Friday 30 December 2011

Burk's Falls





Location:  N 45° 37.170 W 079° 24.518 
This attractive cenotaph is located in the centre of Burk's Falls, on Ontario Street, in front of the post office. Originally placed to honour those who died in the Great War, names have also been added for those from the Second World War as well.
A tall marble slab with the names engraved is adorned by the statue of a First World War soldier.

Across the road in Stan Darling Village park, can be found a World War 1 German Spandau machine gun on display, with a small plaque.  This was donated by the Legion in 1983.

Text is as follows:

Front:
Sgt S. Alexander, L. Corp. Albert Alexander, Pte. Thomas C. Bridgewater, Corp. E. Stewart Bradley, Sig. John K. Chalmers, Pte. Claude C. Duke, Lieut. J. Howard Fawcett, Pte. T. Kenneth Ford, Pte. C. Leonard Ford, Pte. Alfred C. Myers, Pte. Douglas Wiseman, Pte. John A. Young, Sapr. Wilmot York.
"THEIR NAMES SHALL LIVETH FOREVER"

ERECTED BY
ARMOUR, RYERSON AND BURK'S FALLS
IN LASTING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO MADE
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE FOR HUMAN LIBERTY
IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918

AND IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF THOSE WHO
HAVING DARED TO DIE, WERE SPARED TO RETURN

Left Side:
WE WILL REMEMBER
Flt/Sgt Daniel Crosthwaite, Pte. Stanley Moore, Pte. Theodore O'Connor, Pte. Cameron Smith, Pte. Carl Smith, Cpl. Wallace Millar, Pte. Melvin Budreau, F/O Reginald Gibbs, Pte. Harvey Bell, Pte. Leslie Blackmore, Sgt. Clive Gerow, Gnr Alvin Harkness

FOREVER HONOURED AND MOURNED
1939-1945

While I was photographing this cenotaph, a wonderful older lady stopped to tell me all about the town's Remembrance Day ceremony, how the whole town comes out, school children, bands, cadets, soldiers from bases in North Bay and Petawawa, a truly grand affair.  So next year, I must make a point of heading to Burk's Falls on November 11th.

Thursday 29 December 2011

Oro-Medonte





Location: N 44° 30.212 W 079° 33.282 7th Line North.
A simple yet attractive memorial on the grounds of the Oro-Medonte fairgrounds.

A tall white marlbe shaft, dedicated to those you gave their lives in the First World War. Adorned at the top with a brass symbol of a Canadian maple leaf.
The fairgrounds itself is not always open to the public. A large chain link fence surrounds the area, making it difficult to gain access to the memorial, unless an event is taking place. The memorial can easily be seen from the road however.
The names of those who perished in the Second World War are engraved on the back.

Text as follows:

Front:
THESE BRAVE MEN
OF ORO TOWNSHIP
DIED FOR HUMANITY
IN
THE GREAT WAR

HONOUR ROLL
James Little, Chauncey Burton, William Bramble, John Storey, Thomas Ross, Hamilton Mitchell, Edward McHugh, Arthur Bell, John Cook, Silvester Herbert, Arthur Forrester, Wallace Key, Oscar Wiser, James Pearsall, Gilbert McArthur, John Vessey, John McArthur, Peter McArthur, Norman Dicker, Bernard Mitchell, Joseph Pemberton, John Beaton, Alex H. McCuaig, Norman Wearing, Harold Pearsall, Walter R. Malcolm, Reuben Crawford, Wm. O'Connell

THEIR NAME LIVETH FOREVER MORE

Left Side:
VIMY RIDGE
PASSCHENDAELE
AMIENS
ARRAS
DROCOURT
DURY
BOURLON WOOD

Rear:
1939-1945
SECOND
WORLD WAR

HONOUR ROLL
Barnes Harold E., Clarke Arthur K., Clarke Edward A., Douglas Albert, Henson Robert D., Miller Ronald O., Pilkey John D., Sampson Raymond L., Walker William G., Wrigley Gordon P.

Right side:
YPRES
ST. JULIEN
SANCTUARY WOOD
ST. ELOI
COURCELETTE
SOMME

Cookstown




Location: N 44° 11.442 W 079° 41.900  Church Street Cookstown
This memorial was dedicated in 1935. It was designed and constructed by Alfred Davis. The brass plaque located on the monument was a gift from the Cookstown Women's Institute and was originally unveiled on 11 April 1921 in a bank in Cookstown.
The memorial also had added another plaque with the names of those lost in the Second World War, and a stone for Korea.
A German Minenwarfer(trench mortar) sits in the garden in front of the memorial.

Text as follows:

IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE
OF THE MEN OF COOKSTOWN AND VICINITY
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN FREEDOM'S CAUSE
1914 - IN THE GREAT WAR - 1918

Elmer McMaster Aug. 1918 France, Wm. R. Coleman Sept. 1916 Somme, Wm. J. Moir June 1916 Ypres, Wm. Fraser Sept. 1916 Somme, Geo. Copeland Sept. 1916 Courcelette, Hilliard Rainey Oct. 1916 Courcelette, Clarence Chantler Oct. 1916 Courcelette, Alvin Arnold Oct. 1916 Somme, Clark Duff Oct. 1916 Courcelette, W.J. Perneigie Sept. 1917 Somme, Jno. Baker May 1917 Lens, Wellington Dunham Sept. 1916 Somme, Walter Thomas Apr. 1917 Vimy, Wm. Burns May 1917 Fresnoy, Jas. Sutherland Apr. 1917 Vimy, Albert Prince May 1917 Fresnoy, Archie Smith Oct. 1917 Passchendaele, Alf. Griggs Dec. 1917 France, Frank Rankin Apr. 1917 Vimy, H. Bassingthwaite Sept. 1917 Lens, Earl Neilly June 1917 Fresnoy, Gordon Nevils July 1918 France, Alex Gooch Aug. 1918 France, Calvin F.W. Duff Aug. 1918 Amiens, Ed Taggart Sept. 1918 Arras, Sam'l Draper Aug. 1918 Amiens, Lorne Corbett Sept. 1918 Arras, Esten Lowrie Dec. 1918 France, Wm. Hill Dec 1916 Camp Borden, Harry Flay Sept. 1916 Camp Borden

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.


Lower Plaque:
IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF
COOKSTOWN SONS
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN WORLD WAR II
1939-1945

Fred Batters - Oct. Belgium 1944
Douglas Dawson - Sept. Holland 1944
Gordon Dawson - Nov. Germany 1944
Robt. Mumberson - Sept. North Sea 1944
Clayton Philson - Canada 1944
Archie Riley - Oct. Belgium 1944