Thursday, March 30, 2023

The Memorial To Fallen Firefighters

 The Canadian Firefighters Memorial is a monument located at Lebreton Flats, west of the downtown core, near the War Museum. It is meant as a national memorial (the city has an Ottawa memorial for firefighters at City Hall), and it is home to a national service of remembrance each September. It consists of a large firefighter statue and pole on one side of the property, and a wall of names on the other. Landscaping around the grounds is deliberate- with trees that turn red in the fall, and are often the first to grow back after a fire.


The firefighters prayer is engraved here.


The names are organized by province and territory, from west to east, each separated from each other by enough space to differentiate. Whether they have died directly in the line of duty or of diseases related to the job, their names are here. Each year, more names are added.


The view here includes the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada off in the distance, and just a glimpse of one of the towers on Parliament Hill.


I have attended some of the services of remembrance here, as some of you may remember. It was here that I first met the blogger known as Furry Gnome- his son William Hilts was a water bomber pilot who died in the line of duty fighting a forest fire several years ago. He was based out of BC at the time, and his name is seen here at lower left.


The statue, a large one, is informally known as the Big Guy.

38 comments:

  1. We must be so thankful people are still willing to do this job.
    I must admit, too, I am glad Ingo is too old since quite a while. It always frightened the heck out of me.

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  2. Thank goodness. Military losses are always remembered in public, even though the solders and sailors are out there to damage communities. Firefighters risk their own lives to SAVE communities

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    1. The ceremony they have here in September is very moving.

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  3. As I have said before, I have been in an apartment that just about opens onto this park. Now, I do remember you meeting Gnome.

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  4. A wonderful monument, artfully captured too.

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  5. Hello,
    Beautiful monument, it is sad to see so many names. They are heroes. Take care, have a happy day!

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  6. Wonderful tribute to Fire Fighters and great photos ~ especially of the statues ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  7. Wow, that is a huge memorial. Firefighters do very dangerous work. They deserve to be recognized.

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  8. Un gran memorial, que nos recuerda a unos grandes héroes.

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  9. A beautiful memorial for these heroes who are often overlooked.

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  10. It is right and good to remember these heroes!

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  11. My nephew is a Firefighter, that is a wonderful memorial.

    All the best Jan

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  12. That's another very impressive monument.

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  13. The firefighters are always the noble profession. Great memorial for the heroes.

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  14. Great way to pay a tribute to these bravehearts!

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  15. I remember when our blogger friend lost his son. So tragic!

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