Ontario War Memorials: August 2022

Tuesday, 23 August 2022

Camlachie

Location: Lambton County N 43.03866 W -82.16218

6745 Camlachie Road, beside the library.

This memorial stands proudly in Veterans Memorial Park, next to the public library and local sports fields which are the centre of activity on most small towns. It represents not only the village of Calmachie, but the township of Plympton-Wyoming. The memorial consists of two stones standing on each side of the Canadian flag. The original monument is a large cairn constructed of local fieldstones and features a red granite plaque with the names of the lost heroes from the two World Wars. A more recent addition is a flat, grey granite stone to honour one local soldier lost in the Afghanistan War and with room to add more names of future unforeseen conflicts. We can all hope that no more names ever need to be added to this stone and that although our brave men and women continue to serve our country with distinction in conflicts around the globe, that they can do so without further loss. Lest We Forget.

Marker text:

Fieldstone cairn:

CALMACHIE

COMMUNITY

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

OUR HONOURED DEAD

AND ALL WHO SERVED

1914 - 1918

SAM NORWOOD

THOS. POWELL

GEO. RITCHIE

GEORGE GRAY

1939 - 1945

MARTIN ANDERSON

LESLIE COLLINSON

JOHN STEWART

New stone:

IN HONOUR OF ALL THOSE

FROM PLYMPTON - WYOMING

WHO HAVE SERVED SO WE

MAY LIVE IN PEACE

LEST WE FORGET

CPL BRENT POLAND

AFGHANISTAN 2007

Saturday, 13 August 2022

Hawkesbury

Location: Prescott and Russell Counties

N 45.60700 W -74.60491

In front of the OPP Station, 419 Cartier Boulevard.

This memorial sits in a narrow strip of land in front of the OPP Station, that was designated as Veterans Park in September 1998. The cenotaph is a tall obelisk that was erected on May 24, 1924. The park is also home to other memorials honouring lost members of the OPP. Hawkesbury is largely a Francophone community and as such, the plaques are mostly in French. I am told by my associate researcher that where there is English on the plaques, the wording does not directly translate to the French equivalent. The left side and the rear plaque are identical but one is French the other is English. Nevertheless, the memorial does list the names of all the members of this community who died in the World Wars while serving our country.

*Photos by Louise Bellec.

Marker text:

Front:

CORÉE – KOREA
1950 – 1953

LA VILLE DE HAWKESBURY
RECONNAISSANTE
A SES SOLDATS MORTS
DURANT LA GRANDE GUERRE
1914 – 1919

LIEUT. E.G.HIGGINSON JR. R.A.F.
SOLDAT P.BELLEFEUILLE C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.CAYEN C.E.F. SOLDAT W.CAMPBELL C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.FOUCAULT C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.GORMAN C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.GAGNON C.E.F.
SOLDAT G.HARKIN C.E.F. SOLDAT H.HOWLETT C.E.F.

LIEUT. J.J.SHERMAN R.F.A.
SOLDAT J.LABELLE C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.MCGILLIS C.E.F.
SOLDAT F.MCGLINCHY C.E.F.
SOLDAT L.PARK C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.POIRIER C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.TAILLEFER C.E.F.
SOLDAT J.TIMBERS JR. C.E.F.
SOLDAT H.WEBSTERS C.E.F.

DEVOILÉ LE 24 MAI 1924
PAR S.E.LORD BYNG DE VIMY
G.C.B., G.C.M.G., M.O.V. ETC.
GOUVERNEUR GENERAL DU CANADA.
“JE ME SOUVIENS”

PARC DES VETÉRANS
Designé par le Conseil municipal
de la Ville de Hawkesbury
le 28 septembre 1998

VETERANS PARK
Designated by the Municipal Council
of the Town of Hawkesbury
on September 28, 1998

Right side:

ROLL OF HONOUR
IN GRATEFUL TRIBUTE TO
THOSE OF THIS TOWN WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE
GREAT WAR 1914 – 1919

LIEUT. E.G. HIGGINSON JR. R.A.F.
PTE. P. BELLEFEUILLE C.E.F.
PTE. J.CAYEN C.E.F.
PTE. W.CAMPBELL C.E.F.
PTE. J.FOUCAULT C.E.F.
PTE. J.GORMAN C.E.F.
PTE. J.GAGNON C.E.F.
PTE. G.HARKIN C.E.F.
PTE. H.HOWLETT C.E.F.

LIEUT. J.J.SHERMAN R.F.A.
PTE. J.LABELLE C.E.F.
PTE. J.MCGILLIS C.E.F.
PTE. F.MCGLINCHY C.E.F.
PTE. L.PARK C.E.F.
PTE. J.POIRIER C.E.F.
PTE. J.TAILLEFER C.E.F.
PTE. J.TIMBERS JR. C.E.F.
PTE. H.WEBSTER C.E.F.

“LEST WE FORGET”

Left side:

ROLL OF HONOUR
IN GRATEFUL TRIBUTE TO
THOSE OF THIS TOWN WHO
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE
2ND GREAT WAR 1939 – 1945

F.O. M. MACLEOD
L.T. H. HUDSON
L.T. G. LAVOILETTE
PO. G. BERTHIAUME
PO. J. E. MCGIBBON
W.O.I. R. HUDSON

SGT. D. RHEAUME
PTE. S. MCINTOSH
PTE. A. LAROCQUE
PTE. P. VILLENEUVE
PTE. J. ROBERTSON
PTE. J.M. DICAIRE

Back:

LA VILLE DE HAWKESBURY
RECONNAISSANTE
A SES MILITARIES MORTS
DURANT LA 2IEME GRANDE GUERRE
1939 – 1945

F.O. M. MACLEOD
L.T. H. HUDSON
L.T. G. LAVOILETTE
PO. G. BERTHIAUME
PO. J. E. MCGIBBON
W.O.I. R. HUDSON

SGT. D. RHEAUME
PTE. S. MCINTOSH
PTE. A. LAROCQUE
PTE. P. VILLENEUVE
PTE. J. ROBERTSON
PTE. J.M. DICAIRE

DEVOILÉ LE 4 SEPT 1950
PAR S.E. LE MARECHAL TRES HONORABLE
VICOMTE ALEXANDRE DE TUNIS
K.G., G.C.B., G.C.M.C, C.S.I., D.S.O.,
GOUVERNEUR GENERAL DU CANADA
“JE ME SOUVIENS”

Saturday, 6 August 2022

Wahta Mohawks First Nation

Location: Muskoka District N 44.99433 W -79.77729

2664 Muskoka Road 38, 250 metres east of Highway 400.

The memorial dedicated to the Wahta First Nations was first featured on this site in September 2012. You can still see that post in the archives, although that memorial is no longer there. The original stone from that first memorial has been incorporated into the design of the new memorial. The new memorial was erected in front of the new Wahta Mohawks Administration and Community Centre, in November 2015.

This new memorial has been completely re-done on a grand scale. The names of all the local Mohawks who volunteered for service the World Wars, Korea and Peacekeeping are forever carved into the grey granite stones. Those who died while serving have their names engraved on the tall, centre stone. There are now five stones that make up the memorial, four dedicated to those who served their country in the military and one dedicated to those who went through the Residential school system. The entire monument is decorated with children's shoes in memory of the history of the residential school system.

I have chosen not to cover the history of the Residential Schools, that chapter can be found elsewhere for those who are interested. This site is focused on the cenotaphs and memorials dedicated to those who bravely served their country in times of war and peace. Sadly, many of the names appear in both the school survivors and the military service personnel.