Historic Sites of Manitoba: Transcona Cemetery / Chapel and Winter Vault (Dugald Road, RM of Springfield)

Established in 1914, this cemetery is located within the Perimeter Highway around the City of Winnipeg but it is situated in the Rural Municipality of Springfield. Within the cemetery is a monument commemorating fallen war veterans that was unveiled on 4 October 1987, following an $85,000 restoration of the Field of Honour section of the cemetery, including the restoration of damaged headstones and the replacing of missing ones. The project was sponsored by the member and ladies auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion (Transcona Branch No. 7).

Also on the grounds is a small brick building that was built in 1932 by William Henry Girling, using bricks salvaged from the abandoned Suthwyn Presbyterian Church, as a chapel and winter vault for when frozen ground prevented the digging of graves. The building was later used for the storage of groundskeeping equipment. As of 2019, it was listed as abandoned in the City of Winnipeg's asset inventory list, having been replaced by a new structure elsewhere on the grounds.

North entrance to the Transcona Cemetery (no date) Source: Peter McClure Military monument in the Transcona Cemetery (October 2020) Source: George Penner Military monument in the Transcona Cemetery (July 2021) Source: Nathan Kramer Former chapel and winter vault in the Transcona Cemetery (July 2021) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88471, W96.96350 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Memorable Manitobans: William Henry Girling (1874-1941)

Sources:

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society, including a searchable online database available to members at the MGS Manitoba Name Index (MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites, revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages.

“Legion unveils memorial cross” by Randy Turner, Winnipeg Free Press Weekly Edition, Northeast Edition, 11 October 1987, pages 1 & 4.

“Transcona’s buried past” by Sheldon Birnie, Canstar Community News, 29 June 2017.

We thank Peter McClure and George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 15 July 2022

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