Memorial University was founded on a simple yet profound idea. We honour the past by promising a better future.

We are an institution built to memorialize those who served in the First World War, the Second World War and subsequent conflicts. We honour those who lost their lives by providing each new generation with the knowledge and abilities to live their lives to the fullest.

Our university is a living memorial. We observe Remembrance Day and Memorial Day with reverence and respect. And our commitment to remembrance is inscribed on our landscape and in the daily life of our institution.

War Memorial Plaque

Princess Mary unveils the War Memorial Plaque in the main foyer of the Arts and Administration Building in 1964. Photo: Memorial University Archives

The War Memorial Plaque is located in the Founders Gallery of the Arts and Administration building in St. John's.

The plaque was officially unveiled by Princess Mary, colonel-in-chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, on September 21, 1964, as a gift to the university by the Newfoundland Command of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Memorial Tower

Memorial Tower, St. John’s campus. Photo: Memorial University Archives

A donation from the Johnson Family Foundation funded the construction of Memorial Tower on the St. John's campus in the late 1990s. The tower stands in the Veterans’ Memorial Court, established in 1999, and bears a dedication plaque acknowledging the sacrifice of the men and women who served their country. Memorial University's origins are documented in the historical display inside the base of the tower.

Allied Merchant Navy Memorial

Allied Merchant Navy Memorial, Marine Institute. Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp

The Allied Merchant Navy Memorial was erected at the Marine Institute in St. John’s in 1997. The Canadian Merchant Navy Association in St. John’s initiated the plans for the memorial. The Johnson Family Foundation, along with other contributors, funded the project. The monument commemorates the Allied Merchant Navy men and women who lost their lives in the First World War and the Second World War and includes the names of 333 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Marine Institute’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony is held at the site. And a ceremony marking Merchant Navy Day is held at the memorial every September.

Danger Tree

Danger Tree sculpture, Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook. Photo: Dave Howells

A sculpture of the Danger Tree, created by Memorial University alumnus Morgan MacDonald, is located at Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook. Princess Anne, colonel-in-chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, unveiled the sculpture on June 29, 2016, to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel in France. The Danger Tree commemorative marker is a gift to Memorial University from Corner Brook’s Forget-Me-Not Committee.

Private Hugh McWhirter Statue

The Private Hugh McWhirter statue at Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook. Photo: Lori Lee Pike

A bronze statue of Private Hugh McWhirter, sculpted by alumnus Morgan MacDonald, was unveiled at a special ceremony on July 24, 2019, at Grenfell Campus. Private McWhirter was the first soldier from the First Battalion of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment to be killed in combat in the First World War.

The statue can be found at the Danger Tree Memorial site, Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook.

Newfoundland Book of Remembrance

The late Dr. G. Campbell Eaton donated a replica of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance, which commemorates the lives of the men and women who died while serving their country. The book is displayed in the Founders Gallery of the Arts and Administration building in St. John’s. Memorial University staff members turn the pages daily so that all names inscribed in the book can be read.

Senator C.W. Carter donated a second Newfoundland Book of Remembrance to the university. It is located in the J.R. Smallwood Collection at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies in the Queen Elizabeth II Library in St. John’s.

The Government of Canada’s Department of Veteran Affairs donated a third Newfoundland Book of Remembrance to Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook in 2017. The replica is displayed along with the retired Colours of the Second Battalion, Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

All three replicas are copies of the original on display in the Memorial Chamber of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. A replica is also displayed in the Confederation Building in St. John's.

A PDF file of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance is available through the Centre for Newfoundland Studies’ digital archives.

You can also search the Books of Remembrance through the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website.

Annual Academic Calendar

In light of the great loss suffered during the First World War, Newfoundland didn’t impose a draft during the Second World War. However, many Newfoundlanders still volunteered. Of those recruits, 310 former students of Memorial University College offered themselves for active service. Thirty  students lost their lives. Their names are recorded in the university's calendar each year.

Queen Elizabeth II Library

The Queen Elizabeth II Library features collections and displays of special wartime-related archival materials.