Vars

 
Location:  City of Ottawa    N 45.355580  W 75.352997

Corner of Buckland Rd and Rockdale Rd

The Vars cenotaph is situated in a triangular shaped park at the heart of this small community.  Although it is considered within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa, Vars is located in the mostly rural Cumberland region of the city.  This park also has a few benches, a stone with a bronze plaque with the dedicated date of the memorial and names of donors inscribed. Also at the front edge, nicely decorated with flowers are a plaque with the history of Vars ON and a traditional "arch" of the Lions International Club, wherever the club is present.

The cairn, which sits on a cement base, has two plaques commemorating the 12 soldiers of this area who fell in the Great War and WWII. Ten of them were killed in WWI and two in the Second World War. There is no mention of the subsequent wars that Canada went to.

Leading to the memorial, is a stone pathway and on each side 6 posts for a total of the 12 soldiers mentioned on the cairn.

The posts, joined in a pair by a chain, has a plaque, some with photos, with the name, service number, regiment, location of where they fell, date and where they are buried of the men that the area are honouring.  All the plaques are bilingual.

Special thanks once again to Loiuse Bellec for providing the photos and help with description.

 

Plaque on boulder which is a little bit away from the cenotaph on the right:

VARS CENOTAPH

THIS CENOTAPH WAS
ERECTED AND DEDICATED

ON SEPTEMBER 20th, 1931

THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF:

THE VARS WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

RESTORED BY THE CENOTAPH

RESTORATION COMMITTEE

OF THE VARS COMMUNITY

ASSOCIATION AND WITH THE

GENEROSITY AND ASSISTANCE OF

CITY OF OTTAWA

VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA

VARS LIONS CLUB

VARS OPTIMIST CLUB

to name a few beside other local businesses and councillors

AND MANY NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS

REDEDICATED ON

SEPTEMBER 18th 2011

IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO

DIED AND ALL WHO HAVE 

SERVED IN CANADA'S

ARMED FORCES

 

 

 

Plaques of soldiers who lost their lives.

Some names might differ from the plaques on the cenotaph as their middle names or first names were added and one name was corrected. Theses posts were added in September 18 2011.

WILLIAM CLAYTON WALSH

J/18156 Pilot officer/Sous-Lieutenant D'Aviation

Navigator/Navigateur R.C.A.F.

194 (R.A.F.) Squadron

Killed/Tue INDIA/INDE

27-08-1943

Buried/Enterre INDIA/INDE

Age 24

 

WESLEY ADAM SIMPSON

246804 Private/Soldat

38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Eastern Ontario Regiment

Killed in action/Tue au combat

Lozinghem, FRANCE

28-05-1918

Buried/Enterre FRANCE

Age 23

 

ERNEST LYTTON BONSALL

24656 Private/Soldat

2nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Eastern Ontario Regiment

Missing in action/Disparu

Passchendale, BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

06-11-1917

Memorial/Memorial BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

Age 22

 

WILLIAM ARTHUR BUCKLAND
410043 Private/Soldat

38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Eastern Ontario Regiment

Missing in action/Disparu

Passchendale, BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

30-10-1917

Memorial/Memorial BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

Age 22

 

FREDERICK GEORGE BUCKLAND

788554 Private/Soldat

3rd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Central Ontario Regiment

Missing in action?Disparu

Fresnoy, BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

03-05-1917

Memorial/Memorial BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

Age 20

 

WARREN EDWARD DUNNING

77585 Lance Corporal/Caporal Suppleant

16th Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Manitoba Regiment

Killed in action/Tue au combat

Festubert, FRANCE

20-05-1915

Buried/Enterre FRANCE

Age 22

 

C.ROY BROWNLEE

455063 Private/Soldat

2nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Eastern Ontario Regiment

Died/Decede

Oxford, England

10-09-1916

Buried/Enterre U.K.

Age 23

 

Charles Ward

1043003 Sapper/Sapeur

7th Battalion

Canadian Railway Troops

Killed in action/Tue au combat

Zillebreke, BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

07-08-1917

Buried/Enterre BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

Age 34

 

MATTHEW BARKLEY
246388 Private/Soldat

2nd Battalion, Canadian Infantry

Eastern Ontario Regiment

Killed in action/Tue au combat

Beaurains, FRANCE

29-03-1918

No known grave/Pas de tombe connue

Age 18

 

ROBERT McELROY

1043004 Sapper/Sapeur

8th Battalion

Canadian Railway Troops

Killed in action/Tue au combat

English Wood, BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

22-04-1918

Buried/Enterre BELGIUM/BELGIQUE

Age 31

 

FRANK LYLE CORMACK

117206 Lance Corporal/Caporal Suppleant

2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles

British Columbia Regiment

Killed in Action/Tue au combat

Remy,FRANCE

28-08-1918

Buried/Enterre FRANCE

Age 27

 

WILLIAM STANLEY HILL

C/33980 Corporal/Caporal

4th Reconnaisance Regiment

Princess Louise Dragoon Guards

Killed in action/Tue au combat

Tomba di Pesaro, ITALY/ ITALIE

01-09-1944

Buried/Enterre ITALY/ITALIE

Age 29

 

 

 

Top plaque:

IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF
THE BOYS OF THIS COMMUNITY
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES
IN THE GREAT WAR

1914 - 1918

MATTHEW BARKLEY
WESLEY SIMPSON
ROBERT McELROY
CHARLIE WARD
EARNEST BONSALL
WARREN DUNNING
FRANK CORMACK
ROY BROWNLEE
FRED BUCKLAND
ARTHUR BUCKLAND

"THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE"

 

Bottom plaque:

WORLD WAR II
1939 - 1945

IN MEMORY OF
CLAYTON WALSH
STANLEY HILL

"THEY DIED THAT WE
MIGHT LIVE."