Friday 25 March 2016

Wilton

 

Location:  Lennox & Addington County  N 44° 19.911 W 076° 43.171
At the corner of Simmons Road and Fisk Road, across from the cemetery.

The small village of Wilton remembers the sacrifice of its young men with a granite stele bearing the names of those who died and those who returned from the Great War.  Some of the names engraved on this memorial can also be found on gravestones located in the cemetery across the road.  The men of this community likely volunteered and fought in the great battles of World War I under the command of the 21st Battalion that formed in Kingston in 1914.
The front of the memorial lists the names of the men who died during the war, while the back lists the names of those brave men who were fortunate to return.

This memorial was pointed out to me by Mr. Al Lloyd, a nationally recognized historian, author and veteran.  He tirelessly promotes the history of local WWI soldiers with his Facebook page: 21st Battalion in the Great War :  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1600050546916203/.  All photographs in this entry were provided by Mr. Lloyd and used with his permission.  This is the first time I have used someone else's photos in the blog.  Thank you for your kind contribution and humble dedication to promoting our history.


Marker text:
Front:
IN
DEFENCE OF LIBERTY
ERECTED IN HONOR
OF OUR FALLEN HEROES

WALTER BUSH, LIEUT.
Wm. R. DAVEY
HERBERT BLANCHFLOWER
JAMES HUTCHISON
HARRY SMITH

1914 - 1918

BRITONS
SHALL NEVER BE SLAVES


 
Back:
IN
DEFENCE OF LIBERTY
ERECTED IN HONOR
OF OUR RETURNED HEROES

WESLEY FRINK, CAPT.
Wm. PERRY
OTTO STORMS
PETER McDONALD
JOHN BUCHANAN
WALTER SWANN
STANLEY McDONALD
RUGGLES STORMS
PETER THIBET
EARL JOHNSON
HARRY DAVEY
MALCOLM ROSS
IRVING McGAUGHEY
BERNARD DAVEY
PARKER WALKER
KENNETH BABCOCK
ELBEARN COLE
CLAUDE V. ASSELTINE, SPR.
FRED SCOUTEN
PERCY SHEWELL
EDWIN COLE
HERBERT HODGE
Wm. THOMPSON
KENNETH MARTIN
ALEX. JOHNSON






Sunday 20 March 2016

Lion's Head

 

Location:  Bruce County   N 44 59.141  W 81 15.233
On the west side of Main Street (County Road 29) at John Street.
 

Lion's Head is a beautiful location along the shores of the Bruce Peninsula, its harbour a safe have for boaters on Georgian Bay.   The memorial is found in a small parkette, along with an Ontario Historical Plaque dedicated to a British Victoria Cross winner who fought in India in 1858, then emigrated to Canada after the war and settled nearby.
The memorial itself is a well decorated stone type, with three sections.  Originally erected after World War I, the two other sections were added after World War Two.  The names of the dead represent men from the village of Lion's Head and Eastnor Township.



 
Marker text:
Front centre:
IN MEMORY OF
THE SONS OF
EASTNOR TOWNSHIP
WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY
IN THE GREAT WAR

KILLED IN ACTION

JOHN T. BLACKWOOD
JUNE 30, 1916

DANNIE GRAHAM
MAY 8, 1918

JAMES W. SPEIRS
SEPT 3, 1918

SAMUEL D. BLACKWOOD
OCT 1, 1918

DUNCAN E. CAMPBELL
0CT 2, 1918

JOHN A. CAMERON
OCT 23, 1918
 



Right side:
EASTNOR TOWNSHIP
1939 - 1945
TRP. G.E. HAYWARD
CSM E.E. WEAVER
PTE. SCOTT BAIN
PTE. JACK NORTHCOTT
PTE. GORDON SAUNDERS
P/O DONALD FLOOD
 



Left side:
LION'S HEAD
1914 - 1918
LT. W.J. SCOTT LAIDLAW

1939 - 1945
FLT. LT. KILBURN H. GRIST
A.B.- J.E.E. NEATH  R.C.N.V.R.
STOKER MELVIN MORRISON
PTE. DONALD GREIG
 



Ontario Historical Plaque: 
Sergeant John Pearson, V.C. 
1825-1892

 Born in Yorkshire, England, Pearson joined the 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Regiment of Light Dragoons in 1844, and served with this unit in India during the Mutiny. On June 17, 1858, near the town of Gwalior the squadron with which Pearson served formed part of a small force which routed the advancing enemy. His unit then charged through the enemy camp, and returned with two captured guns under a heavy and converging fire. For their gallantry in this action, Pearson and three companions received the British Empire's highest decoration for valour, the Victoria Cross. In 1880 he emigrated to Canada, and in 1888 settled on a farm some 14 km west of here.






Sunday 13 March 2016

Badjeros

 
 
Location:  Grey County   N 44 15.404  W 80 17.025
In the cemetery on South Line, just west of County Road 63.
 

I was alerted to this wonderful memorial by the head of the local heritage committee.  I would have never thought that such a small village like this would have such a fine memorial to honour the many brave men from the area who served and died in the Great War.  The memorial sits on the highest spot in the village, which happens to be in South Line Union Cemetery, directly across the road from the United Church.  This is definitely a farming community, and the village of Badjeros has continued to thrive since its founding in 1851, when it was originally called Snow Drift.  The name was changed to reflect that of the founder, Captain Phillip Badgerow.  Several spellings later, we have Badjeros.  The main feature of the village is the General Store, which was built in 1885.  The cemetery was established in 1854.
The list of names of those who served and died in the Great War is long, which is common for the rural communities.  The statue of a young soldier standing at attention, on top of this memorial, as he looks over the village and surrounding farmland.  The monument was erected in 1919, making this one of the oldest Great War memorials in the province.



 
Marker text:
Front:
WHO DIES IF FREEDOM LIVES

AND THEIR NAMES SHALL LIVE FOREVER

WESLEY BAILEY
CHESTER N. McKINNON
ERNEST C. CLAREY
HAROLD L. CHERRY
SIDNEY A. MUIRHEAD
GORDON McKINNON
HERBERT MITCHELL
JAMES A. SCOTT
SAMUEL A. TAYLOR
ALEX ROBERTS
NEIL SMITH
CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS
MARTIN DAND
WALKER PATTISON
CYRUS W. FIELD
HENRY S. PRIDDLE
T. ARTHUR METHERAL
STANLEY JAMES
ARTHUR R. SIMMONS
WILLIAM A. McKEE
WILFRED REDPATH
 


 
Right side:
THIS MONUMENT WAS
ERECTED A.D. MCMXIX
BY VOLUNTARY PUBLIC
SUBSCRIPTION
IN MEMORY OF THOSE
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
AND THOSE WHO SERVED
AND RETURNED
IN THE GREAT WAR
IN EUROPE
WHICH TERMINATED
NOVEMBER 11th MCMXVIII
 


 
Back:
THOMAS STEWART.  CHARLES R. PRIDDLE.  BERT NOBLE.
ALFRED J. DENMANS.   ANGUS DENMANS.  ADRIAN F. DENMANS.
H.D. MOORE.  L.J. MOORE.  J.C. MOORE.  JOHN HULLIN.
WESLEY DOUGLAS.  WILLIAM WESLEY PRIDDLE.  Wm. McNABB.
GEORGE GILFILLAN.  MARSHALL W. ARMOUR.  FRANK BERRY.
CLARENCE SPROTT.  WILLIAM E. FERGUSON.  JOHN HANNON.
JOHN M. GIBSON.  DALTON M. SINCLAIR.  LESLIE BAKER.
A. RUSSELL FACKNIE.  A. LENNOX FACKNIE.  FRANK CURRAN.
DUNCAN McAULEY.  GORDON R. BAILEY.  J. CECIL STEWART.
C. OSCAR STEWART.  A. DOUGLAS McALLISTER.  Wm. T. HANLEY.
EARDMAN A. SMYTHE.  EUGENE F. CROSBY.  PERCY A. PRIDDLE.
WESLEY FERGUSON.
 





Monday 7 March 2016

Linwood



Location:  Waterloo Region  N 43 35.009  W 80 43.754
In front of the Linwood Community Centre, off of Township Road 11.
 

A very nice memorial created by the local community, to honour those lost in the World Wars.  This is a small farming community on the outskirts of Waterloo, many of the area residents are of Mennonite descent.  Linwood is home to one of the largest farm animal vet clinics in Ontario.  The names listed on this memorial represented a serious blow to the local culture and economy at the time.  Such is the sacrifice that was made by almost everyone in the times of war.  This memorial was presented by the Linwood Veterans Club.



Marker text:
Front:
WORLD WARS

1914 - 1918
A.M. CROOKSHANKS
J.M. GATES
E.C. LAVERY
L. BENDER
I. DIEFENBACHER
H. FAHRENKOPF

1939 - 1945
R.D. HAYES
W.N. MacPHERSON
V.J. MUSSER
J.M. SHERRER
R. GREMM
L. LOTZ
L. ROTH
S. SCHMIDT
E. SCHWEITZER

LEST WE FORGET





Back:
AT THE
GOING SOWN
OF THE SUN
AND IN
THE MORNING
WE WILL
REMEMBER THEM

LINWOOD VETERANS CLUB






Wednesday 2 March 2016

Port Stanley

 

Location:  Elgin County   N 42 39.852  W 81 12.894
In a park at the triangular intersection of George Street, Bridge Street and Carlow Road.
 
The tripod shaped memorial is fittingly found in a triangular shaped Veterans Park, across the road from the Royal Canadian Legion Last Post Branch 410.  The memorial was established on September 27th, 1986.
The design consist of three legs, representing the three main branches of the military, holding a black granite stone with a sculpted flame no top.  On the black stone are three engravings of the Army, Navy and Air Force.  At the base of the tripod pedestal are more words engraved to honour those who served before us.
The memorial is quite attractive, and very handy to the Legion.

Marker text:
Black top stone:
ON THE SEA

ON LAND

IN THE AIR

Base stone:
"KNOW ALL YE WHO PASS BY,
THAT FOR YOUR TOMORROW, WE GAVE OUR TODAY

IN MEMORY OF ALL
WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE