The Brighton Cenotaph was unveiled on October 20, 2012. The main central stele is flanked by two smaller stela and is dedicated to the memory of past soldiers and in honour of current serving and future soldiers. It replaces a cenotaph dedicated in 1927 by General Sir Arthur Currie, that was decommissioned in May 2012 and respectfully dismantled.
Excerpt from May/June 2013 LEGION MAGAZINE, Page 71:
BRIGHTON MONUMENT PASSES THE TORCH
A new monument paying tribute to all Canadians who served and died in war and peacekeeping has been erected in the town of Brighton, Ont.
The project was a joint project of the Municipality of Brighton, about 150 kilometers east of Toronto, and Brighton Branch of The Royal Canadian Legion. The unveiling was the conclusion of a two-year project for a branch committee headed by Ian Douglas, a retired brigadier-general and the first vice of Bright Beach.
The cenotaph stands in Memorial Park in the community of about 1,100, near Canadian Forces Base Trenton, the start of the Highway of Heroes. It replaces a cenotaph which had been dedicated in 1927 by Sir Arthur Currie who led the Canadian Corps during the First World War. The earlier monument was decommissioned in May and respectfully dismantled to make way for the new monument with the theme, Passing The Torch From Generation To Generation.
Standing about 15 feet high, the monument is made of granite from Stanstead, Que., and Vermont. A torch is engraved at the top of the monument followed by the Act of Remembrance in both official languages.
Every military operation Canada has been involved in since Confederation has also been engraved on the monument. A new walkway and three flagpoles have been added to the site.
The committee submitted a business plan to Veterans Affairs Canada which provided funding up to $50,000 from its Community War Memorial Program. The funding matched a grant from the municipality and money raised from local people who donated $150 to have a brick along the walkway engraved with the name of a family member who died or served in Canada’s military.
The monument was dedicated Oct. 20 in a ceremony attended by Minister of State and Chief Government Whip Gordon O’Connor representing the federal government and Mayor Mark Walas. The Legion was represented by District Commander Kelvin Warren and Brighton Ladies Auxiliary President Astrida Chalmers. Members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion army cadet corps carried on a Canadian flag to start the service.
Speaking at the ceremony was Sergeant Stephen Drinkwater, an Afghanistan veteran. “While it is an honour to be recognized by the citizens of Brighton and our fellow Canadians through the dedication of this monument, which honours past, current and future soldiers, it is important to recognize that no soldier stands alone,” he said. “I speak for all [in the military] when I say thank you for your recognition and support.”
