For our Monument Analysis project we decided to focus on Pioneer Square, or the Old Burying Ground, next to the Christ Church Cathedral on Quadra Street. I have visited the site before – several years ago – but never for research purposes.  It was refreshing see the park in a different perspective.

While many features of the site caught my attention, I found what struck me the most about Pioneer Square was the predominance of Naval/ Military/Police memorials that are placed in central positions throughout the site. I thought it was strange to add these very large monuments into a retired graveyard where many of the original stones have been relocated to a cramped position at the back of the park. Therefore, my questions are as follows: what is the relevance of military memorials to this particular place? And furthermore: what are the general attitudes regarding the placement and dominance of these monuments amongst the older established graves?

After doing some research I found that despite seeing only one original naval memorial (the Sutlej Memorial from 1866) at the site, there are actually over fifty British Sailors buried at the grounds (OCS, 2012). Naval burials occurred at Pioneer Square from its opening year in 1855 until 1868 (OCS, 2012). Unfortunately, those buried in the ‘Naval Corner’ of Pioneer Square were neglected and their grave markers left to deteriorate.  Below is a photograph taken from the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria’s website which depicts the original Naval Corner with the HMS Sutlej monument from approximately 1866 - 1870. The public eventually became outraged at the state of the burial site and so the Canadian Naval Society commissioned the erection of a large granite memorial (OCS, 2012).  This information helps answer my first question regarding the relevance of military/naval monuments. I must assume that the other military markers (aviation, police, etc.) are included at the site due to the naval history there as well.

Along with a large number of naval personnel buried at Pioneer Square, there are reportedly 1300 individuals laid to rest there in total. This brings me back to my second question: what are the general attitudes regarding the placement and dominance of these monuments amongst the older established graves? With so many people buried at Pioneer Square with unknown or no affiliation to the military/navy/air force etc., is it appropriate to place a cenotaph larger and more central than all of the other monuments and dedicate it to the Canadian Scottish Regiment (seen below)? I do not think that I can answer this question as it requires deeper research into the creation, patronage, and ceremony surrounding the erection of this particular monument. However I do believe the placement is connected to the status of Pioneer Square as a park rather than graveyard – this distinction, I believe, diminishes the feeling of ‘sacredness’ from the grave site. Public monuments are very common in public parks.

The creation and upkeep of several ‘new’ monuments at Pioneer Square may also be a reaction to the neglect and deterioration that the Old Burial Ground previously suffered. These new monuments may be a way to renew certain obligations between the living and the dead (Barrett 1990, p.187). Therefore, the presence and appearance of these monuments act as a means of communicating the historical importance of the people buried there as well as space itself.

1.       Barrett, J. (1990) The monumentality of death: The character of early bronze age mortuary mounds in Southern Britain. World Archaeology: 22(2): 179-189.

2.       Pioneer Square - Victoria BC. 2012. Pioneer Square - Victoria BC. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.oldcem.bc.ca/psp/html/reports/history/index.htm. [Accessed 20 February 2012].