Arnprior

Location:  Renfrew County    N 45 26.464   W 76 21.144
On the west side of John Street N, in front of the hospital.

 

This article is copied from www.insideottawavalley.com website, recounting a newspaper article from the Arprior Chronicle Guide, November8, 2012, marking the 60th Anniversary of the Arnprior Cenotaph.
"  Arnprior Chronicle-Guide

It was B. V. Bedore who first wrote about the need for a cenotaph in a guest editorial published in the Nov. 29, 1951 Arnprior Chronicle.

Bernie Bedore, who had served in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during World War II, pointed out that Pembroke and Renfrew had already erected a memorial to the fallen where veterans could properly honour their comrades on Remembrance Day.

Lest We Forget

He lamented that "perhaps next year Arnprior will have her cenotaph, her symbol of remembrance which will say to her citizens and all who pass, 'Lest We Forget'."

The idea must have resonated with many people in the town, as only two months later the Arnprior Chronicle reported that "definite action toward the establishment of a Memorial Monument for Arnprior and District men who gave their lives in two world wars has been taken by the Arnprior Branch of the Canadian Legion."

A committee led by J. J. Greene D.F.C. soon got to work with the help of Mayor Robert Simpson and reeves of the surrounding townships.

Discussion as to what type of monument, the cost and the most suitable location took place around town and an extensive door-to-door fundraising campaign was undertaken by the committee members.

Representing World War II were Ian Malloch, Orme Belvins, Howard Patterson, and Gerald Stokes.

World War I representatives consisted of J. Clarence Irving, Harold Short and Dr. J. H. Box. Other members were J. A. Gillies O.B.E., J. C. Metcalf, James Cherry, J.W.C. Tierney, F. R. Convey, and Stewart Carmichael.

Support plentiful

Support for this community project was widespread and immediate. By May of 1952 over $1,000 had been raised by canvassing organizations such as the local Women's Institutes and private citizens.

A Tag Day held in conjunction with the annual regatta raised over $400 in donations for the Cenotaph Fund.

Most debate around the new cenotaph centred around where it should be located. Many people wanted it in the park, while others felt it should be situated at Town Hall or on other property owned by the Town.

There was also discussion about whether we needed a cenotaph at all. Some people felt that the Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital had already been built as a memorial for the same purpose.

Chairman J. J. Greene acknowledged that the hospital had been financed by contributions of a memorial nature but pointed out that the new cenotaph would be a suitable place of remembrance and worship for Remembrance Day services.

Stores in Arnprior closed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 1952, so that all staff could attend the first memorial service at the new Arnprior and District Cenotaph located in front of the Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital.

A large parade formed up at the Legion Hall on Daniel Street where the Ladies Auxiliary of the Legion, Arnprior Boy Scouts and Cubs, Girl Guides and Brownies, and the Royal Canadian Legion band marched along with the veterans to the new cenotaph where Remembrance Day services were held.

This was a proud occasion for the Arnprior Legion Branch 174 and all those who had contributed to the erection of the cenotaph as a symbol and testament of sacrifice of the men whose names were inscribed upon it.

The cenotaph was completed only one week before the ceremony.

140 NAMES

The grey, limestone structure contained the names of 60 Arnprior and District men who died in World War I and 80 men who died in World War II.

In July 1953, a special unveiling ceremony took place to officially dedicate the memorial.

The Arnprior Legion formed a committee to repair and update the cenotaph in 1998. A large crack in the base of the monument was fixed and a new granite slab was installed over the deteriorated limestone face.

Volunteers from the Arnprior & District Archives (later the Arnprior McNab-Braeside Archives) worked with the Legion to carry out historical research associated with updating the cenotaph by adding names previously missed.

Today, the cenotaph remains the historic gathering place for this community to come together each year to honour those who died in World War I, World War II and the Korean conflict"

 

Marker text:

Front:

WORLD WAR I

1914 - 1918

ADRAIN, ROBERT

AFFLECK, RAYMOND

AFFLECK, ROBERT

ANDERSON, FORREST

BANNING, CHARLES

BARCLAY, CHARLES

BRAY, FRED

BRENNAN, PETER

BRIDGEN, EARNEST

BURT, ROBERT

CARTWRIGHT, HAMILTON

CHAMBERLAND, JOSEF

CHAMBLEAU, EMILE

CHARBONNEAU, MILTON

CLARK, STANTON

CRAIG, W.

