Gerry) Whitty. On the Memorial's centennial, it was refurbished and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added, with Canada's Governor General and Prime Minister in attendance for the ceremony. This is the only time that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission allowed a second tomb for an unknown soldier in the same country. Both tombs inter a soldier who died in the First World War, which took place before the Dominion of Newfoundland became a part of Canada in 1949: the Newfoundland tomb inters a soldier of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who was previously buried in the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in France, and the Canadian tomb in the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa inters a soldier who fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which Newfoundland was not involved in. About 1,700 Newfoundla

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