Long Branch

 

Location:  Etobicoke, City of Toronto   N 43 35.428    W 79 31.934
At the corner of Park Blvd and Long Branch Avenue
 

Long Branch was a small community along the shore of Lake Ontario, along what is now the boundary of Toronto and Mississauga. 
Nearby was the location of the Long Branch Aerodrome, established in 1915 and operated by the Curtiss Flying School until 1917 when it was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps.  It was the first aerodrome to operate in Canada. 
Long Branch was also home to Small Arms Ltd., producing Lee-Enfield rifles and Sten guns during WWII.  The factory finally closed in 1976 and much of the complex has been demolished.
The cenotaph was erected in 1933, by Branch 101 of the Royal Canadian Legion, to pay tribute to this communities contribution to World War I, and later World War II and Korea.  No names appear on the cobblestone cenotaph, other than the wars previously mentioned.  A black fence surrounds the memorial, to protect it from the ravages of its urban setting.



Marker text:
Front:
TO OUR
GLORIOUS DEAD
1914 - 1918

IN GRATEFUL MEMORY
1939 - 1945

KOREA
1950 - 1953
 




Back:
ERECTED
BY
BRANCH 101
CANADIAN LEGION
LONG BRANCH