Sunday 3 November 2019

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."
 


















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