In the early dawn of any weekday, commuters* stream north over False Creek on the Burrard Street Bridge, heading into downtown Vancouver. At either end of the bridge, two reminders of WW1 stand guard.
The Burrard Street Bridge opened on 1 July 1932. Architect George Lister Thornton Sharp and engineer John R Grant, both WW1 veterans, incorporated a tribute to WW1 prisoners of war into the bridge: bronze lamps in the form of charcoal braziers like those the PoWs had huddled around to keep warm.
The brazier lamps are about a storey high, on art deco pylons about four storeys high. The lamps were replaced in 1965 (the originals had corroded) and again when the bridge was rehabilitated in 2017 (to be fitted with LED lights). A plaque was placed on the northeast pylon when the lamps were relit in 2018:
Burrard Bridge Memorial Braziers
Installed in 1932, the lighted braziers at the top of the four pylons on this bridge memorialize British Columbians who served in the First World War. The braziers have been restored and symbolize the service by all Canadians in subsequent wars and peacekeeping missions.
*The bridge is designed for vehicles, pedestrians and, for the past 10 years or so, bicycles. It is one of the busiest cycling routes in North America.
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