The stained glass window at Highlands United Church is made of glass collected from ruined church on the European battlefields. Reverend T.R. Davies, MA, BD, DD, was minister to Highlands United Church and Chaplain to the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Winnipeg during the Normandy campaign in the Second World War. As he travelled with the battalion through the battlefields of Europe, he began picking up fragments of glass from the rubble of bombed-out churches. He carefully recorded the history of each piece and they were later put together to create Highland’s Memorial Window. Rev. Davies suffered a wound in the field and was transported to hospital in England. But the truck carrying his luggage and the collection of glass was blown up and it appeared the fragments had met their fate. However, a soldier had searched the debris for his collection and, when Rev. Davies returned to the regiment at Christmas, his package of glass was waiting for him. In all, he had accumulated fragments from the ruins of 24 churches in France, Holland, and Germany and he brought them home and gave them to his congregation.
The memorial window was dedicated by Alberta Lieutenant Governor J.C. Bowlen on Sunday, November 7th, 1948, in memory of the parishioners who served, especially those who died during military service.
