Qualla: National Field of Honour

National Field of Honour: Introduction

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0. Every headstone is flush with the ground. That single design choice tells you everything about this place. At the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, a general lies no higher than a private. Consecrated on September 21, 1930, and designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007, the cemetery holds more than 22,000 burials -- Canadian and Allied veterans from conflicts stretching back to the eighteenth century. The entrance is a medieval arch flanked by twin towers, one housing an ecumenical chapel. The streets are named for distinguished veterans. The silence is intentional.

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Image: D. Gordon E. Robertson | CC BY-SA 3.0

National Field of Honour: Arthur Hair's Promise

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit RedAndr, CC BY-SA 4.0. The National Field of Honour exists because of a Montreal cigar store owner named Arthur Hair. In 1909, Hair attended the funeral of a destitute veteran and was appalled that the man was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. He founded the Last Post Fund on a simple principle: no...

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Image: RedAndr | CC BY-SA 4.0

National Field of Honour: The Papineau Rescue

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Kyle359, Public domain. The most remarkable chapter in the Field's history involves graves that were already old when they arrived. D'Urban Circle contains the remains of soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, the Battle of Waterloo, the War of 1812, and the Fenian Raids. These veterans were origin...

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Image: Kyle359 | Public domain

National Field of Honour: Three Circles of Memory

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0. The Field is organized around three commemorative circles, each anchoring a different chapter of Canadian military history. Currie Circle honors Sir Arthur Currie, who commanded the Canadian Corps in World War I and later served as principal of McGill University and president of ...

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Image: Jean-Philippe Boulet | CC BY 3.0

National Field of Honour: Memorials in Stone and Steel

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Balcer, CC BY 2.5. Scattered across the grounds are memorials representing each branch of the armed forces. The Air Force Memorial, donated in 2003 by Flight Lieutenant Howard Ripstein, is a metal propeller mounted on a granite plinth. The Army Memorial, a pair of six-inch cannons given by the Cana...

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Image: Balcer | CC BY 2.5

National Field of Honour: Who Rests Here

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jean-Philippe Boulet, CC BY 3.0. The notable burials read like a cross-section of Canadian public life. Lieutenant Colonel Clarence S. Campbell served in both World Wars before becoming president of the National Hockey League, a position he held from 1946 to 1977. Private Leo Major earned the Distinguished Condu...

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Image: Jean-Philippe Boulet | CC BY 3.0