New exercise challenge aims to raise cash for Calgary’s Field of Crosses memorial
Calgarian Jordan Witzel’s three-kilometre bike ride on Saturday was one of the first to kickstart the inaugural Field of Crosses Memorial Project fundraising campaign.
The “Exercise Freedom Together” campaign is the first of its kind to support the memorial, which honours more than 3,500 southern Alberta soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for Canadian freedoms.
Exercising freedom together to honour fallen soldiers
Major (ret.) Kent Griffiths joins Global News Morning Calgary to talk about the Field of Crosses Exercise Freedom Campaign, encouraging people to get active and honour those who have fallen in combat.
Calgary Remembers: Remembrance Day ceremony at the Field of Crosses
Hundreds of Calgarians laid poppies on small wooden crosses in the Field of Crosses on Monday, to honour those who lost their lives fighting for Canadian freedom. Poems and prayers were recited for the crowd, wreaths were laid and the Cantare Children’s Choir led the...
Murray McCann turns Field of Crosses into a charity so it will outlive him
On New Year’s Eve, when Murray McCann turned 80, he did what many of us do on a milestone birthday — he contemplated his mortality. Unlike many of us, however, that reflection spurred the successful entrepreneur and sole founder and funder of Calgary’s Field of...
Calgary’s Field of Crosses illuminated by thousands of candles ahead of Remembrance Day
Thousands of candles were lit in front of nearly 3,500 white crosses during a sunset ceremony at the Field of Crosses in Calgary on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019. Blake Lough reports. Watch the video.
Thank you to Sandeep and the entire Friends Pizza and Pasta family for their generous donation through their special promotions and the sharing of profits from their November 11 and November 28 sales.
The Field of Crosses is truly grateful for their continued support.
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International Holocaust Remembrance Day is recognized on January 27
On January 27, 1945, during the Second World War, soldiers of the Allied Soviet Red Army, the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front liberated the German NAZI Concentration Camp called Auschwitz located in the town of Oświęcim in occupied Poland.
Auschwitz, Birkenau and Monowitz were the three main combined camps and the most infamous of all NAZI Germany concentration camps. Between 1940 and 1945, about 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz and of these 1.1 million were murdered. These prisoners were mainly European Jewish people, along with non-Jewish Polish, Roma (Gypsies), Soviet prisoners of war and many other people of various nationalities. In August 1944, there were more than 135,000 prisoners across these complex camps.
Early in January 1945 it appeared that only 67,000 prisoners remained alive in Auschwitz. With the Allied Soviet Red Army advancing westward across Poland, the German SS guards evacuated almost 60,000 Auschwitz prisoners on a forced death-march westward to the towns of Loslau and Gleiwitz. Many prisoners perished in the winter conditions and the remainder were loaded onto trains and taken to concentration camps in Germany and Austria.
On January 27, 1945, the Soviets freed 7,000 starving prisoners remaining behind in Auschwitz.
Over 230 Allied Soviet soldiers died in combat while liberating these camps and the cities of Oświęcim and Brzezinka. The Soviet soldiers attempted to help the survivors and were shocked at the scale of NAZI crimes.
The United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 60/7, adopted by the General Assembly on 1 November 2005, established 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The resolution urges every member nation of the U.N. to honor the memory of the Holocaust victims.
Each November during the Eleven Days of Remembrance the Field of Cross in Calgary, Alberta commemorates 22 Jewish servicemen.
www.fieldofcrosses.com/
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𝐌𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐉
Age: 21 – Sto 1/C RCNVR
Date of Death: 29/12/1945
Fredrick “Fred” James Moyer was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta on June 29, 1924, to John Louis and Mary Irene Moyer. He was the brother to John Daniel and Frances Joseph.
Frederick was employed with the Canadian Pacific Railway as a locomotive fireman. He enlisted May 25, 1943, with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and trained at HMCS Naden in Esquimalt, British Columbia, rising to the rank of Stoker 1st Class. Between 1944 and 1945, he served on the HMCS Truro and the HMCS Noranda, both Bangor-class minesweepers.
Frederick Moyer passed away on December 29, 1945, at the age of 21 in the Royal Canadian Navy Hospital at Esquimalt, British Columbia. He died of a cerebrospinal concussion because of an accident.
Stoker Fredrick J Moyer is buried in the Medicine Hat (Hillside) Cemetery.
Each November during the Eleven Days of Remembrance in Calgary, Alberta, the Field of Crosses commemorates Stoker 1st Class.
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Strathcona Tweedsmuir School has once again shown extraordinary support. The first photo captures a moment from their Remembrance Day assembly, and the next two are from last week’s winter celebration.
Our appreciation goes out to the entire STS school community, with special recognition to the Round Square student group and their teacher and mentor, Christie Smith. Together, they led the Coins for the Crosses Youth Initiative, raising more than $3,300 and adopting 33 Crosses.
An inspiring effort and an incredible group of students honouring our fallen heroes.
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As we approach the holiday season, we send our warmest greetings to everyone who is part of the Field of Crosses community. To our volunteers, participants, sponsors, donors, supporters, media partners, and especially to our uniformed members and veterans, we are deeply grateful for all you do.
This year carried special significance as our Remembrance Day ceremony honoured the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day - the moment that marked the end of the war in Europe and the beginning of renewed peace and possibility. Standing together at the Field of Crosses, we reflected not only on the lives lost but also on the enduring gift of freedom they secured. It was a powerful reminder of the resilience of those Southern Albertans who served, and of the generations who continue to cherish the peace they helped restore.
During the holidays, these reflections feel especially close. The season invites us to pause, gather with those we love, and appreciate the life and liberty made possible through such profound sacrifice. The Field of Crosses remains a place where these stories are honoured and carried forward.
As you celebrate this festive season, we hope it brings warmth, gratitude, and meaningful moments of remembrance. Thank you for your continued support and for helping ensure the legacy of our fallen heroes lives on.
With our warmest wishes and sincere appreciation,
Your Friends at the Field of Crosses
As the calendar turns to 2026, we will begin our fundraising efforts to ensure that this project continues again in 2026. Please consider making a donation online at www.fieldofcrosses.com/donate , or by cheque payable to Field of Crosses mailed to 84 Edgeland Rise NW, Calgary, AB T3A 4E1
All donations receive a tax receipt.
Registered Charity CRA#74426 0084 RR0001
We leave you with this touching video from the 2025 Field of Crosses, we hope you enjoy it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDRHvV-xaVw
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