Canada's military has been involved in war and peacekeeping missions since the beginning of Confederation. Thousand upon thousands of Canadians have lost their lives while fighting for their country and bringing peace to other nations. Not all of those who fought during the war and died are buried here at home. For many their final resting-place is located in one of the 74 countries where they fought and died.

As a nation we have not forgotten those who gave their life for this country. Their bravery remains in the hearts of Canadians and will always remain for history will continue to teach our children about these fine men and women who defended their country. Canada has constructed memorials throughout the world on major battlefields and in geographical areas of importance during wartime. The majority of names inscribed on these memorials are those of men and women who were either not found or identified at the end of the war.

The Royal Charter established the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as the Imperial War Graves Commission in 1917:

• To mark and maintain the graves of members of the Commonwealth who died during the First World War;
• To build memorials for those with no known grave; and
• To establish and keep records and registers.

There were many reasons why the Commission was founded and they established principles that have remained unchanged to this day:

• Each person who died should be honoured individually by having their name inscribed on either a headstone or on a memorial;
• That all headstones and memorials erected would remain so permanently;
• That all headstones would be uniform; and
• No distinction was to be made concerning military or civilian rank, race or creed.

These memorials are not just for Canadians alone. Many other countries participated in building memorials for their dead and all participating governments share the cost of maintaining the graves and memorials. Canada also has established memorials of her own which are funded solely by Canada such as the Vimy and Beaumont Hamel Memorials in France and the National War Memorial which is located in Ottawa, Canada.