In 1919, the Great War Veterans Association branch in Lacombe sought input for their proposed memorial to honour those who suffered and gave their lives in the First World War. Conflict erupted between those in favour of a memorial hall and those in favour of a monument. It is not known how the Great War Veterans Association dealt with the debate.
The Lacombe Cenotaph was erected in the Lest We Forget Park in 1924 by the Lest We Forget Club. The Club was composed of a group of dedicated widows, wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters of Veterans of the First World War. The Club raised money for the cenotaph through a fair with tea cup readings; silver tea and bake sales combined with concerts and fortune telling; and dances. A concert by local artists was held in the Vet theatre in October of the same year. McDonald Nurseries donated the plantings surrounding the cenotaph.
The cenotaph cost $3,500 and is comprised of an Italian Carrera marble sculpture of a soldier atop a two-level tapered granite column with decorated capital set on a rough-dressed granite base. Poppies are engraved on the corners, but the engraving on the panel on the second portion of the pedestal is unclear. Atop the cenotaph is a statue of a young soldier. Behind him, is a stump of a narrow tree with its main trunk and two branching limbs cut off close to the ground. Draped across the stump is a lily, representing purity, chastity, and innocence, and is the symbol of the resurrection and Easter.
The young soldier stands tall, chest out, holds the barrel of his rifle and gazes solemnly to the south. He is dressed as soldiers often were in the photos taken after enlistment for their families. It was designed by Albert J. Hart, owner of Albert J. Hart, Marble and Granite Works. Located in Calgary, it was one of the oldest marble and granite works in that city. Hart was a skillful and fair businessman who was an expert cutter and designer. He designed several cenotaphs across Canada including those for the City of Medicine Hat and the Town of Nanton.
The Lacombe Cenotaph was unveiled in October of 1924. It confronts the grief of those who survived the war and acknowledges the empty space left by the deceased, while offering hope of their continued existence in another place. The number of individuals from Lacombe who lost their lives in the First World War is startling. There are 72 names inscribed on the cenotaph, from a community with an estimated population of only 1,113 in 1912. Approximately one in every five men who enlisted died during the war.
The Lest We Forget Club donated the park to the Town of Lacombe in 1955 who maintained it as part of the grounds of the Lacombe Memorial Centre.
