Brookside Cemetery named national historic site

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This article was published 09/11/2023 (692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ottawa has deemed Winnipeg’s Brookside Cemetery — the final resting place for more than 10,000 military service members — a national historic site, ahead of Remembrance Day.

The government of Canada announced Thursday it is honouring the burial ground established in 1878 to acknowledge its historical significance to the country.

Located at 3001 Note Dame Ave., near the airport, the cemetery has upwards of 100,000 burials and is one of the largest veteran burial sites in Canada. It is decorated with a special collection of upright military monuments.

“The Field of Honour at Brookside Cemetery is a resting place to over 10,000 of our veterans. It has long been a respected and honoured place where we remember the sacrifices of those who have served,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a news release.

The military cemetery has a rare “tear drop” section with numerous veterans interred together in one area.

Sgt. Tommy Prince, one of the most decorated Indigenous war veterans in Canada, was also laid to rest at the cemetery.

Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux said the historic designation will allow the city to share “this important piece of our collective story with all Canadians.”

Winnipeg’s first mayor, Francis E. Cornish, Lt. Harry Colebourn, the man who purchased the bear that inspired the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Robert Boyd (R.B.) Russell, a leader of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike Committee, are among other notable figures buried at the site.

The new title is the 24th of its kind in Winnipeg. Other recognized locations include the Exchange District and The Forks.