by James Wood

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

"In Flanders Fields"
by Lt. Col. John McCrae

That mark our place... These words, from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, a medical officer in the 1st World War, have helped to create a symbol of remembrance for Canada and the world. Another symbol of remembrance, a marker of a different sort but with the same love and respect, was created and still exists in Saskatoon.

A SPECIAL MEMORIAL
On June 23, 1923 a very special memorial to honour the dead of Saskatoon and area was officially consecrated. This memorial is the Next-Of-Kin Memorial Avenue at Woodlawn Cemetery, in Saskatoon.

This special memorial, the only one of its kind in Canada, came out of an idea by, and the consequent efforts of, two Saskatoon Women, Mrs. A.H. Hanson and Mrs. J.W.A. Jarvis. These two women envisioned a living memorial to all the individuals who came from Saskatoon and who were killed in the 1st World War. The lasting memorial they proposed would be a tree planted for each individual, with a plaque at its base, giving the details about the individual that the tree memorialized. These trees would line a road through the Woodlawn Cemetery.

Both Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Jarvis were members of the Education Committee of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, or the IODE, and this group took up the idea enthusiastically. With support from various groups in Saskatoon and City Council they were able to bring their idea to reality.

LARGER THAN ONE WAR
On that June day in 1923, the Next-Of-Kin Memorial Avenue of Trees was officially consecrated. The ceremony that day was to be the first annual memorial service. Since that time, the yearly event and scope of the Avenue has been expanded to memorialize the family members who died in both world wars, as well as the Korean War, and trees have been planted in many of their memories. Each year, a ceremony is held at a stone cairn in the Woodlawn Cemetery. At that first ceremony in 1923, 265 trees were dedicated. In the years since, the number has grown to over 1,200. The ceremony and the Memorial Avenue have continued to be a focus of remembrance and gratitude to those who gave their lives in the conflicts that the nation has been involved in.

CHANGING TIMES
Times have changed since Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Jarvis came up with the idea for the Avenue. The organization of the decoration day ceremony was originally the responsibility of the Military Chapter of the IODE. When that chapter disbanded, the duties moved to the Golden West Chapter of the IODE. Now the City of Saskatoon plays the largest part, with the assistance of various veteran's organizations. As well, the scope of the project has widened to include veterans who died after the wars, as well as veterans from other countries.

A ONCE POPULAR MEMORIAL
Memorial avenues were once a popular means of remembrance. They appeared as a change from the types of memorials that were usually erected to the fallen, such as statuary and practical memorials such as buildings. A report in the Daily Phoenix in Saskatoon thought that an avenue of living trees would symbolize the victory of life over death, and be uplifting to both the eye and soul. Coming after the First World War, one of the images that they tried to reflect were the tree lined avenues of France, where so much of the imagery reflecting the First World War springs from. As well, the imagery of a living memorial to the fallen dead was important. To quote a letter, itself quoted in the Agenda Paper of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, from the Saskatoon IODE branch that began the project:

A tree is a living memorial often more enduring than marble or bronze; a tree is a thing of beauty and of inspiration -- a living token of the wonder and glory of nature-- a symbol of service-- for the life of a tree is a life of service, even the end of life is not the end of a tree's service; to the contrary, the end of a life opens new fields of service which add immeasurably to our civilization, our culture, and our happiness; therefore, is not a tree a fitting symbol for those valiant men who gave their lives for the service of their country and who died that humanity might continue to live in civilization, in culture, and in happiness?

Memorial avenues of this type became popular in Canada, the United States and England. A number of these avenues were developed and promoted in Canada. The first is thought to have been in Victoria, B.C. Others were developed in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Calgary, Alberta; Montreal, Quebec; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Saskatoon's is the only one to remain intact.

A NEW DESIGNATION
In 1991, Jim Hall, an Executive Committee member of the Royal Canadian Legion, contacted the Historic Sites and Monuments Board with the proposal that the Memorial Avenue be declared a National Historic Site. Gordon Fulton, along with Fern Graham, both of the Parks Service Architectural History Branch, researched roads of remembrance in Canada and prepared a report for the Historic Monuments Board.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada met in November of 1992. At this meeting, they considered Mr. Hall's proposal and recommended to the Federal Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Jean Charest, that the proposal be approved. Having the approval of the Minister, after lengthy discussion, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recommended that:

Saskatoon's Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue, an excellent example of the "Roads to Remembrance" phenomenon which developed to honour First World War dead, and the only such boulevard in Canada to have retained its integrity, is of national historic and architectural significance and should be commemorated by means of a plaque.

A plaque was unveiled in a special ceremony that took place during the annual Decoration Day Memorial Service at the Soldiers' Cairn in Woodlawn Cemetery on Sunday, August 28, 1994. Saskatoon's Next-of-Kin Memorial Avenue has been officially recognized as a site of national historic significance.

SOURCES

• "Woodlawn Cemetery road named national historical" Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Saturday September 10, 1994, p. A16
• "Memorial Avenue To Our Dead" Saskatoon StarPhoenix, August 28, 1948
• Hudson, Godfrey "A Unique Living Memorial" from Folklore, Summer 1989 pp. 7-9
• Agenda Paper 1992-33 "Next-of-Kin memorial Avenue: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan" Historic Sites And Monuments Board of Canada
• Letter from Lawrence Friend, Historic Monuments Board of Canada to Jim Hall.

© 1997 by James Wood.