The Ottawa Memorial, also known as the Commonwealth Air Force Memorial, commemorates by name more than 800 men and women who lost their lives while serving or training during the Second World War with the Air Forces of the Commonwealth in Canada, the West Indies and the United States and who have no known grave. It was built in 1958 by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (then the Imperial War Graves Commission, Canadian Agency) and unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth II in an official ceremony on July 1, 1959. The Memorial is the second most frequently visited Commonwealth War Graves Commission structure in Canada. It is important to the RCAF who have been linked with the site since their involvement on the advisory committee.
The Ottawa Memorial is set on a cliff on Green Island, overlooking the Ottawa River and beside the beautiful Rideau Falls. This spectacular setting is located just off historic Sussex Drive, with parking available on the east side of Rideau Falls Park, north of Sussex Drive.
