Description of Historic Place

The Newfoundland National War Memorial National Historic Site of Canada is located in downtown St. John’s, directly across from Harbourside Park, formerly King’s Beach. The memorial features five bronze sculptures on a large granite base. The largest figure, a female representing the Spirit of Newfoundland, holds a flaming torch in her left hand above her head and a sword in her right hand, and stands atop the central pedestal. On the front of the monument below the figures are five plaques commemorating Newfoundland and Labrador’s contributions in different conflicts. In the centre, the original 1924 plaque honours those killed during the First World War. Plaques dedicated to those fallen in the Second World War, the Korean War, Afghanistan, and the War of 1812 have been added. Official recognition refers to the monument on a 1,745 square metre site between Water and Duckworth Streets, directly across from Harbourside Park in St. John’s.

Heritage Value

The Newfoundland National War Memorial was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2019. It is recognized because:

• unveiled in 1924 to commemorate the Dominion of Newfoundland’s contributions to the First World War, this imposing monument features an early combination of allegorical and realistic bronze sculptures designed by British artists Gilbert Bayes and Ferdinand Victor Blundstone;

• its design elevates an allegorical female figure, referred to as Victory, Liberty, or the Spirit of Newfoundland, over figures representing the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Royal Naval Reserves, Newfoundland Mercantile Marine, and Newfoundland Forestry Corps to provide a tangible connection between Newfoundland and Labrador and those who served;

• located next to the harbour where Newfoundland and Labrador soldiers departed and returned from the First World War, it is a physical and visual landmark in downtown St. John’s.

The monument is a substantial work of public art that combines allegorical and realistic figures to capture aspects of Newfoundland’s war effort. This location has special symbolic significance to many Newfoundlanders as it was on this site that Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England in 1583. In addition, the memorial is located on the site where the customs office stood prior to the great fire of 1892 that destroyed much of downtown Saint John's. Adding to the symbolic value of the site, King's Beach was the place where soldiers left Newfoundland during the First World War and where survivors returned to the island.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes of the Status of Designations Committee, March 2020.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location in downtown St. John’s, directly across from Harbourside Park, formerly King’s Beach;
- the memorial comprising five bronze sculptures on a large granite base and the five plaques commemorating Newfoundland and Labrador’s contributions in different conflicts;
- the female figure with the torch, which symbolizes freedom, and the sword which represents both Newfoundland’s willingness to serve during the First World War and loyalty to the British Empire;
- the semi-circular design with a graduated platform rising from the entrance stairway on Water Street, which greatly contributes to monument’s visual prominence;
- the view of St. John’s Harbour and the Narrows from the platform.