At the time of the call for volunteers to serve in the now famous and historic Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), six young men went forth from the Red Deer district to serve the Empire. They were Charles Cruickshank, Angus Jenkins, Archie McNicol, George Martin, Charles Kendrew and William Metcalf. Of these six, the three latter lived to return after their service while the three former laid down their lives. Lord Strathcona gave $1,000 to Red Deer for the building of a memorial to the memory of the three men listed on the plaque, who were from the Balmoral District. The Victorian Order of Nurses donated $2,000. The fund led to the opening of the Red Deer Memorial Hospital in 1904 at a cost of $2,500 and furnishing of the building was undertaken by the Ladies Hospital Aid Society.
In 1923, the hospital was reorganized as the Red Deer Municipal Hospital. The original hospital building was torn down in 1961 and renamed Red Deer General Hospital. In 2012, the memorial plaque was donated to the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery. Since 2013 it has been on display as part of a permanent history exhibit.
