A cemetery that is a simply invaluable source of historical information on Polish wartime and post-war emigration is the Polish quarters in the Catholic cemetery in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, known as the Avenue of Poles.

Ewa Iłowska in her guide book Polish graves in the cemetery in Saint-Sauveur-Des-Monts, Quebec, Canada , (Polish Scientific Institute in Canada, Montreal 2004) wrote:

"The history of a nation is always reflected in cemeteries, which is why the Polish sector of the Saint-Sauveur cemetery, as a sepulerum patrae, is a valuable monument to the history of Poland and Polish post-war emigration. This enclave of Polishness on foreign soil fully deserves the special protection not only of the local society, but above all of the Polish emigration in the province of Quebec and Canada."

The first burial that initiated the establishment of a Polish sector in the parish Roman Catholic cemetery in Saint-Sauveur took place in 1954, when the son of former Montreal consul Tadeusz Brzezinski, Adam, tragically died. Over time, more graves of Poles who had died in and around Montreal began to appear in this picturesque cemetery in the Laurentides, creating the so-called Avenue of Poles. The necropolis contains the graves of representatives of the pre-war government of the Republic of Poland, Polish diplomats, representatives of culture and the arts, scientists, veterans of the First and Second World Wars, the Warsaw Uprising, Siberians, and prisoners of concentration camps. Numerous tombstones with beautiful epitaphs, testifying to the great patriotism of the deceased and often expressing longing for the lost homeland, are unique symbols of Polishness.

In the Avenue of Poles, resting among others:

Colonel Andrzej Liebich (1893-1958); in 1918-1920 he took part in the Polish-Soviet War as adjutant to General Żeligowski, in 1931-36 he was military attaché in Latvia, Estonia and Sweden. In 1939, he commanded the 40th Infantry Regiment of the Children of Lwów in Lwów. During the war, he held senior positions in the Ministry of Defence in London. He was twice awarded the Cross of Valour.

Col Aleksander Zamoyski (1898-1961); during the War of 1919-20, he was aide-de-camp to General Władysław Sikorski, participated in the September Campaign, was active in the Home Army, imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo. Prisoner of the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau concentration camps. Decorated with the Order of Virtuti Militari and four times with the Cross of Valour.

Col Mieczysław Karaszewicz (1895-1962); a participant in the Polish-Bolshevik War. In 1940, in France, he joined the Polish Armed Forces. After the Battle of Dunkirk, he was evacuated to the UK, where he served under British command. Awarded the Order of Virtuti Militari. He is buried with his wife Wacława Elżbieta Karaszewicz (1899-1971), a lieutenant of the Home Army (AK), and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising.

Lieutenant Antoni Belina-Brzozowski (1914-1995); graduate of the Cavalry Officer Cadet Reserve School. Called up in 1938 to the Krechowiecki Cavalry Regiment in Augustów, he took part in the September Campaign. In the years 1939-1943, he belonged to the Union of Armed Struggle (later Home Army) and took part in the underground struggle against the Nazi occupiers. Appointed to the rank of lieutenant. Arrested in 1943, he spent the last years of the war in concentration camps at Auschwitz and Mauthausen. He is buried with his wife Irena (Renia) Belina-Brzozowska (1921-2009); a nurse during the Warsaw Uprising.

Seweryn Buckiewicz (1910-2002); a pilot in the fighter-reconnaissance Squadron 318; awarded the Order of Virtuti Militari.

Zofia Czengery (1917-1994); from 1939 belonged to the underground organisation "Odwet", which in time became part of the Home Army. Arrested by the Gestapo, she was sentenced to death. After this punishment was commuted, she was deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where she stayed from 1942 to 1945.

Ryszard Jakimowicz (1919-2010); in 1939 he made his way to France via Romania, Hungary and Greece, where he joined the Polish Army. He then made his way to England, where he served as a navigator pilot in the RAF. In 1945, he married Halina Wodzyńska (1922-2002), a volunteer in the Women's Auxiliary Air Service (members were popularly known as WAAFs, after the British prototype PLSK-Women's Auxiliary Air Force).

Magdalena Kiełczewska (1928-1988); as part of the Grey Ranks, she took an active part in many sabotage actions; in the Warsaw Uprising, she was a nurse and liaison officer.

There are about 100 Polish graves in the cemetery in the Avenue of Poles. In total, about 200 people of Polish descent have found a resting place here. In addition, 20 people whose ashes are scattered around the world are commemorated on tombstones.

Location: Catholic cemetery, rue de l'Église 130, Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada.