Saturday, 14 May 2016
Aylmer
Location: Elgin County N 42 46.387 W 80 59.034
On the south side of Talbot Street West (Highway 3), east of Centre Street.
This beautiful memorial, found beside the Town Hall in the downtown area of town, was erected in November of 1928 to much fanfare and celebration. A parade led by the Elgin Regiment and several local bands was much appreciated by the two thousand spectators and supporters who witnessed the event.
At the time, the list of names numbered fifty-five local men who died in the Great War. After the Second World War, a copper plaque was added to the base of the memorial with a further twenty-six names of men lost in that war. Later the copper plaque was removed and the names permanently inscribed into the granite. Recently the Korean War inscription was also added, although thankfully no persons of this area lost their lives in Korea.
The memorial was designed by James W. Hutchinson and features a tall granite stone with a statue of a weeping woman in the centre, flanked by the names of the dead, and in front of the monument is a representation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Legion crest rests on the sidewalk in front of the memorial.
This is one of the most beautiful and original of the small town cenotaphs to be found in Ontario, and the sacrifice of the men of Aylmer should never be forgotten.
Marker text:
IN HONOURED MEMORY OF
THE MEN OF
AYLMER AND MALAHIDE
WHO FOUGHT AND DIED
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
IN THE GREAT WAR
1914 - 1918
W. ANTILL
O.G. BALLAH
E. BARKER
H. BLASHILL
H.E. BURNHAM
J.H. BRANION
M.J. BENNER
W. BARNES
D.G. BENSON
W.H. CLAIRE
R.W.E. CHRISTIE
D.L. DOAN
J.C. DUNNING
C.E. ELWORTHY
M.D. FLUELLING
C.A. FORBES
E. FREIGHT
R. GATWARD
O. GARNER
C.L. HAIGHT
W.H. HAIGHT
D.K. HAMILTON
J.A. HARE
H. INGRAM
F. KILMER
C.E. KENNINGTON
F. LEARN
I. McL. LAWRANCE
T. LIGHT
A. METHUEN
E.D. MITCHELL
A.E. MOTT
G. MOORE
A.B. MANN
C. McEWEN
C.E. ORTON
W. O'NEIL
O.L. POUND
C. PROWSE
V. PROWSE
H.G. PURKISS
W. PROSSER
A.F. ROBERTS
A.T. RICHARDSON
W.P. RICHARDSON
L.M. RAYMOND
H. SIMPSON
C. STARTUP
B.J. TIMPANY
H. THOMPSON
W. TURNER
W. WICKHAM
C. WESTBROOK
A.W. YOUELL
1939 - 1945
L.D. BENNETT
R. CARROTHERS
B. CLEAVER
A. CHIPCHASE
H. CHIPCHASE
O.L. DAVIS
W. DOAN
C. DRYNAN
G. DURDLE
A. FARR
D. FINCH
R. GARNHAM
J. MAY
V.G. HOWEY
D. MILLARD
M. MILLS
A. MARTENS
C.A. PURDY
G. PRIDEAUX
H.W. REID
G. ROWE
A. SHAPTER
M.O. VAN HENDE
G. VAN PATTER
L. WILLIAMS
B. WILSON
J.C. WILSON
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE
KOREAN WAR 1950 - 1953
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.