Photo credit: Randi Su Gage.

By Curtis Galbraith

Community

Women of War Memorial now established in Grande Prairie

Mar 19, 2025 | 6:00 AM

Grande Prairie’s Veterans Memorial Gardens and Interpretive Centre has added a new feature.

A Women of War Memorial was unveiled at a recent ceremony.

Collections manager Renee Charbonneau says women did many things to help in Canada’s war efforts.

“Flying planes at night to bring them to the front for pilots in Europe. Not just the soldier side but the volunteer, the civilian side, women stepped up into roles (like) making munitions (and) building planes.”

Charbonneau says women also built ships and worked cutting lumber and as mechanics. They also worked as spies and in nursing, administrative and communications jobs

She adds the project had what she calls “wonderful support from Veterans Affairs Canada.”

“Anything that they can do to make sure that Canadians remember is something that Veterans Affairs is very good at. They’ve been wonderful to work (with on) this.”

“They allowed us some funding for the memorial. We got some different partners to help pay for different things like concrete.”

Charbonneau says the Royal Canadian Legion branches in Grande Prairie and Sexsmith came on board as sponsors.

She describes the effort as “community.”

“It’s all about people joining hands to help our young people learn about something that happened long ago and to help citizens remember how lucky we are and why we’re lucky.”

Among those attending the ceremony was the new Canadian Forces Provost Marshall, Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan.

The Provost Marshall is the commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group.

Other veterans, a serving soldier and cadets were also part of the ceremony to unveil the memorial.

Several people, including Hanrahan and local historian Duff Crerar, spoke at a symposium held along with the unveiling.

A representative from the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum read out some diary stories from nurses who served in World War I.

“(She) talked about resilience and fear and how recreation played a part in the whole mitigation of that because fear is a big thing. How do you deal with, one day, you’re dealing with 300 soldiers, the next day, it’s eerily quiet and nothing,” adds Charbonneau.

Charbonneau adds it was “a very powerful weekend.”

Charbonneau says there are also plans to add an Animals of War garden. A dedication for a Soldiers of Suicide garden is planned for August.