British Columbia

The Surrey Chapter, Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association constructed this monument in 2006 and it was dedicated with a Memorial Service on Peacekeepers Day August 9th, 2006. The entire cost was borne by the Surrey Chapter and the face depicts the three figures found on the Canadian Peacekeeping Medal. See inscription for details.

Constructed in 1998 in memory of all the Volunteers of Port Kells in the First and Second World Wars.

PORT KELLS CENOTAPH - History: The idea for building a cenotaph in Port Kells occurred to Mr. V. (Wally) Sandvoss, President of the Port Kells Community Association in 1997 when he sat in the meetings of the Port Kells Community Association. These are always held in the Seniors’ Room of the Port Kells Centennial Community Hall. On one wall hangs a framed hand-lettered plaque of all the volunteers from Port Kells who had gone to serve King and Country during the Second World War. Since this room is always locked, the existence of this plaque is not known. He approached the Council of Surrey requesting permission to erect a cenotaph in the community of Port Kells. Permission was granted and together with Surrey’s Parks - Recreation and Culture Department the Port Kells Community Association erected the cenotaph. What is so unusual about this cenotaph is the fact that the Port Kells Community Association honoured all volunteers from this community on the plaque. Since most of them are gone now, the Association wanted to have their names commemorated for future generations. Measurements of the cenotaph: The height of the structure is 7 feet and width is 4 feet. The top beam with LEST WE FORGET in recessed letters projects 3 inches beyond the total width on each side. The two upright beams are decorated with recessed maple leaves. Of these six are on the left beam as well as right one. The protruding base for the plaque is 4 feet high at the wall and 3 feet high at the front. It has a width of 2 feet. Also on the front of the plaque table are two bars which identify the dates of the Second World War. The front and back walls between the outside upright beams are fluted as another decorative element. Here, Mr. Sandvoss’ brother Monte is thanked for his advice and his great help in building the form. Dedication: The dedication, which was a joyous occasion, was held at 10:00 a.m. on September 19, 1998. Besides local MLA and the local MP, Pacific Command of the Royal Canadian Legion, Cloverdale Legion and the Pipe Band from the Langley Legion participated. In the dedication Surrey City Council was also represented and the Commissioner of Surrey’s Park, Recreation and Culture represented that Department. Remembrance Day Services: The Remembrance Day services are improving from year to year. Last year they were able to include cadets from Surrey and Scout groups. Very meaningful is the inclusion of the Port Kells Elementary School in the Service. For the past two years students have volunteered to lay a wreath for the school. It is a great honour for them to be chosen. In this way they do connect the memory of the past with the present. SOME CONCLUDING REMARKS: However untimely the construction of the cenotaph was, it was built 53 years after the end of the Second World War - it gave this community the chance to honour all the volunteers and through the cenotaph to keep the memory of their names alive for posterity. Sincerest thanks to Mrs. Elsie Preedy whose knowledge of all the Second World War volunteers helped tremendously with adding names which were missing on the hand-lettered plaque in the Community Hall in Port Kells. Her research into the names of the volunteers from the First World War had added a number of names which would otherwise have been missed. Design of the cenotaph: V. (Wally) Sandvoss

This memorial was originally erected to commemorate the local fallen of the First World War. Some were members of the 47th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force, C Company. A war trophy (German field gun captured by the 47th Battalion on September 27, 1918) was placed on top of the monument. When the captured the field gun was later chosen by the municipal designer, Clair Lemax, to become the centerpiece of the cenotaph, it instilled even more pride for the battalion. The gun was painted admiral grey, and had two small blocks of marble holding the wheels stationary, each decorated with a maple leaf. The curve granite chocks on either side of the granite cross were where the gun original rested. The memorial was dedicated on August 4, 1921, on the grounds of the then Surrey Municipal Hall located in Cloverdale. The total cost of the original memorial was $2,198.

During the Second World War, the metal in the gun was melted down to help with the war effort and replaced with a pyramid stone structure. Later a bronze plaque was added on the West side of the stone and it was dedicated to those who died while serving in the Second World War and the Korean War. This bronze plaque measured 16 inches high and is 28 inches long.

Surrey eventually became a city and the old Municipal hall was no longer large enough. When the new City Hall was built in the 1950s the memorial moved several blocks northwest outside of Shannon Hall. The memorial was relocated in 2004 due to a road-widening project and this presented the opportunity to not only restore the memorial, but to create a grander memorial. Local citizens and organizations donated the money to fund the project.

The original memorial was acid washed and the engraving restored. The entire memorial was placed on a larger base to accommodate the laying of wreaths. In 2005, the decision was made to return the cenotaph to near its original location near the then-new Surrey Museum. A Kneeling in Remembrance statue carved by Colonel André Gauthier from Ontario was installed for the 2006 Remembrance Day ceremony. Weighing over 600 lbs., the statue depicts a soldier kneeling with helmet in hand. The soldier bears the insignia of the 47th Battalion and is dressed in full battle kit.

