Nova Scotia-based Heritage Memorials constructed a tomb of an unknown soldier for the Newfoundland National War Memorial in St. John's. The 3,600-kilogram sarcophagus portion of the tomb was installed at the base of the war memorial on April 9, 2024. The remains of an unknown Newfoundland soldier who died in the First World War will be repatriated from a battlefield in northern France and placed inside the tomb ahead of the 100th anniversary of the memorial on July 1, 2024.
The vault, carved from black granite that was mined from a Quebec quarry, is inscribed with the words "Known Unto God" in English and French. A forget-me-not flower — a symbol of remembrance for the Newfoundland Regiment — is also carved into the granite. The province's coat-of-arms will be carved into the front of the tomb.
The cover, which is being carved from Labrador granite called "Blue Eyes" and weighs roughly 1,100 kilograms, is still under construction at the company's Windsor, Nova Scotia, plant, and is expected to arrive in May.