Last Steps Memorial Arch - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 44° 38.875 W 063° 34.173
20T E 454836 N 4943997
Last Steps Memorial Arch honors the memory of Canadian troops who left from this spot to Europe for World War I. It is located on the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Pier at 1675 Lower Water Street on the Harbourwalk in Halifax, NS, Canada.
Waymark Code: WM10N49
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 05/31/2019
Views: 6
The Last Steps Memorial Arch marks the site where around 350,000 Canadian men and women embarked on ships and sailed to Europe during the First World War. About 60,000 never returned. The arch was created by Corinne MacLellan with the assistance of Ken Hynes, the volunteer curator at the Army Museum Halifax Citadel. It was dedicated on August 26, 2016.
The text of the sign next to the memorial explains that there is a sister memorial arch called the Canada Gate at Passchendaele, France at the site of a costly World War I battle battle where canadian forces suffered 16,000 casualties, 4,000 of whom were killed in action.
The text on the sign about the Last Steps Memorial Arch is:
Near this spot, on 20 May 1915, soldiers of the 22nd Battalion (now the Royal 22nd Regiment - Quebec), the 24th Battalion (Victoria Rifles – Montreal), and the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles) of the Canadian Expeditionary Force left Halifax aboard His Majesty’s Transport Ship Saxonia. For hundreds of them, this would be the last time that they stepped on Canadian soil. We can only imagine the thoughts they may have had as they boarded the ship and watched the Port of Halifax disappear from view behind them.
The 25th Battalion, Nova Scotia Rifles was the first complete infantry unit raised in this province to leave Nova Scotia and, on 12 October 1916, the 85th Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders also embarked for overseas service. These were the only two Nova Scotia infantry battalions that stayed together throughout the First World War and were not broken up for reinforcements. Over the course of the War, 350,000 Canadian troops sailed from this port to an uncertain future. Of that number, 67,000 died in Belgium and France. The lives of those who returned to Canada were changed forever. 30,000 Nova Scotians volunteered for military and naval service and 3,400 didn’t come home. The Army Museum Halifax Citadel commemorates their legacy of service and sacrifice.
WWW.ARMYMUSEUMHALIFAX.CA
WE REMEMBER THEM