Originally known as the Great War Memorial, this monument was unveiled on May 22, 1927, to commemorate the men of Niagara Falls who lost their lives in the First World War. Its granite shaft is capped by a bronze statue of a First World War Canadian infantryman who holds a rifle in one hand and his helmet in the other.
In 1982, inscriptions were added to commemorate the Second World War and Korean War. Its original inscription was edited with an 'S' added to Great War, and the years 1939-1945 added. Two pink granite stones were installed, listing the names of Niagara Falls residents who perished in the Second World War. The names of the four war dead of the Korean War were added to the back of the memorial.
Coeur de Lion MacCarthy, the son of sculptor Hamilton McCarthy, produced numerous commemorative works after the First World War, including: Winged Victory in British Columbia; Great War Memorial and Lethbridge Cenotaph in Alberta; Winged Victory in Manitoba; County of Brome War Memorial, Verdun Victory Memorial, Monument to the Brave and Winged Victory in Quebec; Clifton Hill War Memorial and Woodstock Cenotaph in Ontario.
