British Columbia

By June 1919, plans were underway by the Maple Ridge Returned Soldiers Reception Committee to create a memorial tablet and monument. A bronze memorial tablet created by O.B. Allan Jewelers was unveiled at the Haney fall fair in September 1919. It listed the names of those who had paid the supreme sacrifice, those who had gone overseas and those who had worked in munitions. Maple Ridge had 221 men who served during the First World War. 

By 1922, the existence of the bronze memorial tablet had almost been forgotten. The Haney Women’s Institute wrote a letter to council requesting that the bronze tablet no longer be concealed in the municipal vault but be erected in some public place, suggesting the new High School for consideration, but refraining from any attempt to influence the Council. Members of council stated that the tablet was in the vault for safety against fire with the intention to place it at the new municipal hall. Further action was referred to the Returned Soldiers Committee.

It is not known when the tablet was moved to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88. Later plaques were added for the Second World War, Korean War and peacekeeping.

The Mission Memorial Centre, also known as the Old Hospital, is a one-storey building located on the corner of 5^th Street and James Street in Mission, British Columbia. The community of Mission continues to be proud of the significant contributions made by local citizens through fundraising and special events that allowed the hospital to open debt-free and to add important machinery and space over the next forty years of its operation. Constructed in 1924, the Mission Memorial Hospital was the first purpose-built hospital in Mission. The building continued to operate as a hospital until 1965, when the new Mission Hospital opened in another part of town. The Old Hospital building was purchased by the local government in 1966, but sat empty until 1973 when the Mission Memorial Centre Society (MMCS) was created and took over operation of the building. The people of Mission wanted to create a useful structure that would help the living while honouring the dead, and the building acts as a memorial to commemorate and honour the casualties of war.

Dedicated Vimy Park by the municipality of Kent, this memorial is dedicated to the local war dead of the First and Second World Wars. The park is marked by a low memorial wall bearing a plaque.

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Erected by the district of Pitt Meadows, this memorial is dedicated to the veterans and war dead of Canada's wars. The Pitt Meadows Cenotaph was constructed in 1990 in memory of all those who have served and died for us. The late Mr. Walter Laseur and other local members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Municipality came together to design and construct the Cenotaph and landscape surrounding it. Every Spring and Summer flower beds are planted around the Cenotaph.

This memorial wall is dedicated to the local war dead of the First and Second World Wars.

This memorial to local veterans and war dead of the First and Second World War and the Korean War as well as Canadian Peacekeepers was erected by the Royal Canadian Legion.

This plaque was first placed above the main entrance of Whonnock Memorial Hall in 1921, in memory of those from the Whonnock district who fell in the First World War. After the hall was demolished, the plaque remained on the same property, but was placed on a concrete cairn. It was then moved in 1988 to its current location at the Whonnock Lake Centre.

Next to this plaque is the Whonnock Second World War and Korean War Plaque.

Sometime after the Whonnock First World War Memorial Plaque was moved to the Whonnock Lake Centre in 1988, this plaque honouring those who have served in the Second World War and the Korean War was placed there as well.

By June 1919, plans were underway by the Maple Ridge Returned Soldiers Reception Committee to create a memorial tablet and monument. A bronze memorial tablet created by O.B. Allan Jewelers was unveiled at the Haney fall fair in September 1919. It listed the names of those who had paid the supreme sacrifice, those who had gone overseas and those who had worked in munitions. Maple Ridge had 221 men who served during the First World War.

In February 1923, Mr. Lilley of the Returned Soldiers Committee explained it did not seem proper that this tablet with the names of the living as well as those of the dead should be placed together in a memorial monument for those who had died in the war. The committee proposed a war monument in the form of a Celtic cross with the names of soldiers who had died in the First World War and suggested that the monument be installed in the cemetery.

The cenotaph was unveiled by Bishop de Pencier on 31 May 1923, at the entrance to the Maple Ridge Cemetery with almost 1,000 citizens in attendance. It was designed by Captain Thornton Sharp and created by Art Monument C. of Vancouver. Nelson Island provided the light grey granite for the memorial and funds were raised by the Haney Women's Institute. Because the weight of the memorial caused it to tilt and crack, the base was replaced in July of 1939. It was moved to Memorial Peace Park on June 2, 1953, for the celebrations around the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.

A distinctive feature of the cenotaph are the rocks inscribed with names of the famous battles of the First World War. Originally there were four rocks: Ypres, Somme, Argonne and Amiens. Argonne (a battle won by the Americans) was replaced around 1936 with Vimy Ridge, and two other rocks were added in November 1966: France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, and Korea. The rocks can be found in the gardens around the cenotaph.

In 2000, as part of the Legion’s Millennium project 27 names were added to the north and south sides of cenotaph. The research was done by Jeff Davis. In 2001, the cenotaph moved to its current location at Memorial Peace Park, not far from where it was placed in 1953.

Maple Ridge had a population of under 3,000 when war was declared on 4 August 1914. Initially, recruits had to be men between the age of 18 and 45, but both underage and overage men lied about their age. Many of the men were brothers, cousins, former classmates, and local athletes. The Port Haney Basketball Club had to disband as they had sent practically every eligible player to the firing line. From Maple Ridge, over 200 men joined the military forces, two women joined as nurses, two women and one returned soldier were employed as munition workers and six men volunteered for home defenses. Of those, about 36 were killed or died as a result of the war. Research shows that some of the service men listed on the cenotaph did not reside in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows prior to enlistment, but had relatives who were residents after the war.