CUNNINGHAM, JOHN

DAVIDSON, WILFRED

DAZE, WILFRED

DEROCHIE, GEORGE

DEWAR, DOUGLAS

DUFF, JAMES

DUPUIS, FRANK

EMERSON, ALBERT

FENNEL, HAROLD

GALLOWAY, J.A.

GEE, GEORGE

GEMMELL, EDWARD

GRANT, HERBERT

HAGARTY, THOMAS

HARPER, STANLEY

HASTINGS, JOHN

HOOD, CHARLES

JANDREW, PHILIP

KEDEY, WILLIAM

LAMBERT, WILLIAM

LAVALLEE, CELESTA

LEARMONTH, REID

LEWIS, NORMAN

LYTLE, GORDON

McCORMICK, FRED

McGREGOR, STEWART

McGREGOR, WILLIAM

McLACHLIN, EWAN

McLAUGHLIN, GEORGE

McLEOD, DONALD

McNAB, JOHN

MEEK, WILLIAM

MONTGOMERY, WILLIAM

MOORS, CHARLES

MOREAU, BERT

MOSLEY, JOHN

MURPHY, JOHN

NEWMAN, LEO

NICHOLSON, GEORGE

PRICE, CHARLES

PYE, DAVID

REYNOLDS, HOWARD

RING, ALEXANDER

ROBERTSON, JOHN

ROBERTSON, JAMES

SAMPLE, THOMAS

SAMWELL, MORRIS

SHAW, ROBERT

STANTON, CLARKE

STANZEL, HOWARD

STEVENS, CLEMENT

STEVENS, GEORGE

STYLES, ALBERT

SUTHERLAND, LORNE

THOMPSON, FRED

TIERNEY, JOHN

TOUGH, GORDON

TROWSSE, ROBERT

WILKIE, GEORGE

WILSON, ALBERT

WISHART, WALLACE

TO KEEP FOREVER LIVING

THE FREEDOM FOR WHICH THEY DIED

 

 

Back:

WORLD WAR II

1939 - 1945

BAKER, JOSEPH, 

BAKER, THOMAS

BARNES, ARTHUR

BARR, HAROLD

BEDORE, GLEN

BRADFORD, JOHN

BRYDGES, WALTER

BYRNE, JACK

CAMPBELL, ANDREW

CARMICHAEL, ALEXANDER

CARTWRIGHT, GEORGE

CHABOT, LEONARD

CONVEY, LEO

COUVIEAU, LEO

CRAIG, KENNETH

CRANSTON, JAMES

DAZE, CLETUS

DILLON, JOHN

DUPUIS, KEITH

ERNST, LLOYD

FARRELL, CORKERY

FETHERSTON, WILLIAM

FRASER, LORNE

GALLIGAN, FRANCIS

GOOD, WILFRID

GOODWIN, DONALD

GREELY, DESMOND

GUEST, ALLAN

HARDING, ANDREW

HASTINGS, EDWARD

HOGAN, NELSON

HUBBELL, GEORGE

JAMIESON, JOHN

JENSEN, CARLO

JOHNSTON, GLEN

KELLY, KENNETH

KIPPEN, RAY

KOPETOSKE, EMERSON

LANGMAN, ALBERT

LAUGHEED, KEITH

LAVENTURE, HAROLD

LEDOUX. EARL

LOWRY, MERVYN

MacINTYRE, GORDON

McBRIDE, MONA

McKERRACHER, HUGH

McMANUS, FRANCIS

McMULLEN, CECIL

McVEAN, BASIL

MAY, CHRISTOPHER

MAY, STORIE

MILDON, ALBERT

MILLAR, WILLIAM

MONTGOMERY, ELDON

MOORHOUSE, KENNETH

MORGAN, BRUCE

MORGAN, WILLIAM

MOSLEY, IVAN

MOSLEY, THOMAS

MUNRO, JAMES

NEUMANN, ELMER

O'BRIEN, CLARENCE

O'NEILL, FRANK

PARKER, KENNETH

PHILLIPS, ARTHUR

POOLE, BASIL

ROBINSON, JOHN

SADLER, ROY

SCHNOB, EUGENE

SHANNON, GEORGE

SLIEVERT, KENNETH

SLIEVERT, MANSEL

SMITH, HARVEY

STAVENOW, EDGAR

STAVENOW, LEONARD

STEVENSON, ROBERT

STYLES, JACK

TAYLOR, GLENWOOD

THOMSON, WALTER

THOMLINSON, McLEOD

WALL, RAYMOND

WARDEN, CLIFFORD

WHYTE, SIDNEY

YADE, JOHN

KOREA

1950 - 1953

TRUDEAU, DESMOND

LEST WE FORGET