Veterans Cemetery (God's Acre) (Victoria)

Canada / British Columbia / Victoria
 chapel, cemetery, cenotaph
Veterans Cemetery (aka God's Acre) is a National Historic Site nestled between the 12th and 17th holes of the Gorge Vale Golf Course in Esquimalt. This 1.1-hectare of land, a former turnip field, was purchased for $250 in 1868 as the final resting place for officers and men of the Royal Navy.

Before this, officers were buried at what is now known as Pioneer Square in Victoria, and sailors on Brothers Island at the mouth of Esquimalt Harbour. This arrangement changed in the 1860s when the British decided to built a gun battery on Brothers Island. By 1889 tensions with the Imperial Russian Navy were high and the battery defences on Brothers Island were strengthened and expanded, and all graves on the island were relocated to the new cemetery.

The burial ground was consecrated on July 14, 1868 by the Right Reverend George Hills the first Anglican Bishop of British Columbia. The small chapel on site was never consecrated so it could be used by all sects.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   48°26'29"N   123°24'46"W

Comments

  • It will also be helpful if a contact telephone number could be added to this write-up for families of veterans who would like to use the chapel for a breavement service.
This article was last modified 13 years ago