Colonel Gauthier served a 37-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces before becoming a fulltime sculptor. He sculpted many statues and monuments that recognize the branches of the Canadian Armed Forces.

This stone from the region of the Battle of Gapyeong was presented on January 22, 2019, to the Township of Langley by Gapyeong County, South Korea in appreciation for Canada's contribution during the Korean War. The donation was facilitated by the Gapyeong Stone Committee, which was made up of members of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, Korean War Veterans Association, Korean Veterans Association, and the Vietnam War Veterans Association. The ceremony was attended by Gapyeong County Mayor Sungki Kim and his International Relations staff, Consul General of Korea Byun-won Chung, Consul Dongsoo Han, Canadian Senator Yonah Martin, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Captain Adam Goddard, members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Korean War Veterans.

A small tree with a large pedigree was planted next to A Walk to Remember at the Derek Doubleday Arborteum on September 23, 2017. The Vimy Oak was officially planted by Cloverdale-Langley City MP John Aldag, Kwantlen First Nation Elder Lekeyten and Township Councillor Bob Long. The sapling was obtained as a living memorial to commemorate 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

After the Battle of Vimy Ridge was won on April 12, 1917, Lieutenant Leslie Miller, a soldier from Ontario, gathered up a handful of acorns as a souvenir to the momentous victory. On returning to Canada, he transplanted the acorns on his land, calling his property the Vimy Oaks Farm. Today several of the oak trees he planted are still standing.

The Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation repatriated Canadian Vimy Oaks back to Vimy Ridge and saplings were planted as part of the centennial commemorations in 2017 and 2018. Vimy Oaks saplings were offered for sale to Royal Canadian Legions across the country as a memorial to the soldiers of the First World War.

Spearheaded by two Langley youth, siblings Michael and Elizabeth Pratt and their organization Langley Youth for the Fallen, A Walk to Remember commemorates Canadian Forces personnel who lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan. A total of 158 trees were planted at the Arboretum in honour of the 158 Canadians who lost their lives.

A Walk to Remember’s central commemorative feature is symbolic of a tree's life that has been cut short. Wrapped around the trunk, a steel ribbon ascends towards the sky, carrying the names of the fallen Canadians. The gravel path surrounding the park is lined with deodar cedars because they are native to Afghanistan. Its two lookouts were funded by the Rotary Club of Langley, looking north over the joining of the Fraser Creek with the Nicomekl River.

LEES+Associates landscape architects designed the memorial area in 2011.

The Douglas Park cenotaph consists of three granite-clad slabs, and is engraved with the words Our Glorious Dead/Nos Morts Glorieux. The new Cenotaph, a sculptural piece, has been carefully and thoughtfully designed in remembrance of war and with a focus on the hope of a peaceful future. It was erected by the City of Langley, in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 21. It is dedicated to local citizens who served during the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War.

The black central piece of the cenotaph symbolizes past wars and conveys a feeling of loss and sorrow to the viewer. This dark core is flanked by two light wings of protection, which are meant to reflect the hope of peace; our hope for the future. This interplay of dark and light simultaneously communicates reverence, as well as optimism, and is a stately reminder of what happens when peace is sacrificed. The Crossed Rifles sculpture, donated by the Langley Heritage Society, is prominently featured on the centre of the cenotaph and the contrast between bronze and black is a striking reminder of our endeavor for a peaceful future.

This memorial, a 25-pounder field gun, was one of the types of artillery used by the Canadian Army during the Second World War. It was donated to the city of White Rock and unveiled in 1972.

This memorial was originally erected in the memory of fallen comrades. It was constructed in 1967 in memory of all the veterans in the wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, who gave their lives so we could be free. Its construction lasted from June 1967 to November of the same year and was funded by donations given by the citizens of White Rock and South Surrey. It is kept in good condition by a Cenotaph Committee consisting of four people: George Bryant (Chairman), George Stephens (Treasurer), Art Daley, and Bill Wallace. The committee receives donations from local clubs to help in the upkeep. There is also a 25-lb. gun at the cenotaph, which has just been sand-blasted and painted at a cost of $1,800. It was expanded on 11 August 1990 with the dedication of a plaque in memory of prisoners of war and civilians held in South-East Asian camps during the Second World War.

This memorial is dedicated to the local war dead of the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It was located at the corner of 56th Avenue and Eastleigh Crescent, but dismantled in 2011 and put into storage by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 21. Since the Branch closed in 2018, a former Legion member has been storing it in his home.