Some 450 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the First World War or Second World War are buried in the Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg. This number includes over 140 war dead in this “Teardrop” Plot established in 1915 by the Manitoba Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. The IODE had petitioned the City of Winnipeg to set aside a section of the cemetery for the interment of veterans. The group was subsequently given responsibility to assist families in the arrangement and funding of veterans' funerals, to provide foot markers, and conduct plot maintenance.
This Cross of Sacrifice was dedicated on 8 October 1922 at a ceremony attended by Governor General Julian Hedworth George Byng, Lieutenant Governor James Albert Manning Aikins, several members of the Legislative Assembly, Mayor Frank Oliver Fowler and other representatives of the city council, General Huntley Douglas Brodie Ketchen, members of the staff at Military District No. 10, Military District Chaplain William Robertson, Archbishop Samuel Pritchard Matheson, Archdeacon Robert Benjamin McElheran, and Reverend David Christie. Others participating included the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire and several veterans organizations: Great War Veterans Association, Imperial Veterans, Grand Army of United Veterans, Army and Navy Veterans, and Naval Veterans.
Cross of Sacrifice dedication in Brookside Cemetery (October 1922)
,Source: Souvenir of Winnipeg's Jubilee, 1874-1924 Manitobia Collection, University of Manitoba Libraries.
Teardrop-shaped plot in Brookside Cemetery where 140 First World War dead are buried (June 2022)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.92322, W97.22128
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brookside Cemetery (3001 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg)
“2,500 witness dedication of Sacrifice Cross,” Winnipeg Tribune, 9 October 1922, page 3.
This page was prepared by Glen Toews, George Penner, and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 5 January 2026
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