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Welcome to the Last Post Fund Website!
GRIEVING SOLDIER Stained-glass (detail) created by Montreal artist Nicole Gascon and installed in the Gate of Remembrance of the Last Post Fund National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Québec. Gift from the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command.
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In the Beginning
The Last Post Fund originated from an act of compassion, respect and patriotism. In late December 1908, an unconscious man was found in a downtown doorway, supposedly drunk according to the policemen who took him to the Montreal General Hospital. The head orderly Arthur Hair, a British immigrant and Veteran of the Boer War in South Africa, soon discovered the man’s identity: Trooper James Daly had been demobilized from the British army in which he served for 21 years. Far from being drunk, Daly was suffering from exposure and starvation. He died two days later at age 53. His body being unclaimed, the remains would be used for anatomical study and then buried in a pauper’s field as was customary in those days. Outraged at the way the British Empire treated its soldiers, Hair raised money from friends and hospital colleagues to arrange a dignified burial for Daly. This encounter changed the course of his life, leading to the establishment of the Last Post Fund in Montreal in April 1909.
Our Mission For 100 years, the Last Post Fund has ensured that no eligible Veteran is deprived of a dignified funeral and burial for lack of financial resources. Its chief mandate is to deliver the Funeral and Burial Program on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada. A First in the History of the Last Post Fund... The Last Post Fund Governing Council 2010-2011... A Generous Donation from the Nova Scotia Government... A Requiem to Honour and Remember Canada's Veterans... Last Post Fund Long Medal Service Delivered by Québec Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne...
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