If Ye Break Faith

 "At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them." ~ Laurence Binyon

The National War Memorial occupies the heart of Confederation Square, and today will host the national services marking the ending of the First World War, and commemorating those who fought and died in military service. The Memorial was a response to the Great War, dedicated months before the Second World War, and since rededicated to all who have died in military service for the country. It is a beautiful, haunting monument, and particularly striking on a clear fall day.

I went around the perimeter, featuring fall colours with glimpses of the Memorial as I went.

There are military sentries from April into November. Members of each branch of service will be here, rotating for a few days, with a couple of hour long shifts a day before the next pair come up to relieve them.

At the base of the Memorial is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It contains the final remains of a Canadian soldier who died at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in World War One. This memorial is sacred ground.

Royal Canadian Navy Monument

 Richmond Landing is older than the city itself. After the War of 1812, veterans of that war, with their families, landed here on the shores of the Ottawa River and made a trail inland to found the village of Richmond, which today is within the city boundaries of Ottawa. Here on the other side of an artificial channel of the river that serves to be a home for white water kayaking is another monument, this one to the Royal Canadian Navy.

There is a naval yardarm here, with a low wall of names of ships and navy stations from the long history of the Navy.

Many of them were named after cities and towns across the country. If they've been used repeatedly, the number is listed after the name. I wasn't sure about the markings on the stone, but this spot is relatively low in relation to the river, and I've seen the aftermath of high spring waters get in here.

The other portion of the monument is this large stone wall.

Inscribed on it are theatres of war and military operations the Navy has served in- many of them from the Second World War. The only one without a date refers to the Persian Gulf. Canadian ships were part of Desert Storm, and have been on duty there on a regular basis ever since.

I went down to the river itself. Quite a view downstream.

One last shot. The dark shape before the monument is that of a dog, patiently waiting for its human to stop doing what I was doing- taking photos.

At The National War Memorial

Every once in awhile I'll photograph the National War Memorial, at the heart of Confederation Square downtown. It is one of my favourite photo subjects.

On the south end of the property, banners are displayed on the history of the place. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which dates to 2000, has become in many ways the most sacred place in the country.

From April into November during the day, servicemen and women from units across each of the military branches can be found on the grounds as an honour guard. Two of them will do hour long shifts twice a day before being relieved by the next set, taking their breaks in a space beneath the nearby Plaza Bridge.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at the base of the Memorial.

The Memorial was designed by Vernon March as a memorial after World War One. It was dedicated in the months before World War Two. It has since been rededicated to include that war, the Korean War, the South African War, the Afghan War, and those who have died in military service to the country. It features 22 service members moving through an arch, with two allegorical figures at the top of the arch. It has the tone of commemoration and mourning, entirely appropriate for a war memorial.

Courage Under Fire

 Alvie Burden came from Saskatchewan, and served in the European theatre during the Second World War, seeing action in Italy and the Netherlands.

Piercey Augustus Haynes joined the Navy after restrictions were lifted, serving during World War Two.

Eva May Roy went to war in the Second World War as part of the Canadian Women's Army Corps, and later made a career of it. Anderson Abbott was a black doctor who went south to serve with the Union Army during the Civil War.

Clarence Este saw a lifetime of service starting in the Korean War, and carrying on with various missions in the years afterwards. Jowel Fils-Aime saw peacekeeping and active duty operations around the world, but PTSD led him to take his life. The Carty brothers all served in the RCAF during the Second World War.

Black men and women have taken part in many of Canada's military history, from the Revolution to the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

They fought with distinction in two World Wars that changed the world.

And they have done the same ever since.

I found this exhibit very well curated. One of the strengths of the War Museum is telling the very human stories of individuals.