INTRIGUE AT THE HUNGARIAN MEMORIAL
Did you know that the tranquil paths of Beechwood Cemetery had once provided the backdrop to a story of ultimate bravery, theft, and even a car chase? This story is how a brave night watchman saved the first ever memorial to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution!
In the fall of 1956, thousands of Hungarian refugees arrived in Canada, fleeing from the oppression of communism. In October 1957, the Ottawa Hungarian community wanted to commemorate the first anniversary of the revolution. Beechwood Cemetery generously donated a plot to the Hungarians, inviting them to erect a memorial in honour of the fallen freedom fighters.
One week before the commemoration ceremony, the Hungarians erected a simple wooden cross on the donated plot. Three days later, doing his usual rounds, the night watchman of the cemetery heard suspicious noises - a shovel at work, along with the hushed voices of at least two men. There was also a car idling by the new wooden cross. It had a red plate, meaning the owners were diplomats. As the guard stepped closer to investigate, he watched in astonishment as the men yanked the cross out of the ground, shoved it into the car and took off.
Pushing his fears aside, the night watchman ran to his car and got in. He drove after the thieves and quickly caught up to their car, recognizing it by its red diplomatic plates. After driving to a more secluded area, the car stopped. One of the men got out, pulled the cross from the car and threw it into the ditch beside the road. Then the car disappeared into the night. The watchman memorized the area where the cross lay and drove back to the cemetery.
It was shortly after midnight, but the guard decided that the erectors of the cross needed to know what happened without delay. He called them on the phone, and told them about the night’s events. The erectors acted at once: They drove to the road described by the watchman, found the cross, and with the guard’s help, reinstalled it in its proper place. From that night on, a member of the Hungarian community held watch by the cross all day and night until the commemoration ceremony. Nobody ever tried to harm the cross again.
In 1960, the wooden cross was replaced by a more permanent stone structure. Later on, a traditional “kopjafa” was added to the memorial. But the Ottawa Hungarian community never forgot the adventurous story of the wooden cross.
To commemorate the construction of the first ever memorial to the 1956 Revolution, two freedom fighters, László Farkas and József Polgár decided to erect a stone replica of the wooden cross, as a memento of the bravery and dedication of the original erectors, as well as the night watchman. The replica was sponsored by donations given from Canadian Hungarians and the Embassy of Hungary.
The memorial of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution honours the Hungarian Freedom Fighters who sacrificed their lives for freedom